When something is broken, the solution most people in California think of is fixing it. When a car breaks down, most people take it to the auto shop. When an appliance stops running, most people call a professional to come take a closer look. Very rarely is the best solution to throw out the old car or refrigerator and just buy a new one.
Just the same, people who have problems with a trust or other legal document, or perhaps just want the peace of mind of a second opinion, should probably consider taking their existing documents to an experienced estates and trusts attorney, who, much like an auto mechanic, is likely to give the trust the tune-up it needs to keep running for years to come.
Not unlike these physical goods, a trust document or even a will may be defective, or in some cases it may “break” over time. When it comes to trusts, sometimes the first and best solution is to fix these legal documents rather than throw out the old ones and start over.
Some people in California may have tried to handle their trust documents themselves, or through the use of a one-size-fits-all legal advice or document service. Not surprisingly, these people often find they get what they paid for, and instead of the cheap and quick fix they were promised they have a mess of legal jargon and inconclusive language that doesn’t accomplish what the client set out to do.
People who have made this mistake shouldn’t fret too much. Our firm handles these types of issues all of the time, and incorrect documents can often be straightened out so that these critical estate plan documents achieve the results for which they were originally intended.
