What is Trust and Estate Litigation?
Trust and Estate Litigation is a legal challenge that occurs when disputes arise over the validity or execution of a trust or estate planning document. When there are disagreements between beneficiaries of a trust or estate and the trustee or executor of the trust or estate, it often results in a Trust and Estate Litigation case.
Trust and Estate Litigation may also occur due to dissatisfaction with a decedent’s will or estate plan in addition to a variety of issues including:
- Allegations of fraud, coercion or undue influence
- Disagreements between family members over who should act as the fiduciary
- Challenges to financial decisions made by the fiduciary
- Challenges to heirship or disinheritance
- Validity of the trust or estate planning document
Who may need a Trust and Estate Litigation Attorney?
If you are the beneficiary of a trust or estate and you feel other beneficiaries or the trustee or executor has violated your rights, then you should consider legal representation to protect your rights.
When there is fraud or undue influence in the execution of a trust or will or if you feel that undue influence or fraud may have played a role in your exclusion from a trust or will or unequal shares among beneficiaries, seeking early legal counsel is highly recommended.
When you have an uncooperative trustee that refuses or has failed to communicate, engages in theft or the fraudulent transfer or assets, or executes questionable investment transactions, a trust and estate litigation attorney can help.
If you are a trustee or executor facing a challenge from beneficiaries or you are the beneficiary of a will or trust and suspect that your trustee or executor has wrongfully taken assets, has a conflict of interest or is exhibiting beneficiary bias in their duties, then you should seek an experienced attorney.
Why hire the Law Office of Michael LaMay as your Trust Litigation Attorney?
I have an extensive litigation background of over 30 years in many areas of law, but for more than 20 years I have focused primarily on trust and estate litigation.
I have successfully litigated many such matters, including, but not limited to:
- Disputed claims for and against trusts and estates
- Trust and will validity, interpretation and reformation
- Removal of trustees and executors for breach of fiduciary duty
- Lack of mental capacity and undue influence
- Determination of and challenges to heirship
- Contested fiduciary accountings of trustees and executors
I represent clients in such contentious trust, estate and probate litigation matters not only in Contra Costa County, but throughout the surrounding Bay Area counties and as far away as Southern California.
Additionally, I have been appointed by courts throughout the Bay Area to serve as a Guardian ad litem to represent the interests of incapacitated persons in contested trust and estate proceedings.
Are you considering hiring a Trust Litigation Attorney in Contra Costa County or surrounding Bay Area Counties? Contact the Law Office of Michael LaMay today for a consultation.