Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California
What is a Trustee Notice...why would a law Firm who drew up the the Trust and now the person who was the trustor has died and I have become the the trustee give all the information back to the law firm so they can do a Trustee Notice t all of my family. Should I do this and is this demanded by law? Note there are no benificary's noted in the Trust. Just myself as trustee and my son as second trustee if I should die or become unable to perform trustee duties.
Thanks
2 Answers from Attorneys
There must be something in the trust as to what happens to the belongings of the trustor when he or she dies. Anyone who is a named beneficiary or a legal heir must be notified of the death and that there is a trust. Without reviewing the trust, my initial response would be that, yes, you are required to notify certain people.
California law has a number of notice requirements when someone dies, which is what the law firm is likely referring to. While there is no requirement that a lawyer be hired to give that notice, you want to be sure that the notice complies with the legal requirements. If the trust really has not beneficiaries identified, you may need to go to Court to determine how the trustor's money is to be distributed. Again, there is no requirement that you have a lawyer but it is probably a good idea.
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