If you live in California and don't have a will, the State writes one for you.
Most Californians don't think about estate planning until something — a parent's death, a baby, a real-estate purchase — forces it. By then, you're already behind. Without a valid will or the right trusts, California's intestacy and probate rules quietly decide who inherits what, who controls minor children's money, and how much of your estate the IRS or public probate process consumes.
These 10 L.A. firms specialize in wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, probate administration, and elder-law planning. Most offer flat fees for the basics and free or low-cost initial meetings. With California real estate values, almost every L.A. household needs a revocable living trust to avoid probate.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed published verdicts and settlements, peer rankings (Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, Avvo), client review patterns, and bar association recognition. Firms that appeared consistently across independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Wills, living trusts, probate, trust administration
UCLA Law graduate boutique. Strong individual and family flat-fee estate plans. Multilingual (English/Mandarin) intake.
Practice focus: Living trusts, estate planning, business succession, probate
Statewide CA estate-planning firm with strong L.A. presence. Heavy individual + small-business client base. Frequent CLE speakers.
Practice focus: High-net-worth estate planning, family wealth, business succession
Premier L.A. firm with strong T&E practice. Multiple Best Lawyers and Chambers ranked attorneys. Strong entertainment-industry HNW client base.
Practice focus: HNW estate planning, family wealth, fiduciary disputes
L.A.-rooted full-service firm with deep entertainment and HNW estate practice. Multiple Chambers and Best Lawyers attorneys.
Practice focus: HNW estate planning, entertainment-industry estates, fiduciary
Major L.A. firm with strong entertainment-industry estates practice. Multiple Best Lawyers attorneys. Strong family-office work.
Practice focus: Living trusts, wills, probate, elder law
L.A. boutique with strong individual and family flat-fee estate plans. Personal-attention model.
Practice focus: Trusts, wills, probate, business succession
L.A. estate planning boutique serving diverse SoCal clientele. Bilingual Spanish intake. Strong probate litigation practice.
Practice focus: HNW estate planning, fiduciary, tax, probate
Long-standing L.A. T&E boutique. Multiple Best Lawyers and Chambers ranked attorneys. Strong with tax-motivated estate plans.
Practice focus: International estate planning, trusts, tax
L.A. boutique with strong cross-border and HNW practice. Multiple Best Lawyers attorneys. Bilingual coverage for international clients.
Practice focus: Living trusts, wills, probate, elder law
L.A. boutique with personal-attention model. Strong individual + family planning practice. Flat-fee transparency.
Tell us about your situation and we'll match you with vetted estate planning attorneys in Los Angeles. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →Most basic plans (will, healthcare directive, durable power of attorney, HIPAA release) come together in 2-4 weeks. Trust-based plans (revocable trust, life-insurance trust, special-needs trust) take 4-8 weeks and may include real-estate retitling and beneficiary updates. Larger estates with federal estate tax exposure (above ~$13.99M 2026 federal exemption) require additional gifting and trust design. California has no state estate tax. Probate after a death typically runs 9-18 months in L.A. Superior Court.
Basic flat-fee will package: $1,500-$3,500 individual, $2,500-$5,000 couple. Revocable trust packages: $3,500-$8,500 — usually a must in California to avoid statutory probate fees. Complex plans involving life-insurance trusts, GST planning, or business succession run $10,000-$30,000+. CA probate is by statute (Probate Code § 10810) — typically 4% of the first $100K of estate value, declining to 0.5% above $25M. Trust administration is hourly.
The legal directory you find on Google has thousands of Los Angeles estate planning firms. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or visa approval, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill, not a craftsperson's practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We've helped thousands of clients" is marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. "Don't worry about cost" is a red flag. Every legitimate Los Angeles lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what's covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them.
Most Los Angeles firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Los Angeles is its own market. The procedure, the courts, and the strategy are city- and state-specific in ways that matter to your outcome.
Local courthouses matter. L.A. Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown have judges, calendars, and procedures that shape how cases move. A firm that knows the local courthouse has an advantage.
Filing deadlines are strict. Notice of Claim windows for cases against the City or County, Statute of Limitations periods, and pre-suit certification requirements vary by case type and are unforgiving. A missed deadline often means a lost case — full stop.
Local procedure rules matter. Each court has its own forms, motion practice, and judge preferences. The right Los Angeles firm will know not just the law, but the unwritten rules of the courthouse you'll be in.
Local plaintiffs/defendants do well in front of local juries. Verdict patterns vary by venue, and a trial-capable firm uses venue strategically.
Your estate passes by California intestacy rules (Probate Code § 6400 et seq.). Spouse and children share. No spouse? Children take everything. No children? Parents, then siblings. The court appoints an administrator (not necessarily who you'd want) and probate fees apply.
In California, almost everyone with a home or significant assets needs a revocable living trust. CA's statutory probate fees are high — a $1M home alone produces ~$23,000 in attorney fees + ~$23,000 in executor fees. A trust avoids probate. The will is still needed as a 'pour-over' to catch assets outside the trust and to name guardians for minor children.
The 2026 federal estate tax exemption is approximately $13.99M per individual. California has NO state estate tax. Spouses can transfer everything to each other tax-free. Above the exemption, the federal rate is 40%.
A California Advance Health Care Directive (Probate Code § 4670 et seq.) names someone to make medical decisions if you can't, plus your end-of-life wishes. Pair with a HIPAA release and durable POA. Hospitals ask for them at admission. Cost is essentially nothing alongside a will package.
For very simple, modest estates with no minor children and no real estate — sometimes. For anyone with a house (and California real estate makes 'a house' expensive), blended family, business, special-needs beneficiary, or estate tax exposure, the savings of online services often disappear in the first probate fight or tax mistake. A flat-fee L.A. estate plan often pays for itself many times over in avoided probate.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you taken to verdict in the last three years? The answer tells you everything. — The LawFirmSquare team