Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

If a lawyer makes a mistake in preparing a will, the heirs who lose out on an inheritance as a result of the mistake have a claim against the attorney for malpractice. You should meet with an attorney as soon as possible to go over the facts in greater detail. For starters, there hasn't been any judicial determination over the validity of the new will, so I am confused about how it was decided that the new will is not effective? Secondly, litigation is expensive which makes pursuing smaller claims difficult. If you should have inherited $25,000 and now you are receiving Zero, legal fees and costs could exceed $25,000 if you had to litigate against the attorney (assuming that he actually made a mistake). You should consult with an attorney.

This is a factually complex case with two major layers: entitlement to distribution and attorney malpractice. You should hire an attorney competent to handle all aspects of this case (and open to associating specialized counsel). We would be willing to speak with you about this case. Call us at 916-235-8700. Jim.

There are a lot of relevant facts which are not mentioned in your question and your question raises a lot of complex issues. You need to sit down with a lawayer sooner rather than later. If you would like to talk further, please feel free to call me.

Jon Reich

310.478.2541

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