7If you need to wrap up the affairs of a deceased family member or friend in California, you can save big on attorney fees by handling many aspects of the probate process yourself.

How to Probate an Estate in California is the only book that provides forms, tips, and step-by-step instructions for settling a loved one's estate--all written in plain English. You might even be able to handle the whole process without hiring a lawyer or setting foot in the courthouse.

With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll learn how to:

• read a will
  
• determine who inherits property if there is no will
  
• handle probate paperwork
  
• collect life insurance and other benefits
  
• transfer community property to a surviving spouse or domestic partner
  
• pay bills and taxes, and
  
• distribute property left through trusts.
  

Even if you hire a lawyer to do some of the paperwork, this book demystifies the process so that you can make informed decisions and communicate intelligently with the attorney about the estate--and save money in the process. Why pay a lawyer tens of thousands of dollars to probate an estate when you can do much of it on your own?

This new edition includes important updates on California's small estate procedures, California Proposition 19, and federal estate taxes, as well as fresh insights from an experienced probate attorney practicing in California.