Revocable Living Trust Attorney Serving Walnut Creek & the Bay Area

Feldman Law Group drafts revocable living trusts for individuals and families in Walnut Creek and throughout the Bay Area, helping clients protect their assets, preserve their privacy, and avoid or minimize court-supervised probate. Attorney Aaron Feldman brings over 35 years of estate planning experience to every engagement, including trust creation, trust funding, and ongoing plan maintenance that many firms don’t offer.

Walnut Creek real estate tends to be high-value, and a properly funded trust is one of the most practical tools available for keeping that property on track for the people who matter most to you. We serve clients across Contra Costa County and the broader Bay Area with personalized strategies built around each family’s unique circumstances and long-term goals.

Ready to protect your family with a revocable living trust? Call our Walnut Creek office today at (925) 208-4543 to get started.

How a Revocable Living Trust Works in California

A revocable living trust is created by the settlor during their lifetime and can be modified or revoked at any time while the settlor remains mentally competent. When the settlor passes away, a named successor trustee steps in to manage and distribute assets to beneficiaries according to the trust terms, without court involvement. The trust can also include directions for managing assets during the settlor’s incapacity, providing continuity without requiring a court-appointed conservator.

California probate is required for personal property estates exceeding $208,850 as of April 1, 2025. A properly funded trust can keep assets outside that process entirely. California AB 2016, effective April 1, 2025, allows simplified transfer of a primary residence valued at up to $750,000 without full probate, but vacation homes, rental properties, and commercial buildings are not eligible for the simplified petition process and remain subject to standard probate thresholds. For Walnut Creek clients with complex or mixed property holdings, trust planning remains important. Unlike a will, a trust keeps estate details private and can address property held in multiple states.

The potential costs of probate are worth understanding before deciding whether a trust is right for your situation. A $1 million estate can cost as much as $50,000 to probate in California and may take longer than a year before assets are distributed, depending on the estate. Trust funding, the process of re-titling assets into the trust’s name, is a critical step we help clients complete correctly so the trust functions as intended.

Why Walnut Creek Families Choose Feldman Law Group

Our founding attorney, Aaron Feldman, has spent over 35 years helping individuals and families in Walnut Creek and the Bay Area accomplish their estate planning goals. That depth of experience means we’ve seen the complications that can arise when plans are incomplete, improperly funded, or never reviewed after major life changes. We build trusts designed to support your plans through all of it.

Several commitments set our firm apart from other local estate planning practices:

• Free Estate Plan Reviews Every Three Years: Estate planning is an ongoing matter, not a one-time transaction. We review every client’s estate plan every three years at no additional charge, keeping your plan current as your family circumstances or California law changes.
• Academy of Special Needs Planners Membership: Attorney Aaron Feldman is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. Families with disabled loved ones can integrate special needs trust provisions directly into the broader estate plan.
• Trained Mediator: Our lead attorney is a trained mediator, committed to resolving legal matters efficiently and cost-effectively when the situation allows.
• Professional Memberships: The firm is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Contra Costa Bar Association, and Elder Law Answers.
• Responsive When It Counts: When a family contacted our office on a Thursday afternoon after a terminal cancer diagnosis left their loved one without an estate plan, Attorney Feldman traveled to the hospital that Saturday to finalize the necessary documents.

We’ve also defended a client’s estate at trial. Our clients trust us not just to draft documents, but to stand behind the plans we create.

A Complete Trust-Based Estate Plan

A revocable living trust is the centerpiece of a sound estate plan, but it doesn’t stand alone. We build each plan as a cohesive set of documents tailored to your family’s situation. A trust typically works alongside a pour-over will, advance health care directive, and durable power of attorney to help address asset distribution, medical decisions, and financial management during incapacity.

Incapacity provisions within a trust can allow a successor trustee to manage assets without requiring a court-supervised conservatorship. Special needs trust provisions, when included correctly, can help protect a disabled beneficiary’s eligibility for government benefits such as Medi-Cal or SSI. Because Attorney Feldman is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, these provisions can be woven into the broader plan from the start rather than addressed as a separate engagement.

We also assist with trust amendments after major life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or a significant change in assets. And when a loved one has passed and a successor trustee has inherited the responsibility of managing and distributing a trust, we provide trust administration support to help navigate that process correctly.

Our approach covers trusts, wills, conservatorship, and special needs planning as a cohesive whole because your family’s needs rarely fit into a single document category.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Difference Between a Revocable Living Trust & a Will?

A will goes through probate, a court-supervised process that can take over a year and cost thousands of dollars, depending on the estate. A revocable living trust allows assets to pass directly to beneficiaries without court involvement. A trust also keeps your estate details private, while a will becomes a public record. We typically recommend both as part of a complete plan, with the trust handling the bulk of your assets and a pour-over will serving as a backstop.

Can I Change My Trust After It’s Been Created?

Yes. A revocable living trust can be amended or revoked at any time while you’re alive and mentally competent. Major life events like marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child are common reasons to revisit and update your trust. Our free three-year review helps ensure your plan stays current without requiring you to remember to call us.

What Is Trust Funding, & Why Does It Matter?

Trust funding is the process of re-titling your assets into the trust’s name. A trust that isn’t properly funded may still require probate for the assets that were never transferred. We help clients complete this step correctly so the trust works as intended when it’s needed most.

Talk to a Revocable Living Trust Lawyer in Walnut Creek

Protecting your family starts with a plan built for your actual circumstances, not a template. Our living trust attorneys work with clients in Walnut Creek and across the Bay Area to create estate plans that are thorough, properly funded, and reviewed over time. Call (925) 208-4543 or use the contact form on this page to schedule your consultation with Feldman Law Group.