Planning today for the people you love, and the legacy you leave.
An attorney since 1997, Julie M. Cho brings nearly three decades of legal experience to every plan she prepares. She takes the time to understand your family, explains every document in plain terms, and helps you take the practical steps needed to fund your trust.
Consultation fees: online, $150 for 30 minutes or $300 for 1 hour; in person, $400 for 1 hour; trust review, $550 for 1 hour. You choose a time and pay when you book. If you then hire the firm, the consultation fee is credited toward your legal fees.
A complete estate plan for the people you love.
Estate planning is about far more than documents. It is about making sure the people you love are cared for, your wishes are honored, and no one is left guessing.
Cho Law Firm, APC builds each plan around your family, your assets, and your goals, never a template. A complete plan usually includes a revocable living trust, a will, a financial power of attorney, an advance health care directive, and the funding work that makes the trust actually work. Here is what each piece does for you.
Revocable Living Trust
The foundation of most California estate plans. A living trust lets you keep full control of your assets during your lifetime, names who steps in if you cannot manage your affairs, and can pass the assets held in the trust to your loved ones privately, generally without probate court.
- Can help avoid probate and keep your family’s affairs private
- You remain in control and can change it at any time
- Provides for children, grandchildren, and loved ones with special needs
Wills
Every plan includes a will. Alongside a trust, a “pour-over” will catches anything left outside the trust and directs it back in. For parents of minor children, the will is also where you name a guardian.
- Names guardians for minor children
- Works together with your trust as a safety net
- Can stand on its own when a trust is not the right fit
Financial Power of Attorney
Names a trusted person to handle your finances and legal matters if you cannot: paying bills, managing accounts, dealing with property and insurance. Without one, your family may need a court-appointed conservatorship.
- Durable, so it remains effective if you become incapacitated
- Authority tailored to what you are comfortable with
- Can help avoid the cost and delay of a conservatorship
Advance Health Care Directive
Sets out your wishes for medical treatment and names an agent to make health care decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself, so your family is never left guessing.
- Names your health care agent and alternates
- Records your wishes on treatment and end-of-life care
- Includes a HIPAA authorization so your agent can speak with doctors
Trust Funding
A trust only controls what is titled in its name, and an unfunded trust is the most common reason plans fail. We prepare and record the deeds for your real estate, give you a written checklist for your accounts and beneficiary designations, and review your progress with you. Banks and other financial institutions may require you to complete their own forms.
- Preparing and recording deeds for your home and other real estate
- A written checklist for accounts, retirement plans, and insurance
- A review of your progress with you
Not sure where to start?
Most families are not. A conversation with Julie is all it takes to find out what you need, and what you do not.
Schedule a ConsultationWe also guide successor trustees through trust administration, and can help you form an LLC or corporation. See all practice areas →Common reasons families come to us.
An estate plan is not only for the wealthy or the elderly. These are the situations that most often bring clients to our office.
You own a home in California
Real estate held in your own name generally has to go through probate when you die, even if you have a will. Holding it in a properly funded living trust generally avoids that, and keeps the transfer private.
You have minor children
A will lets you name a guardian for your children, and a trust lets you decide who manages their inheritance and at what ages they receive it, rather than leaving it to the court.
You have a blended family
Planning lets you provide for a spouse and for children from a prior relationship in the way you intend, instead of relying on default rules that may not match your wishes.
A loved one has special needs
A special needs trust can provide for a child or relative while helping protect their eligibility for government benefits such as SSI or Medi-Cal.
Your plan is more than a few years old
Changes in your family, your assets, or the law can leave an older trust out of date. An amendment or a full restatement brings it current.
You have been named successor trustee
When a parent or family member passes away, the successor trustee takes on legal duties with firm deadlines. We explain each step and guide you through it.
For a $1,000,000 estate that goes through formal California probate, the ordinary statutory fees for the attorney and the executor can total up to $46,000 if both are paid, before other costs. Whether probate is required, and what it costs, depends on the circumstances. Estimate the cost for your family →
A personal and customized legal experience for every client.
Each family’s circumstances are unique, and one-size-fits-all documents will never ensure your needs are met. We provide a customized plan, walk you step by step through the process, and help you with the steps needed to fund your trust, so that every concern is addressed.
Schedule a MeetingConversation
We start by listening: your family, your assets, your concerns, and what you want to happen. No forms to decode, no jargon.
Design
Julie designs a plan around your circumstances: your trust, will, powers of attorney, and health care directive, written for your family.
Signing
We walk you through every document, page by page, so you understand exactly what you are signing and why it is there.
Funding & Follow-up
A trust only works if it is funded. We prepare and record your real estate deeds, give you a checklist for your other assets, and review your progress with you. We remain available as your life changes.
Answers to what families ask us most.
Do I need a trust, or is a will enough?
In California, a will alone generally does not avoid probate. A revocable living trust, once properly funded, generally allows the assets held in it to pass to your beneficiaries without court supervision, privately and usually much faster. Which approach is right for you depends on your assets, your family, and your goals, and that is exactly what we discuss in your first meeting.
What documents are included in a typical estate plan?
Most plans include a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, a durable power of attorney for financial matters, an advance health care directive, a HIPAA authorization, and the deeds and assignments needed to fund the trust. Families with minor children, blended families, or special needs beneficiaries often need additional provisions.
Will I work with Julie directly?
Yes. When you call, our receptionist connects you to Julie whenever she is available, and Julie is the attorney who meets with you, designs your plan, and walks you through signing. You will not be screened or handed off to a paralegal.
How often should I review my plan?
We recommend a review every few years, and sooner after a major life event: marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or grandchild, a death in the family, a move, a significant change in assets, or a change in the law.
Julie M. Cho
Julie has practiced law since 1997. She founded Cho Law Firm, APC in 2010 and has focused on estate planning and trust administration ever since.
Julie began her career in business litigation at large law firms before opening her own practice in the city where she was raised. Her practice today centers on revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, trust funding, trust amendments and restatements, and the administration of trusts after a death. Julie speaks both English and Korean.
Meet Julie →What Our Clients Say
Let’s talk about your plan.
A conversation is the first step. Schedule a consultation or call the office, and we will help you decide what makes sense for your family or business.
(949) 436-9090Consultation fees: online, $150 for 30 minutes or $300 for 1 hour; in person, $400 for 1 hour; trust review, $550 for 1 hour. You choose a time and pay when you book. If you then hire the firm, the consultation fee is credited toward your legal fees.