Inheritance Rights

Know Your Rights As An Heir

Questions about an estate inevitably arise after a person's death, even in cases where a will, trust or other estate planning instrument has been created by the decedent. Because these documents are necessarily thorough, or challenging to comprehend, it can be difficult for those without legal training to quickly recognize the significance of certain passages in a will or other documents — and this can take on urgency if you are a beneficiary or believe that you might be an heir.

Whether a will was written or not, whether you are a named beneficiary or not, you have a right to confirm your specific inheritance rights — if it turns out that you are not an heir, you will know with confidence that you did not accidentally overlook an inheritance. And if we are able to establish your status as a beneficiary, then you stand to gain assets and heirlooms that may have significant value financially, sentimentally or both.

At the Law Office of Mark Ignacio, our attorneys, in La Mesa, will help you assert your inheritance rights and resolve any disputes that arise in the process.

Claim The Inheritance To Which You Are Entitled

To help our clients assert their rights as heirs, we thoroughly research your case and design a legal strategy tailored to your needs. We will keep you informed from the start of our work until the end, so that you can make educated, informed decisions when the need arises.

It is important to know the difference between "testate heirs" (those who are specifically named in a will) and "intestate heirs," who are by default designated by operation of law, such as spouses and children, when no heirs have been specifically named in a will or similar instrument.

A surviving spouse generally can expect to have primary inheritance rights in the event of his or her spouse's death, though the specific terms of this inheritance depend on the details of your loved one's estate.

Unlike spouses, children don't automatically have a legally protected right to inherit the property of their deceased parent. The intentional omission of a child from a will is a painful act, and one that is difficult to challenge. But in the case of unintentional omissions, such as the birth of a child after a will was created or other ambiguous situations, legal action can make a big difference in realizing your rights as an heir.

Assert Your Rights And Preserve Your Relationships

Estate planning and probate can be stressful, especially when conflicts arise between family members. The Law Office of Mark Ignacio will you claim the inheritance to which you are entitled with a minimum of conflict.

To start a conversation about your legal needs, email us or call 619-810-4644 and schedule a strategy session at our office in La Mesa, California.

Services offered in San Diego:

• East County (El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Spring Valley) Inheritance Rights
• South Bay (Chula Vista, Eastlake, National City, South San Diego) Inheritance Rights
• Central (Downtown, Coronado) Inheritance Rights
• Coastal (Oceanside, Pacific Beach) Inheritance Rights
• North County (Del Mar, Escondido, Mira Mesa, Poway, Vista) Inheritance Rights