Saturday, February 26, 2022

Sonoma County, CA 's First Dedicated Probate Court

by Emily Wilder

Sonoma County, for the first time, has a dedicated probate court division to resolve conflicts over wills, trusts, estates, conservatorships, guardianships and other end-of-life financial matters.

Originally announced in a July 2021 news release, the Sonoma County Superior Court’s probate division began hearing cases in January.  The new court marks an important development for a county becoming progressively older and wealthier, supporters say. 

“We’re really excited about it,” said local attorney Kristen Ingersoll, who chairs the Sonoma County Bar Association’s Trust and Estate Section. “We’ve been asking and pushing and begging for years wanting more resources because our clients — the public— need more resources to have their matters heard that much sooner and have them resolved that much sooner.”

Before the new year, the court’s probate department had a hybrid model, with probate matters split up among judges handling other civil cases.

“Over the years, we’ve had different judges handling different pieces of the probate pie, which is problematic because there is no consistency,” said Judge Larry Ornell, who now serves as the court’s dedicated probate judicial officer.

Now, one judge with a team of probate-specific staff will work full-time on the administering of Sonoma County residents’ wills and estates after they die.

Full Article and Source:
Sonoma County’s first dedicated probate court hears cases over trusts, estates, other end-of-life matters

2 comments:

  1. I want to speak to the journalism department regarding this California Attorney.
    My email address (229 Amador@gmail.com) is preferred.
    My sisters and I are the legal heirs in my mother's estate.
    I prefer to handle my input privately because my sisters and I haven't been paid.

    This is just one elderly woman in the public.
    just one wealthy woman whose charitable donations (did not include the Council on Aging).
    I want to be sure that this is not going to reward them for their actions.
    I did speak with Dr. Sam Sugar while mom was still alive.
    I also spoke with Tony Chicotel, staff attorney for Nursing Home Reform in California.

    Please contact me only if Kristen Ingersoll is not involved in this organization.
    Please contact me only if you are interested in current probate matters in Sonoma County CA
    Please contact me only if you will not place me further in jeopardy. I am interested in factual journalism.
    I am not vindictive and do not wish to further the non-profit PROFIT to Council on Aging in our county.
    I do want to warn others of dangerous circumstances that the community may not know about.
    I will help in any way I can to uncover more .

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  2. Hi Unknown,

    Please contact NASGA at Info@StopGuardianAbuse.org at your convenience. All communications between you and NASGA are kept in strict confidence.

    Also please consider becoming a member of NASGA. Here's the link to join: https://stopguardianabuse.org/join-nasga/

    ReplyDelete