Many California families can handle probate without a lawyer.A registered expert prepares the paperwork, for one flat fee per filing.
A registered California Legal Document Assistant prepares, files, and serves your probate papers at your direction — for one flat fee per filing.
Or call (707) 564-3838 · Mon–Fri, 9–5 PT
Talk to a registered LDA free — or check it yourself and pay only when you file.
A real person, not software
A registered, bonded Legal Document Assistant does the work, not a website that leaves the hard part to you.
Built only for California
Small-estate and real-property affidavits; spousal, succession and Heggstad petitions; and the petition that opens a full probate. These are the California and county details national tools aren’t built around.
One flat fee
In a full probate, California’s statutory attorney fee grows with the estate: $13,000 on a $500,000 estate. Today we prepare the opening packet for a full probate. You see our flat fee before you pay a cent. Court, referee, publication and recording costs are separate.
We are your probate’s project manager.
When you’re grieving, you’re handed a second job you never trained for: court forms, legal notices, a hearing, and California deadlines you’ve never heard of. Most families think the only choices are doing it all alone or paying a lawyer a percentage of the estate. There is a third way: a registered California Legal Document Assistant prepares your documents, serves the notices, tracks the deadlines for your filings, and shows you what comes next, while you stay in charge.
You choose what to file, and we prepare it, from a simple affidavit to the petition that opens a full probate.
California has faster paths than full probate. Which one fits depends on how the property was titled and what it is worth, not on whether there was a will. The free screener takes your answers and lists the filings that cover each asset; you decide what to file, and your Legal Document Assistant prepares it.
- A free screener that lists the filings covering each of your assets
- Small-estate, small-value real property, joint-tenancy and vehicle affidavits
- Spousal property, succession and Heggstad petitions
- The opening packet for a full probate: petition, notice of hearing, and the personal representative’s duties acknowledgment
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
We map the filings and deadlines for your route and track them live, so you see what’s due and when.
California’s clocks start at the date of death and at filing: for example, a 40-day wait before a small-estate affidavit can be used, and six months before a small-value real property affidavit can be filed. Your expert lays out each step in order, and the app keeps it current.
- The filings and deadlines for your route, in order
- Live progress in the app
- You approve each step and stay in charge
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
We prepare your court petition, you review and sign it, and we file it with the court.
Judicial Council forms are filled in from your answers and checked for completeness against your instructions. A petition must be verified by the person filing it, so you review and sign in the app; your Legal Document Assistant then files it with the superior court.
- Judicial Council forms filled from your answers
- You review and sign in the app
- Filed with the superior court — the court’s filing fee is $435 in most counties ($450 in Riverside and San Francisco)
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
We serve the notices your petition requires and file the proof, so the court can hear your petition.
Before the hearing, the heirs, beneficiaries and others the law names must get notice: at least 15 days ahead for most petitions, and 30 days for a Heggstad petition. A petition to open a full probate must also be published in a newspaper. The court sets the hearing date.
- Notice served on each person named in your petition, before the deadline
- Newspaper publication arranged when you open a full probate
- Proof of service filed before the hearing
- The hearing result and the court’s order logged in your case
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
We prepare the affidavits that transfer accounts, vehicles and property without a court hearing.
A small-estate affidavit collects bank and brokerage accounts, with a cap that counts real and personal property in California minus excluded assets such as trust, joint-tenancy and payable-on-death assets. An affidavit of death clears joint-tenancy title once recorded. A small-value real property affidavit is filed with the court and then recorded, with no hearing. Each is prepared for you to present or record.
- Small-estate affidavit, with instructions for each institution you present it to
- Affidavit of death for joint-tenancy property, prepared for recording
- Small-value real property affidavit, prepared for filing and recording
- DMV transfer forms for vehicles
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
A real California expert stays with you through every filing we prepare.
Not a chatbot and not a call center: a named, registered California Legal Document Assistant who knows your case — message them whenever a question comes up. A Legal Document Assistant prepares documents at your direction and cannot give legal advice; when a question needs one, they tell you so plainly.
- A named person assigned to your case
- Message them through the app — no hourly clock
- Told plainly when your question needs an attorney
Illustration — sample case, not a real client’s file.
National checklist / form-filler apps do too little. Lawyers do too much. We fit straightforward estates.
A checklist app leaves the real work to you. A law firm brings deep expertise, priced for full legal representation. We strike the balance most families actually want: you stay in control where it counts, and a registered California Legal Document Assistant prepares the documents at your direction when you’d rather focus on what matters more — or when you just need to lean on an expert who has done this many times before.
Checklist / Form Fill apps Do-it-yourself software | ProbateClear Human-powered smart platform | Attorneys Traditional law firm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You do it all yourself | A registered California LDA prepares, files and serves at your direction | The firm: attorney and staff |
| California law expertise | One-size-fits-all; not built around California and county probate rules | Built for California: small-estate affidavits, spousal, succession and Heggstad petitions, the petition to open probate, county recording | Deep, including disputes and litigation |
| Court-ready filings & service | Not included; you file it yourself | Prepared for you; court papers filed and served for you | Included |
| Solution | App-first — minimal expertise or support, to keep costs low | A smart platform and a real expert, together | Deep expertise, but mostly manual work and old-school communication |
| Best fit | Keeping track of your own tasks | Straightforward, uncontested estates | Contested estates, litigation, or anything that needs legal advice |
| Pricing model | Low cost or a subscription | One flat fee per filing, shown before you pay | In full probate, a percentage of the estate set by statute (§10810; the executor’s fee is separate, §10800); hourly or flat for other work |
| When you're stuck | You're on your own | A named California LDA to message | Yes, at lawyer rates |
California experts prepare your probate papers with you.
ProbateClear isn’t a faceless app. Every case is prepared and reviewed by an independent, registered and bonded California Legal Document Assistant, who checks your documents for completeness against your instructions. They are real people who do this work every day. A Legal Document Assistant prepares legal documents at your direction; they are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice.
I became a founding partner because ProbateClear does the heavy document lifting — so I can focus on what families need most from me: careful review and a steady hand through the process.
Probate paperwork rewards structure: the right documents, prepared correctly, filed on time. That's the discipline I built over a career in IT and project management — now in service of families.
After years inside law firms, I watched families pay full attorney rates for paperwork that never needed one. For a straightforward estate, that money should stay with the family — and that's what I get to protect here.
Start with the first-30-days checklist.
A calm, plain-English guide to settling a California estate in the first 30 days — what to handle, and in what order, so you always know your next step. We'll email it to you.
Common questions about California probate.
More detail on timelines, banks, and multi-asset estates — see the full California probate FAQ →
You stay in control.
We handle the details.
Ask a registered California Legal Document Assistant about the process and pricing — or answer 5 questions to see which filings cover your assets. Either way you stay in control.