The Family Journal · Est. 2018

Plain-English writing
on the things families actually wonder about.

Notes from our practice — about kids, parents, money, mortality and the small legal hinges everything else turns on.

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Latest articles

12 of 87 articles
Guardianship·7 min

Naming a guardian: the question most parents get backwards.

Why "who would raise our kids" is the wrong starting point — and what to ask instead.

Sarah K. Mendez · Apr 29
Probate·9 min

Why "we already have a will" might not protect your family at all.

A will sends your family to court. Here's what to do instead — and when a trust actually makes sense.

Sarah K. Mendez · Apr 22
Elder Law·14 min

The Medi-Cal lookback explained — without the panic.

A clear walkthrough of California's five-year rule, what it does (and doesn't) penalize, and the planning windows most families miss.

R. Park · Apr 18
Kids Protection·6 min

Three things every parent should fix in their plan before the kids turn 18.

The legal vacuum that opens the day your child turns 18 — and the three documents that close it.

Sarah K. Mendez · Apr 11
Family Stories·5 min

"My grandmother left a will. We spent three years figuring out what she meant."

The personal story that started this firm — and what we learned from it.

Sarah K. Mendez · Apr 4
Asset Protection·10 min

What a "creditor-protected trust" actually does — and when you need one.

The five most common asset-protection myths, separated from what California law actually allows.

M. Liu · Mar 28
Business·12 min

Family business succession: when the conversation should start.

Why most family-business transitions fail, and the five-year window where good planning makes the difference.

Sarah K. Mendez · Mar 21
Special Needs·8 min

The three trust mistakes that cost families government benefits.

Special needs planning has unforgiving rules. Here are the ones we see broken most often, and how to avoid them.

R. Park · Mar 14
Wills & Trusts·6 min

Trust funding: the unglamorous step that decides whether your plan actually works.

A trust without funding is paper. Here's what funding looks like, and why we do it for you.

Sarah K. Mendez · Mar 7
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