Can you set up a trust without an attorney in California?

When planning for your family’s future, one of the biggest roadblocks is the fear of massive legal bills. You might find yourself wondering, can you set up a trust without an attorney? The answer is yes. We believe everyone deserves access to easy legal planning. By choosing to create your living trust online in California, you can bypass traditional hurdles, avoid probate court, and secure your legacy from the comfort of your home.

3 Steps to Create a Trust Without a Lawyer

If you are ready to secure your family’s future, here is the exact process to create a trust without paying high legal fees:

1. Complete the Online Questionnaire

Instead of sitting in a stuffy law office for hours answering questions, you can complete our simple, plain-English questionnaire online. You will decide who inherits your property (your beneficiaries), who will manage the trust after you pass (your successor trustee), and who will make medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated.

2. Receive and Notarize Your Portfolio

Once your documents are professionally prepared by our Legal Document Assistants, we print them, organize them in a premium binder, and ship them to your door. To make the document legally binding, you simply take the binder to a local Notary Public, show your ID, and sign the pages.

3. Transfer Your Assets

Finally, you complete the trust funding process by taking your new Certification of Trust to your bank and filing your new property deeds with the county recorder.

When Should You Not Set Up a Trust Without an Attorney?

While most families can easily set up a trust without a lawyer, we want to be completely transparent: there are specific situations where consulting a high-priced legal professional is actually recommended.

You should consider hiring a traditional attorney if:

• Your total net worth exceeds the massive federal estate tax exemption limits (currently over $13 million for individuals).
• You are attempting to disinherit a spouse or anticipate severe, litigious legal fighting among your children.
• You have a dependent with severe disabilities and need to draft a highly customized, complex “Special Needs Trust” to protect their government benefits.

However, if your goal is simply to ensure your spouse and children inherit your house, savings, and assets smoothly and privately, a standard revocable living trust is exactly what you need. By using a dedicated LDA service, you can successfully establish your living trust without the stress and expense of a traditional law firm.

EZ Living Trust is a division of Strategic Choices Financial, Inc. Neither is a law firm and cannot provide legal or tax advice. The information on this site is for informational and educational purposes only.

Strategic Choices Financial, Inc, dba EZ Living Trust is registered as a Legal Document Assistant in Los Angeles County, CA #2024207149, and is licensed and bonded.