Hello and welcome to my website, BotaLaw.com. I am a Bay Area attorney dedicated to helping people plan for their future, preserve their legacy, and make sure that their affairs are managed in such a way as to make things as easy as possible for their loved ones. The principle way this is done is through a Living Trust. But there is much more to the Estate Planning process. I invite you to look over the pages on this site so that you can become familiar with the process and the basic concepts involved in Estate Planning.

I have lived in the east bay area my whole life. I went through the local school system in Pleasanton from 1st grade through high school at Amador Valley. I love it here and there is no other place I'd rather live. That's one of the reasons that I feel it is important to give back to this community the best way I know how. For me, that is working as a lawyer helping people plan for the future so that when the time comes, everything can be handled in a quick, simple, and inexpensive way.

With a properly drawn up Living Trust, your assets can be distributed in the manner that you intended, but it can also save a great deal of time, money, and heartache for your loved ones. One of the main ways that a Living Trust accomplishes this is through the avoidance of probate. I talk more about this in the following pages of this website, but in a nutshell, you want to avoid probate. It is very costly. You must hire a lawyer who will take a significant percentage of your estate. That's money that could have gone to your loved ones or to charity! Probate is also time consuming and difficult to comply with. It may involve official audits of your assets by court appointed appraisers that will get paid by a percentage of your estate. It may involve multiple court hearing because in the end, probate is a court case and the assets will be distributed by the Judge.

Another aspect of all estate plans is a pour-over will. This will is a special kind of will that works in tandem with your Living Trust. It basically says that if anything falls outside of the trust for any reason, distribute the assets as the trust instructs. It's a kind of safety net. You can also name a guardian for your minor children instead of having a stranger appointed by the Judge if anything should happen to you.

Another important aspect of estate plans is a power of attorney for financial affairs and a power of attorney for health care decisions. These help protect and preserve your estate should anything happen to you while you are still alive. This might be for the short term, such as if you were in a car accident. This might also be for the long term in the case of ailments such Alzheimer's.

Take a look through the resources on this website. Please give me a call if you have any questions. The initial consultation is free. (925) 200-3936.