Resources & Events
- Video Series & FAQs
- Upcoming Events
- Previous Events
- Referral Hub
- For Successor Trustees
- Publications
- Client Resources
In our video series, we tackle some of the most frequently asked questions we hear. From “What’s the difference between a Will and a Trust?” to “How can I avoid a California Probate?”, we strive to answer your top questions about Estate Planning, Trust Administration and Litigation, and Probate. You’ll also learn valuable tips like “How to Avoid the #1 Estate Planning Mistake”.
FAQ Video Series
The CA Probate Threshold is Changing. Do I Still Need A Trust?- Preparing Your Home and Estate Plan for a Fire
- How to Plan for Personal Property Distribution
- Do Stepchildren Have a Right to Inherit in California?
Trust & Estate Administration Video Series
- What is Trust Administration
- How to Prepare a Trust Accounting
- How to Administer a Trust in California
- Does an Executor Have to Give an Accounting to the Beneficiaries in California?
Trust & Estate Litigation Video Series
- What is Trust Litigation?
- What is Forensic Accounting in Trust Litigation?
- Common Disputes That Can Spark Trust Litigation
- Can a Right of Survivorship Be Challenged?
Conservatorship Video Series
- What’s the Difference Between a Conservatorship and a Guardianship?
- Types of California Conservatorship
- Who Needs a California Conservatorship
- How to Get a California Conservatorship
Prenuptial Video Series
- How to Talk to Your Partner About a Prenup
- What to Discuss BEFORE Creating a Prenuptial Agreement
- How to Create a California Prenuptial Agreement
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I transfer assets into my Trust? What happens if I can’t locate an original Will? How often should I update my Estate Plan? In this section, we share concise answers to these and many other Frequently Asked Questions.
For over a decade, the Law Offices of Daniel Hunt has been educating individuals on estate planning-related issues. For years, we’ve offered free in-person seminars to the public and our clients. We’ve presented useful information to local clubs, college classes, and other legal professionals.
Today, we’re more committed than ever to empowering people through spreading knowledge. We periodically offer free educational seminars and webinars featuring our staff and trusted experts in other industries. Whether you enroll in an upcoming class or check out the previously recorded sessions on YouTube, we’re committed to helping you find timely solutions to your legal challenges.
Upcoming Events
New events coming soon!
Free Webinar: The Importance of Estate Planning
May 2024 Estate Planning 101 Seminar
March 2023 Estate Planning 101 Seminar
Webinar: Tax Planning Ahead of the 2025 Sunset
March 2024 Estate Planning 101 Seminar
January 2023 Estate Planning 101 Seminar
Free Webinar: Intro To Investing And Trusts
Referral Hub
Need a referral to a trustworthy, pre-vetted professional in another field? We’ve got you covered with our Referral Hub.
Appraisers
- Advantage Appraisals
- Wesley Clesi, Appraisal Service
- Holly Graham at Holly Graham Real Estate
- Greg Williamson at Rocket Appraisal Service, Inc.
Attorneys
- Business Litigation: Bashar Ahmad at Boutin Jones Inc.
- Corporate + Tax Law: Brian Bowen at Murphy Austin Attorneys
- Criminal Defense Law: Philip McCarthy at Law Office of Philip McCarthy
- Employment Law: Treaver Hodson at Palmer Kazanjian Wohl Hodson
- Family Law: Joseph Hoffman at Hoffman & Hoffman
- Family Law: John O’Malley at Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle Koewler
- Family Law: Jennifer Hemmer at Hemmer and Barr LLP
- Family Law: Renee Pena at Law Offices of Renee Pena
- Guardianship: Joseph & Sheri Hoffman at Hoffman & Hoffman
- Personal Injury Law: Josh Edlow at Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood & Campora, LLP
- Personal Injury Law: Frederick Penney at Penney & Associates
- Real Estate: Brian Clark at Attorneys Real Estate Group
- Worker’s Compensation: Jason Marcus at Marcus, Regalado, Marcus & Pulley
CPAs
- Bluemel & Dhillon CPAs
- Robert & Stephan Brown at Newpoint Tax & Accounting
- Clint Herndon at NextPeak CPA
- Ivan Tidwell at Tidwell CPA
- Aaron Walker at Galt CPA
Elder Care Specialists
Financial Planners / Advisors
- Bill Altavilla at CAPTRUST (Folsom)
- Cameron Beck and Joshua Strawn at The Beck/Strawn Wealth Consulting Group (Sacramento)
- Valerie Bevan at Mass Mutual Northern California (Sacramento)
- Alex Brown at CAPTRUST (Sacramento)
- Colin Mackey and Adam Wilson at Fidelity Investments (Sacramento)
- David Laut at Abound Financial (Granite Bay)
- Steve Pitchford at Towerpoint Wealth, LLC (Sacramento)
- Ivan Tidwell at Tidwell CPA (Roseville)
