Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

You can draft a simple addendum to clarify that in addition to your maiden name you are also known as .....

I am not sure if it is legally required, but if assets need to be re-titled later having the legal names referenced somewhere in the trust or an amendment might be helpful.

I agree with Attorney Feldman. A simple amendment should take care of any future problems that arise due to the name confusion.

I would agree with both of the above. It is important to make sure the property is titled appropriately, but that should be able to be handled by the amendment.

Just to add to the above answers, the amendment that you want to do is a "one and the same" amendment - Jane Jones Doe Smith and Jane Does Smith is one and the same persona as Jane Jones Smith. Make sure to have the signatures on the amendment notarized and keep it with your original estate planning documents.