Hi!
Congratulations on taking your first step toward estate planning - finding a trusted attorney. Now let’s keep going!
I know creating an estate plan feels daunting, but I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.
I’m a firm believer in breaking down legal jargon into plain English and answering any and all questions with no additional fees, ever.
What is a Customized Estate Plan?
Estate planning may seem complicated, but it’s simply a set of legal documents that make sure your assets will ultimately go toward benefiting the ones you love most - kids, parents, friends and even pets!
Depending on your assets, that may require a Trust or it may be taken care of simply with a Will. Every person is unique and your estate plan documents should be customized to fit your needs.
Get in touch with me to set up a free consultation, or use the contact form at the bottom of this page so we can get started creating a plan that’s just right for you.
LOCATION
Based in Castro Valley, serving clients throughout the Bay Area
CONTACT
christina@christinachunglaw.com
(510) 936 - 8843
About
Christina feels that estate planning is the perfect combination of everything she loves: careful contract drafting, helping people care for others, and making complicated things simple. She obtained her B.A. in Classical Languages from UC Berkeley in 2001 and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2008.
She cut her teeth drafting 200-page technology transfer contracts between Big Pharma companies and biotech startups at Covington & Burling’s San Francisco office and learned from the best contract attorneys in the field. After becoming a mom to two boys, she decided to move her practice closer to home, both logistically and in content. Focusing on caring for families and loved ones through estate planning makes her legal practice wonderfully rewarding and fills her with gratitude.
Wills
Everyone should have a Will. Plain and simple. Without it, there is no guarantee that your assets will be inherited by the people you most want to have them. A Will also allows you to name a guardian for children under 18.
But because many of your most significant assets (for example, homes, retirement accounts, life insurance proceeds) are transferred outside of your Will, simply having a Will is often not enough to ensure your intentions will be carried out.
Trusts
If I have a Will, why do I also need a Trust? The most common reason people have a Trust in addition to a Will is to avoid something called probate.
Probate is a mandatory court process to ensure your assets are transferred to the right people upon your death, and it is both time-consuming and expensive. Probate fees for even a modest Bay Area home with the most simple inheritance instructions can start at $26,000 and last 9-12 months.
Putting all your significant assets into a Trust is the best way to ensure that those assets will not have to pass through probate.
Estate Planning
A complete estate plan should not only plan for death, but also incapacity.
It should include a power of attorney so someone can handle your financial affairs in the event you are incapacitated, and an advance healthcare directive to ensure someone can make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them yourself.
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
Let's Chat.
Use the form below to contact me regarding your estate planning needs. You may also email, text or call to make an appointment.