Mediators
Medi-Cal Application Assistance
Medi-Care Consultants
Mortgage Lenders
Probate Bonds
Professional Fiduciaries
- Beth Dean at Elizabeth Dean Fiduciary Services
- Susan Didriksen at California Fiduciary Services
- Mia Ehsani at Anderson Ehsani Fiduciary Services
- Marybeth Kavanaugh at Moneywise with Marybeth
- Kristin Miguel at Kristin Miguel Fiduciary Services
Realtors
- Rachel Anderson at Waterman Real Estate
- Paul Boudier at Knowledge Real Estate Group
- Connie Bradley at Commercial NNN Lease (Commercial)
- Betty Brody (Certified Probate & Trust Specialist) at Sotheby’s
- Vicky Holden at Re/Max
- Marla Kuresa (Senior Specialist)
- John Lanting at Keller Williams
- Heather McCarthy at Better Homes and Gardens
- Edgar Sanchez at RE/MAX
- Jenica Williams (Certified Probate and Trust Specialist) at Keller Williams
- Bob Woytovich at Century 21
- Joel Wright at Keller Williams
Trust Accounting
“SO YOU’VE BEEN NAMED AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE OF A LOVED ONE’S TRUST. NOW WHAT?”
First, know that your loved one trusts you to carry out their wishes when they’re gone. Naming you as their successor indicates their faith in your ability to act in their place if they’re unable to do so in the future. Our firm created this page to provide Successor Trustees with useful information that will equip you to succeed in this role.
Acting as a Successor Trustee can be a difficult job, but you’re not alone. Our office has helped thousands of Successor Trustees to learn and execute their duties. To start, here are three tips for preparing to be a Successor Trustee while your loved one is still alive. (If they have already passed, please visit our Trust Administration page.)
3 TIPS FOR PREPARING TO BE A SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE
1. Understand your loved one’s intentions. If possible, have a frank conversation with your loved one about their wishes early on, while they’re still alive and healthy. Here are some talking points to consider:
- Ask them to explain exactly what they want to happen at the end of their life and after they pass.
- Make sure you understand their wishes for end-of-life decisions, such as life support, pain medication, and organ donation, especially if you are also listed as their Advance Healthcare Directive agent.
- Ask if they have created a Letter of Instruction. They can draft this informal, free-form letter on their own at any time. Often it will include gifts of personal property (like family heirlooms), instructions on the funeral/burial, and many more details. If they haven’t drafted one yet, encourage them to do so and send a copy to both you and their estate planning attorney.
- Make sure you know where their estate planning documents are located so they can be accessed when the time comes.
2. Get familiar with their estate planning documents. If you know that you have been named as a Successor Trustee, then your loved one has probably created a Revocable Living Trust as part of their estate plan. If they’re comfortable explaining the structure of their estate plan, it can be helpful to review in general what documents they’ve created.
For example, do they have any other trusts, like a Special Needs Trust or Life Insurance Trust? Do they have a Pour-Over Will and where is the original being kept? (The original Will must be lodged with the Probate Court after their death.) Have they created an Advance Healthcare Directive or a Durable Power of Attorney? Have copies of these documents been given to the agents? If not, where can copies of these documents be found?
Your loved one may or may not wish to share all of their estate planning documents with you while they’re alive. Sometimes giving a copy of an estate plan to a Successor Trustee can be problematic and confusing if they later decide to change/amend it. But at the very least, if you know that you are the named Successor Trustee, it is helpful to understand the location of key documents and how to access them if needed.
3. Download our firm’s “Successor Trustee Guide & Checklist”. Often when a loved one dies, the amount of work entailed for those left behind can be overwhelming, even before you begin to administer the estate. It can be hard to know where to start.
That’s why we created a “Successor Trustee Guide & Checklist”. This free resource explains some of your main duties and responsibilities as a Successor Trustee under the California Probate Code. It also includes a checklist of tasks that should be completed after your loved one passes away. We recommend you seek the counsel of an experienced trust attorney who can guide you through the specific steps of administering the trust. Click here to download this free guide.
