I’m Mike Hackard from Hackard Law. We work to be one of California’s leading trust and estate litigation law firms on behalf of beneficiaries. Legendary newsman Larry King died in January of this year at the age of 89, and he managed to interview just about every celebrity, politician and anyone else of note over his 60-plus-year career. King’s personal life was also eventful – he was married eight times to seven women. He fathered five children. With that kind of marital history, the chances of an estate fight rise dramatically. And sure enough, a month after his passing, Larry King’s seventh wife, Shawn Southwick-King, brought legal action in Los Angeles Superior Court to dispute King’s 2019 handwritten – or holographi[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We work at being one of California’s leading estate and trust litigation law firms. I work at sharing knowledge that I’ve gained over the years in representing beneficiaries, heirs and personal representatives in estate and trust disputes. Psychologists tell us that when we see unstructured messes that we instinctively look to find patterns and order. The patterns and order that we find may be meaningful. Maybe then again, not. Nonetheless, most will agree that estate and trust disputes look like shapeless muddles. Being hardwired to look for patterns, I do. Long experience brings lots of opportunities to look and find patterns in seemingly unrelated events. A common pattern in estate disput[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. We work to be one of California’s leading estate, trust and catastrophic injury law firms. We regularly litigate cases on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is an arrangement where the lawyer agrees to a fixed percentage of a case recovery. They’re negotiated arrangements. California has particular requirements that are set out in statutory and ethical rules. These rules must be followed when attorneys and clients enter into contingency fee agreements. Contingency fees allow people who cannot afford legal services to pursue litigation. Some say that contingency fee lawyers are gamblers. I disagree. Chance-based gambling has outcomes that are uncertain. Outcomes that are based comple[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. We work at being one of California’s leading estate and trust litigation law firms. We see a lot of cases. It’s not possible to take them all. In fact, we can only take a fraction of the cases offered us. Time has its limits. Of course, litigation requirements have severe restrictions. Restrictions that we must meet in our current caseload. Restrictions we must consider in accepting new cases. Still, we seek to serve as many clients as is reasonably possible. Our clients are often family members of the maker of a will or trust. Surviving spouses have recurring legal issues. Spousal rights of election are commonplace. A spousal election arises when the maker of a trust or will indicates a be[...]

I’m Mike Hackard. I represented my first clients in estate litigation 45 years ago. Many things have changed over the years. Among them – the emergence, power and ubiquity of the for-profit “professional” guardianship/conservatorship industry. My review of the new Netflix movie I Care A Lot is from a litigator’s perspective. I like one movie reviewer, Helen Shaw’s, take on I Care A Lot. While the movie is one work, she sees it as two films in one. She calls the guardianship opening sequences the “first film.” Her description: “a horror film about the way we exploit and ignore the elderly, particularly frightening because it’s true … demonstrating how (Rosamund) Pike’s corporate-speak pseudo-compassion makes the[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. Over many decades of law practice, I’ve had one goal – to build a plaintiff’s estate, trust and catastrophic injury firm that my own family would be proud to hire. Families across California, including the Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles, hire us in estate, trust and catastrophic injury cases. They’ve seen our leadership, commitment to clients and record of legal excellence. Results matter. Reputation matters. There’s only one Hackard Law. Call us today at 916-313-3030. Hackard Law: Attorneys Making a Difference. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJzkejdjcng&ab_channel=HackardLaw[/embed]  [...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. We respond to more than one thousand inquiries each year from potential clients. We share knowledge, and we also learn a lot from these inquiries. Most questions concern estate, trust and elder financial abuse litigation. Other callers seek recovery for catastrophic, unexpected, and disastrous injuries caused by others. There are no dumb questions. We work to help, assist and advise. Not all inquiries turn into cases. Not all cases are accepted. Those that are accepted require a meeting of minds, compliance with ethical standards, and consensus on going forward. Today I’ll talk about a particular set of inquiries: Estate, trust and elder financial abuse. Knowledge of this area of law is not i[...]

California trust, estate & catastrophic injury litigation shifted dramatically in March 2020. Standard approaches to disputed case resolutions are put to the test. Trial dates settle cases. Covid impacts trial dates. Judges suspend, postpone, and defer 2020 trial dates into 2021. 2021 trial dates are now problematical. Our clients depend on us to advance their cases. We accept the challenge. When litigators are not in trial, they should be training for trial. The ultimate goal of trial training is to win cases. Continued training is a commitment to excellence. Continued training makes our adversary system of justice work. Continued training benefits our clients. New and existing clients deserve to kno[...]

I’m Mike Hackard. I’m part of a plaintiffs’ litigation law practice. This practice is rich in helping clients, neighbors and friends deal with overcoming the familiar barriers, challenges and trials of estate, trust, and catastrophic injury litigation. While there are many similar fact patterns, there are others less commonplace. This Christmas season brings a few of the less commonplace to mind. We all have our Holiday or Christmas reflections. Maybe rituals. Each year is different in some way. Each Christmas season, I’ve made it a point to reflect upon the life lessons from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I’ve read the book many times, seen it presented in plays, and watched several film versions of the story. It [...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. I’ve had one goal over many decades of law practice – build an estate, trust and catastrophic injury firm that my own family would want to hire. As a leading client-focused firm in Sacramento, we get hired by families in estate, trust and catastrophic injury disputes. Results matter. Reputation matters. There’s only one Hackard Law. Call us today at 916-313-3030. Hackard Law: Attorneys Making a Difference. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65T3kHQ14HE&ab_channel=HackardLaw[/embed][...]