California Probate Guidebook
A Free Guide for Families, 2026 Edition
Plain-language answers to the questions families ask: when probate is required, the simpler procedures that can avoid it, each step of a court case, the deadlines that matter, what it costs, and how the family home is treated under Proposition 19.
Download the Guidebook (PDF)
By Tomer T. Gutman, Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Download the
Guidebook
Leave your name and email if you would like the 2027 edition when it is published. Both are optional, and the download opens either way.
We use your email only for guidebook updates. Privacy policy.
What’s Inside
102 Pages, Ten Chapters
The guidebook walks through a California probate from start to finish:
- What probate is and why it exists
- Personal representatives, wills, and what happens without a will
- When probate is required, and the procedures that can avoid it
- What makes California probate different
- Each step of a probate case, with the key deadlines
- Disputes and litigation
- Fees, costs, and the family home under Proposition 19
- Choosing a lawyer
- Real case studies
- The main court forms, a glossary, and common questions
