For Peace of Mind
Estate Planning and Probate Law Firm
ESTATE PLANNING AND PROBATE LAWYERS IN AUBURN AND DAVIS, CA
Our passion is creating Estate Plans that are fairly priced, straightforward, and effective at avoiding probate. We are also dedicated to helping clients through the complicated proceedings of probate, trust administration, and conservatorships.
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Phone: (530) 885-7538
Our Services
Estate Plans
If you want an affordable Living Trust, Will, Power of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directive, or a Complete Estate Plan, prepared by attorneys who are attentive to you, you've come to the right place.
We focus on creating estate plans that are effective, affordable, and finished quickly. Estate plans come in different shapes and sizes: Living trusts, Simple Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Health Care Directives. We do it all. Most often, clients want to be fully prepared and choose to create a complete estate plan (which includes all of the previously mentioned documents, and other associated documents). This is our favorite for clients, as it provides a solid foundation for a secure future. It is also, by far and away, the best deal we offer.
If all you need is a standalone estate planning document, (Ex: Just a will) we can certainly help you out. If you already have an estate plan, but you want to change it, no problem. We don't waste your time. We do not drag out the process like other attorneys might. It is our goal to help clients achieve their estate planning goals, in a timely manner.
Probate
Going through Probate can be a sad, and confusing time. That's why we try our best to put the burden of Probate on our shoulders. We handle numerous Probate cases every year, going through the process in an efficient manner to wrap up a deceased person's affairs.
We help people get through probate. Probate, unfortunately, is often necessary when someone passes away without a living trust. Title to property, such as a house or a bank account, remains tied up. To get the property to the proper people, such as a spouse or to children, probate is often the way forward.
Probate is long, complicated, and difficult. We want to take the burden of going through the court process off of your shoulders to make the transition smooth. We ensure all the proper forms, notices, hearings, and procedures are taken care of.
Trust Administration
What happens if someone who has a Living Trust passes away? Trust administration. The act of trust administration is distributing property that is held in a trust. If you need help with wrapping up someone's affairs who had a Living Trust, whether it was prepared by us or another attorney, we are here to assist you.
Trust administration has the same goal in mind as probate: transferring property to the correct people when someone passes away. The main difference is that trust administration is a simpler, less complicated process that avoids the court. Nevertheless, proper transfer of property requires following the proper steps and procedures. Real estate does not simply change title. Bank accounts remain in the name of the deceased. Problems arise when property is not properly distributed according to the trust terms, which can be technical. We have vast experience efficiently transferring property through a trust.
Conservatorships/Guardianships
If you find yourself needing to act on someone else's behalf, such as gaining control over one's finances, we have extensive experience in helping you gain that control.
Conservatorships and Guardianships are required when someone needs to act on the behalf of someone else. For example, a conservatorship might be needed if a spouse has lost the ability to sign financial documents due to cognitive impairment. A guardianship applies toward minors, such as a minor who has received an inheritance from a grandparent or proceeds from a life insurance policy. Our law firm can assist you with these complicated procedures from start to finish.
"I've been putting off making a living trust for a long time but I finally did it with Koons and Riswold. I'm glad I did, because now I don't need to think about if the worst happens and I'm not prepared. They have a really good deal for making a living trust, and I know because I shopped around town. (Ask for Erin, she's the best!)"
- Sammy B.
We have three attorneys in our office: Erin Riswold, Tim Riswold, and Ed Koons. Erin and Tim were married before they attended McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento together. They had a wonderful experience at McGeorge, and even had a fun time studying for the California Bar Exam. Tim graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif (top 10% of the class). Not to be outdone, Erin graduated Valedictorian. After law school, they joined Ed Koons' law office. They were exposed to many different fields of law, but were drawn toward estate planning and its related fields.
We have two office locations that we work from. Each is a reflection of wanting to work where we have a deep emotional connection to the area. Our Auburn location is about home. Both Erin and Tim grew up in Placer County. Erin grew up in Meadow Vista and Weimar (perhaps you know her from the past, when she was a Katsura), while Tim grew up in Newcastle. Tim's dad taught music through the Placer Hills School District for 30 years, so you might recognize the Riswold name that way. Ed Koons has practiced law in Auburn for over 40 years and has proudly served thousands of happy clients. It is deeply satisfying to work with clients who call the area home. Our Davis location reflects Erin and Tim's love of the town and people. Erin attended UC Davis. Tim attended UCLA. Both preferred the energy of Davis, and Tim made quite a few flights from Los Angeles to visit Erin. While in law school, they often spent time decompressing from their studies by making the quick drive to Davis to enjoy the parks and food. Many pleasant evenings were spent walking the Greenbelt. They knew that if they had the opportunity to open a law office in Davis, they would.
Many current clients have connections through Tim and Erin's respective families. If you have a connection with any of our attorneys, let us know! We love hearing how our families are connected. Our office represents hundreds of individuals, couples, and families every year. We have excellent relationships with current and former clients who recommend our services to family and friends, to whom we are greatly appreciative.
"I finally completed my Estate Planning goal. This could not have been accomplished without the patience, concern and excellence of Erin and Tim Riswold. Erin was thorough in her counsel and made me feel that she had my best interest at heart. I would recommend these folks and feel good about doing so. They are good people, in a world so lacking of such."
- Fred M.
Our Most Important Values
Exceptional Service
Our most important responsibility is serving our clients well. Placing trust in us to perform legal work is a privilege that we take seriously. Whether it is creating an estate plan, assisting with probate, or setting up a conservatorship, our goal is to ensure the needs of our clients are met.
First and foremost, this means doing our job right. We need to meet your expectations, in a timely manner. It also means that we timely communicate with you, from start to finish. For us to do our job correctly, it is essential that you understand what we are doing. No surprises. Lastly, we believe it is essential to create a lasting relationship with our clients. We can only serve you if we have gained your trust.
Affordability
We want to provide our services to as many people as possible, because we believe in the value we create for our clients. In order to do so, we ensure our fees for our services are affordable.
We are transparent about our fees. We use a flat fee structure for our estate plans, meaning we quote the same base price to every client. For probate, we follow the California statutory fee schedule. For all other matters, we charge hourly, but we are always clear about the expected costs up front before doing any work.
Estate plan prices differ from law firm to law firm. However, it is very common for us to hear from a client that they received a quote from another law office that was two or three times more than what we quoted. Why? We have no idea. We provide the same estate plans, the same asset protection, the same security.
Of course, there are some situations when going to a law firm that works only with ultra high net worth individuals is necessary, and they price their estate plans accordingly. Most situations, however, fall squarely within our line of work.
"I've been feeling really anxious about going in to see someone about a living trust due to covid and all, but because of covid I've been feeling a need to get things in order, just in case. I guess I shouldn't have worried since they did a lot of the work over the phone with me, which was a relief for me. I have a living trust now, I'm happy with what I got, and it was really easy. Thanks!"
- Mike M.
Personalized Attention
We treat all clients that come through our door as if they are our most important, because they are. We simply want others to feel how we want to be treated. We believe that a good relationship with clients is essential for competent representation.
No client is the same. No estate plan, or probate is the same. Providing services to such a diverse crowd can present challenges. But we know that if we work hard, and treat clients how we want to be treated, good things happen. We are overjoyed when clients feel like we have earned their trust and are happy with our work and relationship.
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We seek to make working with you as simple as possible. To book an appointment, please contact our office at
(530) 885-7538 or by making a website submission below. We have two office locations, one in Auburn and one in Davis. Please let us know which office you prefer. If you prefer to meet by phone or by video conference, let us know, and we will make the proper arrangements.
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