How to Win an Estate Litigation Fight | Sacramento

Family fights over a mother or father’s estate are painful ordeals – even among the well-intentioned. Such fights open old wounds and inflict new ones. The pain of a parent’s passing is often amplified by the growing knowledge of another family member’s wrongdoing. Residents of Sacramento face these inheritance battles as much as anyone else, and they deserve the best representation from experienced estate, trust and probate litigators.

Wrongdoing might first be detected after a parent’s death. Questionable bank account statements, changes to deeds and the silence or obfuscation of the wrongdoer are the common benchmarks of estate wrongdoing. New cars, expensive vacations and new boats are the occasional signs of a bad actor’s newfound wealth.

Sacramento attorneys experienced in estate, probate and trust litigation often view an estate dispute with different eyes than an estate planner. Litigators concern themselves with both the process and substance of estate litigation. Experience brings good judgment. And if we’re in for the fight, we are in it to win. Winning might well be a favorable settlement, court judgment or jury verdict. Not all cases are won, but to start a case with a losing attitude is a handicap better left to our opponents. We don’t ignore the difficulties in cases, but we don’t let those difficulties dominate our quest for justice for our clients.

Estate litigation is not solely the province of the probate court. Undue influence, financial elder abuse and fraud claims are often filed in the civil division of the Sacramento County Superior Court. These claims may be brought while other issues are being addressed in the probate court. Probate lawyers focused solely on the probate courts may miss the opportunities and advantages of a jury trial – a constitutional right in many cases that should not be ignored.

Effective and efficient estate litigation is often accomplished with filings in both the probate and civil courts. Hackard Law’s lawyers are experienced in these courts and in civil jury trials. They are not merely probate attorneys. Our trust litigation attorneys practice throughout California, but most of our law firm’s estate litigation cases are venued in Sacramento, San Francisco, El Dorado, Placer, Los Angeles, Alameda, San Mateo and San Diego counties.

If you’re facing a tough estate fight against a wrongdoer in Sacramento or elsewhere in California, call us at Hackard Law – our top priority is safeguarding clients and their interests. You can reach us at 916-313-3030.