Legal issues hit at messy times: A recent loss, a health scare, family tension, a big life change.
These resources are designed to help you understand the basics, ask better questions, and feel less alone as you decide what to do next.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Your situation is unique, and we’re happy to talk through it with you, or you can follow along on TikTok for short, helpful videos from our VZ Law partners.
Start Here
If you’re not even sure what your situation is called, this is your section.
Learn in Minutes, Not Hours.
If you’d rather watch than read, our partners share weekly TikTok explainer videos on common estate planning, probate, trust, and dispute questions. It’s an easy way to learn in small bites and hear directly from the attorneys who do this work every day.
Weekly updates from @VZLaw
Planning Ahead for Your Family
If you’re trying to get your affairs in order before something happens, these resources will help you understand the moving parts without scaring you or drowning you in jargon.
After a Loss: First Steps.
When someone dies, you’re dealing with grief and logistics at the same time. This section is meant to steady the ground under your feet.
Resources for Trustees
If you’ve been named trustee, you may be worried about doing something wrong. These resources are built to calm that fear and give you a place to start.
Trustee Checklist: The First 90 Days
Key notices, information to gather, and decisions that usually come first.
Communicating With Beneficiaries as a Trustee
Simple guidelines for staying transparent, setting expectations, and avoiding common misunderstandings.
Protecting Yourself as a Trustee
Basics of documentation, record-keeping, and when to ask for legal help.
When Family and Money Collide
If something feels unfair, hidden, or manipulative, you’re not overreacting. These resources can help you sort through what you’re sensing and what your legal options might be.
Quick Answers
to Common Questions
Yes. Our firm includes multiple Spanish-speaking attorneys, and we proudly offer estate planning and probate consultations in Spanish. We ensure every client receives clear, culturally competent, and high-caliber legal guidance.
We serve clients throughout Los Angeles and Southern California. Contact us to identify the most convenient office or to arrange a virtual consultation.
Yes. We provide dedicated estate planning services in Orange County, delivering sophisticated, customized planning for individuals and families.
We offer comprehensive estate planning in Long Beach, including trusts, wills, and tailored legacy strategies designed to protect wealth, family, and future generations.
Estate planning is the process of structuring how your assets, responsibilities, and personal wishes are managed during your lifetime and carried out after death with clarity, control, and intention.
An estate plan ensures your decisions, not state default rules, govern your legacy. It can preserve wealth, reduce conflict, streamline administration, and provide certainty and peace of mind for your loved ones.
A well-crafted estate plan can protect your assets, minimize court involvement, plan for incapacity, preserve privacy, and ensure your wishes are honored, both now and in the future.
Most clients benefit from a trust or will, durable power of attorney, advance health care directive, and related supporting documents. Each plan is custom-designed to reflect your goals, family dynamics, and financial profile.
A will is a legal document that directs how your assets are distributed after death and can name guardians for minor children. However, willsgenerally require probate, a court-supervised process.
A will governs asset distribution but typically involves probate. A trust can avoid probate, enhance privacy, and provide greater control over how and when assets are distributed, offering a more flexible and sophisticated planning solution.
Helpful Links
These links are provided for general information only. We don’t control or endorse everything on these sites, but many clients find them helpful.