You inherited a home in California. You probably don't need a probate lawyer.
How the home was held decides which path fits — and most skip court entirely. Even when a court filing is required, a clean, uncontested case doesn't need an expensive attorney. We prepare and file it for a flat fee.
See which fits your situation in 2 minutes.
Six situations, six paths — a flat fee for every one.
How the home was held decides which fits. We handle all six — most with no court at all, and none with an attorney's hourly bill.
When you might actually want a lawyer.
A clean, uncontested estate — even one that needs full probate — doesn't need an expensive attorney; we prepare and file it for a flat fee. But some situations genuinely call for a lawyer's judgment, and we'll tell you upfront rather than take a case we shouldn't.
- Heirs are contesting the estate or each other
- Significant unresolved debts against the estate
- Out-of-state assets to settle
- A business interest is part of the estate
A fraction of the cost. A fraction of the wait.
Whatever path your home needs — even a full probate — you pay a flat fee, not an attorney's hourly bill.
- Statutory fees ~$13,000 on a $500K estate
- Hourly billing on top for any complication
- Attorney rates even for a clean, simple case
- Most inherited-home situations = one path
- Weeks to a few months — not a year-plus
- LDA-reviewed and court-ready
Three steps. No legalese.
Tell us what happened
Talk it through with a real person, free — or answer five plain-language questions and see which path your situation qualifies for. Either way, nothing to pay to find out.
We prepare the documents
We generate your filing-ready paperwork, and a California-registered Legal Document Assistant reviews every document before it reaches you. Revisions are included.
You sign, we file & serve
Your LDA files with the court and serves every person the statute requires — the part self-filers most often get wrong — then tracks the case to the signed order. You are not calling the clerk. On the no-court paths there is nothing to file or serve: we build the recording packet to your county’s rules, and you can record it yourself or we can.
A real California LDA behind every filing.
ProbateClear isn't a faceless app. Your documents are prepared and reviewed by registered, bonded California Legal Document Assistants — licensed professionals who do this every day.
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.
Take 2 minutes. See what fits.
Answer five quick questions and we'll show you the path built for your situation — and what it costs. No payment to find out.