A Brief Look Back in Time – Just Document Preparation and the California Court’s evolution in the Self Help Movement

1996 – After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree and paralegal certificate, Annette Gomez started working independently as a freelance paralegal in her business, formerly known as Legal Action.

1997 – In response to the growing number of self represented litigants, California introduces Family Law Facilitators to the courts to offer free attorney services. Self Help departments opened in all the family law courts offering classes and other forms of help to the public.

1998 – California became the first state to create and formally regulate what is now known as the legal document assistant profession. Annette Gomez was the 4th person in […]

By |Misc, Press releases|
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Issues You May Come Across When Attempting to Make Your Own Living Trust

Revocable living trusts provide families the opportunity to streamline the transfer of property following the death of a loved one without having to deal with probate court. When a revocable living trust is done properly, the transfer will be handled privately, and will prevent sensitive details about one’s estate from becoming public knowledge. Ultimately, the benefits of a revocable living trust are far reaching, but attempting to prepare it without professional assistance can lead to a disaster.

Access to guides about revocable living trusts are everywhere today – from instructional books, to software and online support systems. It is very easy […]

By |Living Trusts|
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What is a Capacity Declaration in a California Probate Case?

There are multiple documents when petitioning the court for a conservatorship of the person.  One of these is a judicial council form known as the Capacity Declaration (GC-335).
Capacity Declaration – What is it?
A capacity declaration is a form specifically used in conservatorships cases. The form was created by the California judicial council (the policymaking body of the California courts) to be used in all 58 California County probate courts. It is a mandatory form, so it must be completed and filed in each and every conservatorship case in California. It is required to be in the file prior to the […]

By |Probate|
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How Fast is a Divorce in Riverside County, California?

When people have decided that they are ready to terminate a marriage, in many cases, they will want to process their divorce as quickly as possible. This could be to reduce the amount of time they are dealing with highly emotional issues as well as the unfamiliar court process. While the family law courts in Riverside County all process divorce cases according to the same procedures and timelines, there are in fact ways to keep the process moving to complete a divorce as fast as procedurally possible.

It should be first noted that in California, and no different in Riverside County, […]

By |Divorce|
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Types of Name Changes in California

From early on in our life, we begin to understand that we have a name, but most of us don’t give much more thought to our name throughout the course of our life. There are however, names frequently being legally changed in the courts in California, and so much so, that procedures are in place for all types of name changes. While there are name change processes that may be more common than others, here we have compiled and list of the most common, and a description for each. After an order for a name change (Decree for Change of […]

By |Name Change|
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