The term "estate" consists of all the property a person owns or controls, whether in his or her sole name, held in a partnership, in a joint ownership arrangement, or through a trust, and all other monies that would be generated on the person痴 death, such as through life insurance.  Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing an estate to maximize the goals of the estate owner.  The various goals of estate planning include making sure the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner痴 intended beneficiaries, often including paying the least amount of taxes and avoiding or minimizing probate court involvement. Without proper planning, the Internal Revenue Service and California Franchise Tax board stand to "inherit" a large portion of the assets of the estate.

The attorneys at Ellahie & Farooqui, LLP have helped many California families with the following services:

• Advanced Medical Directives
• Durable Powers of Attorney
• Insurance Planning
• Life Insurance Trusts
• Living Wills
• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts
• Last Wills and Testaments
• Tax Planning

Estate planning practice is committed to work with our clients to efficiently deliver personalized cost-effective solutions to families in California with a strong emphasis on limiting the tax ramifications and minimizing probate court involvement.

"Probate" is the court-instituted process of settling the estate of a deceased person, by specifically resolving all claims and distributing the decedent痴 property.  Our attorneys have worked with California families in resolving:

• Challenges to the validity of a will
• Distributing property as directed by the will
• Having the property appraised
• Identifying and inventorying the deceased person's property
• Paying estate debts and taxes
• Proving in court that a will is valid

We take special care during these difficult times to represent families exercising sensitivity and compassionate counsel in our guidance.

We utilize our interdisciplinary expertise in Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring, Litigation, Corporate & Finance, and Estate Planning & Probate to provide value-added service and support to our clients.