By Corcoran Smith Law Corp. · Updated
California Probate Resources for Referring Professionals
Estate-planning attorneys, professional fiduciaries, trust institutions, out-of-state lawyers and financial advisors can use these California probate resources to prepare a matter for counsel. Identify the prospective client, the person with authority, the California assets and any deadlines before discussing scope or sharing documents. Corcoran Smith Law Corp. publishes this resource.
If you are handling your own family’s estate, start with executor duties or successor trustee duties. This guide is for professionals helping a client take the next step.
Estate-planning attorneys who do not handle probate or disputes
A death can turn a planning engagement into a court administration, a trust accounting or a disagreement between family members. Identify whether the family needs routine administration, advice for a fiduciary, or separate advice for a beneficiary. A lawyer advising the trustee does not automatically represent every beneficiary.
Prepare the executed will or trust and amendments, your engagement’s scope, the asset-title information and any notice already served. Before transmitting a planning file, address client authorization and confidentiality through the firm’s intake process. A referral does not itself resolve conflicts or establish an engagement.
Start with probate administration, trust administration or representation in an inheritance dispute.
Professional fiduciaries, bank trust departments and trust companies
For counsel review, distinguish the institution or fiduciary’s role from the interests of the people receiving distributions. Identify the governing instrument or appointment order, the question needing advice and any court calendar. Do not assume the same lawyer can represent a fiduciary and an adverse beneficiary.
- Administration: authority to act, notices, asset inventory and proposed distributions.
- Accounting: the reporting period, available records and unresolved objections.
- Court matters: the relief sought, upcoming hearing and documents already filed.
Use the trustee duties checklist, accounting guide and trust-petition overview to organize the issue. The firm’s policy for this channel is no referral payments or exclusive arrangements.
Out-of-state lawyers with California property matters
A client’s California house can require local estate work, but a second probate is not automatic. Check the deed, trust ownership, survivorship and any available transfer procedure first. Distinguish a decedent who lived outside California from an executor who happens to live elsewhere.
The California ancillary probate guide explains the filing question and includes a local-counsel preparation checklist. Coordinate the home-state proceeding, California assets and proposed division of work before offering the client a timeline or fee estimate.
CPAs, financial advisors and bank trust officers
You may be the first professional told about a death. Help the authorized person organize titles, account statements, tax contacts and immediate financial obligations, then identify questions that need legal advice. Avoid suggesting that an account balance alone determines the probate route.
Offer the client the first-steps guide and probate decision guide. Any reciprocal arrangement must preserve the client’s choice. CIL’s policy is non-exclusive, disclosed relationships with no payments for nonlawyer referrals.
Referral terms and client choice
If lawyers agree to divide a fee, Rule 1.5.1 requires a written agreement between them and the client’s timely written consent after disclosure of the participants and terms. The division cannot, by itself, increase the total fee. No fee is promised by this page. Rule 7.2(b)(4) permits qualifying reciprocal relationships when they are non-exclusive and their nature is disclosed to the client; conflicts and independent judgment still require attention.
Sources: Rule 1.5.1 — Fee divisions among lawyers · Rules 7.1–7.3 — Advertising, referrals and solicitation · Verified 2026-09-15.
Prepare a professional inquiry
Begin with your role, the general matter type, the California county and whether a deadline is approaching. Ask how to provide the details needed for a conflict check securely. Do not paste privileged advice, financial account numbers or a complete client file into an initial inquiry.
Contact the firm about a matter
Attorney advertising. California Inheritance Law is a resource published by Corcoran Smith Law Corp., not a separate law firm or an independent lawyer referral service. Representation and any division of work require the firm’s acceptance and an appropriate agreement.