| Administrator |
The person who is appointed by the court to administer the estate of a person who died without a will. |
| Administrator with Will Annexed |
A person appointed by the court to handle and administer the estate of a person who died with a will, but this person was not named in the will to act as a personal representative. |
| Beneficiary |
An individual or organization to which a gift or real or personal property is make, or who will inherit from under the terms of the will. |
| Blocked accounts |
Cash or securities that are placed in a bank, trust company, insured savings & loan or insured brokerage account, subject to withdrawal only upon court order or statute. |
| Case Calendar |
You can access up to 14 days of the court calendar to find your court date. |
| Case Summary |
You can get a summary of your case. All you need is your case number. |
| Codicil |
An amendment or supplement to an existing will. |
| Conservatee |
A person determined by the court to be unable to protect and manage their own personal care or financial affairs, or both. A person who has a the court appointed a conservator. |
| Conservator |
A person or organization appointed by the court to protect and manage the personal care or financial affairs, or both, of a conservatee. |
| Conservator of the Estate |
A person who handles the conservatee’s financial matters – like paying bills and collecting a person’s income — if the judge decides the conservatee cannot do it. |
| Conservator of the Person |
Someone appointed by the court that cares for and protects a person when the judge decides that the person cannot provide their own care. |
| Defendant |
Cash or securities that are placed in a bank, trust company, insured savings & loan or insured brokerage account, subject to withdrawal only upon court order or statute. |
| Decedent |
A person who has died |
| Estate |
A person’s total possessions, including money, jewelry, securities, land, etc. These assets are managed by a fiduciary subject to a court order. Types of estates include guardianship estate, conservatorship estate, or decedent’s estate. |
| Executor |
The person named in a will to carry out the directions as set forth in the will. This person is the personal representative of the decedent’s estate. |
| Fiduciary |
A person with a legal responsibility safeguard the interests of another person, such as a guardian of the estate of a minor, a guardian, committee or conservator of the estate of an incompetent person, an executor of a will, or an administrator of the estate of a decedent. |
| Filing Court Locator |
You can find your filing location using a zip code. |
| Guardian |
A person appointed by the court to protect and manage the personal care or financial affairs, or both, of a minor. |
| Guardian Ad Litem |
A person appointed by a court as guardian of an child or other person to act on his or her behalf in a particular action or proceeding |
| Heir |
A person who would naturally inherit property through a will, or from another who died without leaving a will. |
| Holographic Will |
A will that is completely handwritten, dated and signed by the person making the will. |
| Intestate |
When used about a person, intestate means not having made a legally valid will prior to death; when used about property, intestate means not effectively disposed of by a legally valid will. |
| Irrevocable Trust |
A trust that cannot be changed at any time. |
| Letters |
The court document that establishes the authority to act as a guardian, conservator, or personal representative (executor or administrator). In decedent’s estates, an executor’s letters are designated ‘letters testamentary,’ and an administrator’s letters are ‘letters of administration.’ |
| Limited Conservatorship |
A type of conservatorship for developmentally disabled adults. |
| Living Trust |
A revocable trust set up during the lifetime of a person to distribute money or property to another person or organization. Also known as an inter vivios trust. |
| Local Forms |
Forms created to standardize the preparation of documents in a specific court. Local forms usually can only be used in the court that created the form. They are different from Judicial Council forms that can be used in every Superior Court in California. |
| LPS Conservatorship |
A specific type of conservatorship, under the Lanternman-Petris-Short Act, which allows for involuntary detention and treatment of a person (the conservatee). This conservatorship is a result of mental disorder and the conservatee appears to be a danger to himself/herself or others, or is gravely disabled. The Public Guardian must file this matter. |
| Minor |
A person under the age of 18 who is placed in the care of a court appointed guardian. |
| Personal Property |
Anything owned by a person that can be moved such as money, securities, jewelry, etc. |
| Personal representative |
An administrator or executor appointed by the court to administer a decedent’s estate. |
| Petition |
A written, formal request, properly filed with the Court, for a specific action or order. The petition is a pre-printed Court form in some cases, or written in proper format on pleading paper in others. |
| Pro Bono Settlement Program |
A program which is operated by the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, and helps litigants settle cases free of charge. You must sign up on the court’s calendar which is kept in Department 5. |
| Probate |
The legal process of administering a will. Also, the judicially supervised process for marshaling a decedent’s assets, paying proper debts, and distributing the remaining assets to the persons or entities entitled. |
| Probate Court |
The court that handles matters concerning wills and estates, such as the distribution of property or money to those named in a will. In California, the Probate Court also handles guardianships and conservatorships. |
| Probate Efiling |
You can create and submit the filing of your Probate case online. |
| Probate Notes |
You can find Probate Notes related to your case. All you need is your case number. |
| Property |
Anything that can be owned such as money, securities, land, buildings, etc. |
| Real Property |
Land and immovable objects on the land such as buildings. |
| Revocable Trust |
A trust in which the person making the trust retains the power to revoke the trust. |
| Small Estates |
A decedent’s estate may avoid probate and have personal property transferred directly to an heir if the decedent’s estate meets the requirements of California Probate Code § 13100. |
| Stipulation |
An agreement, usually on a procedural matter, between the attorneys for the two sides in a legal action. Some stipulations are oral, but the courts often require that the stipulation be put in writing, signed and filed with the court. |
| Successor Fiduciary |
he next person or organization appointed if a vacancy arises in a conservatorship, guardianship, or decedent’s estate because of the fiduciary’s death, removal, or resignation. |
| Testate |
It is the condition of a person who dies leaving a will; opposite of intestate. |
| Testator |
A person who makes a will. |
| Testamentary Trust |
A trust created by the terms of a will to manage assets given to the beneficiaries. |
| Trust |
An entity created to hold assets for the benefit of certain persons or entities, with a trustee managing the trust. |
| Trustee |
A person or organization that has been authorized by a trust to hold and manage property for the benefit of a beneficiary. |
| Trustor |
The person or persons who create a trust. |
| Ward |
A minor who has a guardian appointed by the court to care for and take responsibility for him or her. |
| Will |
A written document that leaves the estate of the person who signed the will to named persons or entities. The document should be made according to law (California Probate Code § 6100) and is filed in a probate court after the person has died. |
| Interpreter Request |
You can request an interpreter for your Probate case. |