Estate Planning & Probate

Estate Planning & Probate in California

In the event of the death of a loved one, sometimes the surviving family members or potential heirs may have a dispute on how their estate is being administered. Any conflict over a loved one’s estate or trust should ideally be resolved through mediation to minimize the financial and emotional costs for everyone involved.
If the probate dispute ends up in the court, the litigious process can take a serious toll on the parties to the dispute. Our estate and trust dispute mediators at Lerner Conflict Resolution Center have deep knowledge and years of experience in helping Californians resolve these disputes quickly and satisfactorily through mediation.

Types of Estate & Trust Administration
Probate Disputes We Handle

Lerner Conflict Resolution Center is equipped to offer professional mediation services to help resolve all types of disputes related to a deceased loved one’s assets. Stakeholders to the dispute are assured of our complete neutrality and our commitment to help find a successful resolution to the best possible satisfaction of everyone involved. We can mediate in the following types of probate disputes in California:

Disputes over how the will or trust should be interpreted

Disagreement over the distribution of certain probate assets

Conflict among the members of a blended family

Dispute of disinheriting of heirs

Questions over last-minutes changes made to the will

Accusations related to the decedent’s coercion or undue influence

Disagreements over the succession plans of the family business

Accusation of mismanagement of estate or trust assets by a trustee or executor

Disagreement over the fee to be paid to the trustee or executor

How Families in California Benefit from Our Probate Mediation Services

Our neutral, third party probate dispute mediators will help family members to resolve their differences through a non-combative, non-adversarial approach in an informal setting. The mediation process is non-binding, and any settlement will only become legally enforceable when all parties agree to it and the court approves of it.
If the settlement cannot be reached, the family members are free to pursue other legal options. But in most cases, our skilled probate mediators enable a successful outcome, which helps avoid or put a closure to a litigious probate battle in court. This saves the parties to the dispute time, cost and protracted stress, and allows them to move forward with life. Most importantly, our mediation process often helps preserve the sanctity of family relationships once the dispute ends.
Unlike the litigation process, the discussions held behind closed doors with our probate dispute mediators will be kept confidential, and anything stated during the mediation cannot be used later on in a court of law. Family members feel encouraged to speak freely because they know their matters will not become public, and nothing they say or present during the mediation will be used against them later on.
This is the underlying reason of a high success rate of our mediation process at Lerner Conflict Resolution Center because we facilitate open communication in a cooperative and respectful setting instead of a combative environment.

Talk to Our Capable and Trustworthy Probate Mediation Experts Today

Our dedicated probate mediators have the skills, experience, and resources to facilitate successful mediation even in the most contentious or complex estate and trust administration disputes.

Schedule a Remote or In-Person Consultation with us Today

To learn more about our services or to book a consultation

(949) 694-4245
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