The Lawyer Blogs shown below are topical articles written by attorney David L. Crockett on all of the areas of the law that he deals with. Many of these articles are based upon actual and typical situations encountered by Mr. Crockett's clients. New blogs are posted when Mr. Crockett encounters new situations that merit detailed explanations to his clients. There is practical advice and explanations that span the subjects of the probate, trust, real estate and tax laws and court procedures that frequently arise. Because Mr. Crockett is actively advising clients on (i) wills, trusts, taxes and estate planning; (ii) administration of trusts and probate estates; and (iii) litigation about estates and trusts, many of these articles cover and crossover between all three areas of practice. The articles contain information that a person forming a trust, or a trustee or an heir/beneficiary needs to be aware of. The Blogs are organized into topics listed on the left of this page. You can view the posts listed in each topic here.

TRUSTS – DUTY TO ACCOUNT TO BENEFICIARIES & TYPES OF ACCOUNTING

By: David L. Crockett, Attorney, CPA

Types of Accounting:  Trust accounting may be (1) Informal; (2) Formal (non-court) according to Probate Code §16063 format; or (3) Court accounting according to Probate Code §1060 et. seq. requirements. The trust accounting is to be prepared by the Trustee and/or under his/her authorization.

TRUST ACCOUNTING LAWSUIT/PETITION PROCEDURES

By: David L. Crockett, Attorney, CPA

Trust terminology basics.     A trust is created by a written  document  known as a declaration of trust, and is then funded by transfer of money  into  trust bank accounts and/or deeding or transferring of properties to the  trust.   The creator of the trust is known as the “Trustor” or the “Settlor.”  Trusts are usually prepared by attorneys because each trust is custom for the situation and there are many types of trusts.  The persons who are to receive money and property out of the trust are known as the “Beneficiaries.  The person or institution that takes care of the money and property  of  the  trust is the “trustee”.  The trustee is bound by law to follow the  directions contained in  the declaration of  trust.  Trusts are not supervised by the court system and are not registered with the state government upon formation.  Trusts are essentially private contracts between the trustors, the trustees and the beneficiaries.  There are laws written into the California probate code that control the governance of trust matters.

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