Probate Attorney · Roseville, CA
After a loss, the legal side shouldn’t be the hardest part.
California probate, trust administration, and estate work — handled in plain language by an attorney who does nothing else. We’ll tell you what the court will require, what it will cost, and how long it will take, before you decide anything.
Free consultation. No retainer to talk. We’ll return your call the same day.
Probate is one of the hardest things a family does in one of the hardest seasons of their life.
Our job is to make the legal side feel manageable — so the family can focus on everything else that loss asks of them.
Four practice areas.
One specialty.
Brandon handles California probate matters from start to finish. No estate planning, no other practice areas — only probate, trust administration, will contests, and estate administration.
- 01
Probate Administration
Court-supervised administration of California estates — petitions, inventory, creditor claims, and distribution.
Read more → - 02
Trust Administration
Successor trustee guidance — Probate Code § 16061.7 notices, accountings, distributions, and beneficiary disputes.
Read more → - 03
Will Contests
Challenging a will or trust — undue influence, lack of capacity, fraud, improper execution, no-contest clauses.
Read more → - 04
Estate Administration
Post-death estate management — creditor claims, asset marshaling, tax filings, and distribution to heirs.
Read more →
You don’t need to know anything yet.
Most people we talk to have never been through probate before, and they’re calling within days of a death. Here’s the path, in plain language — so you can see it before you decide.
- 01
We talk — free, no retainer.
A 30-minute call or video. You tell us what happened and what documents you have. We’ll tell you whether probate is even required, and if not, what the simpler path looks like. No pressure to hire us.
- 02
You get a written plan and a price.
What court will hear the case, what the statutory fees will be, what the timeline looks like, and what we’ll need from you. In writing, before you sign anything. Statutory fees are set by the Probate Code — we don’t set them, and they don’t come out of pocket.
- 03
We handle the court. You handle the family.
Filing the petition, notice to creditors, the inventory and appraisal, accounting, and final distribution. You’ll sign things. You won’t have to learn the Probate Code.
- 04
The estate closes. We’re still here.
After distribution, we’re a phone call away for the tax-related questions and follow-ups that surface in the year after. No bill for picking up the phone.
The difference
For most lawyers, probate is one thing they do.
For us, it’s the only thing.
That matters when something goes sideways — a missing will, a contested account, an out-of-state property. You want counsel who’s seen it before, not someone reading the Probate Code for the first time on your behalf.
Three figures that describe
how we work.
Read these as a portrait of focus, tenure, and reach — not as a brag. We tell you so you know what kind of attorney is on the other end of the call.
Probate practice
Every case Brandon handles is a probate case. No estate planning, business law, or family law.
Years California-licensed
CA Bar #308604, admitted 2015. Deep familiarity with the Probate Code and Placer County Superior Court.
California counties
California estates only. Office in Granite Bay; we file wherever the decedent lived or owned property.
Placer & Sacramento
Counties.
Our office is in Granite Bay. Most clients meet by video. We file in the right county for the decedent’s residence — anywhere in California.
You don’t have to know anything yet. Just call.
Tell us what happened. We’ll tell you whether probate is required, what the court will need, and what it will cost — in plain language, before you decide anything. The first call is free, and there’s no retainer to talk.
Brandon Smith · CA Bar #308604 · Admitted 2015 · Granite Bay