We hope you find these resources helpful as you learn how to perform the important tasks this role requires. For more information on the Trust Administration process, please visit our Trust Administration page.
Publications
Probate And Trusts – Statute Of Limitations
Demurrer: Defense
Case/Number: Samantha Riley v. Estate of Kenneth Pohl, Kenneth Pohl, Executor of the Estate of Kenneth Pohl, Alan Mori / 24-CIV-06913
Court Date: San Mateo Superior / Jun 2, 2025
Judge: Don R. Franchi
Attorneys;
Plaintiff – Joseph M. Goethals, Charles P. Stone (Goethals & Stone PC)
Defendant – Uri Grant (Law Offices of Daniel A. Hunt)
Facts:
Plaintiff Samantha Riley filed a lawsuit against the estate of her deceased father, Kenneth Pohl, and Alan Mori, who was acting as the executor of Pohl’s estate. Riley alleged that her father had sexually abused her when she was a minor and that the estate had failed to address her claims following his death. The complaint, filed on November 1, 2024, included causes of action for sexual assault and sexual battery, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Riley claimed that Child Protective Services had previously investigated and found the allegations credible, and that she had suffered longstanding psychological and emotional harm as a result of the abuse.
Plaintiff’s Contentions:
Riley argued that the one year statute of limitations under California Code of Civil Procedure section 366.2, which applies to claims against a decedent’s estate, was tolled due to her good faith negotiations with the estate’s representative and the filing of a creditor’s claim under Probate Code section 9352. She asserted that this tolling extended the deadline to file her complaint, making it timely. She further claimed that the estate’s actions were willful and malicious, warranting punitive damages under Civil Code section 3294.
Defendants’ Contentions:
The defendants demurred, contending that the action was time-barred under section 366.2, which strictly limits claims against a decedent to one year after the date of death, regardless of tolling under the Probate Code. The court agreed, finding that Pohl had died on September 8, 2023, and Riley’s complaint-filed nearly fourteen months later-was untimely. The court ruled that the tolling provisions Riley relied upon explicitly did not extend the time allowed under section 366.2. As such, the statute of limitations had expired, rendering her claims barred as a matter of law.
Result:
On June 2, 2025, the San Mateo Superior sustained the demurrer without leave to amend and dismissed the complaint. The court concluded that, while the allegations were serious, the action could not proceed due to the expiration of the statutory deadline for filing suit against the deceased’s estate.
Filing Date: Nov. 1, 2024
“Samantha Riley v. Estate of Kenneth Pohl, Kenneth Pohl, Executor of the Estate of Kenneth Pohl, Alan Mori.” Dailyjournal.com, 2025, dailyjournal.com/verdicts_and_settlement/144912-samantha-riley-v-estate-of-kenneth-pohl-kenneth-pohl-executor-of-the-estate-of-kenneth-pohl-alan-mori. Accessed 23 July 2025.
“This case helps clarify Governor Gavin Newsom’s extension of the statute of limitations for sexual assault cases and their victims. While the law allows some victims an extension to file a sexual assault and battery case until the age of 40 years old, under California Code of Civil Procedure section 366.2, all claims must be filed within one year of the date of death of the decedent.” – Uri Grant, Senior Associate Attorney
Our goal as a law firm is to empower our clients with knowledge and resources. We hope the information on this page will help you organize and access information relevant to your legal needs.
ANNUAL TRUST LAW REPORT
Want to read about the major trust & estate law updates for 2024? Click here.
CLIENT TEMPLATES
Here are some useful templates for our clients:
Schedule “A”: Looking for a blank Schedule “A” template? We recommend that our estate planning clients update their schedule of trust assets at least every five years. Once complete, please e-mail our firm a copy to place in your file at email. DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE
Glossary of Trust Terms: Confused by a term in your estate planning documents? This helpful glossary translates “legalese” to laymen’s terms. DOWNLOAD GLOSSARY
Online Subscription Template: This spreadsheet will provide information so your Successor Trustee can cancel any recurring subscriptions in your absence (think Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.). DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE
eBOOK RESOURCES
Here’s a list of all the free e-books our firm has created to help guide our clients through each type of legal matter:
Trust Administration Essentials
Trust Litigation: A Guide For Beneficiaries & Heirs
Trust Litigation: A Guide For Trustees
USEFUL LINKS
Need information from a specific probate court for your case? Need to contact the county recorder to request or record a document?
We’ve compiled a helpful resource list with links to the probate court and county recorder for our most frequently served counties.
If you have any questions, please contact us here.