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Estate & Tax Planning in California

Cummins & White has extensive experience and knowledge related to trust and estate planning and administration, business succession planning, and taxation. We also have experience with trust and estate dispute resolution and litigation.

The firm serves individual and corporate trustees, private foundations, charities, personal representatives, beneficiaries, and high net worth individuals. We strive to ensure that their assets are maximized and protected, and that they achieve their financial goals.

The firm handles after-death estate and trust administration. We represent executors, trustees, beneficiaries and other interested parties. When friends or relatives have failed to plan appropriately, we will also handle probate matters, conservatorships or guardianships.

Although we attempt to dispel any unnecessary family disputes, if one does occur, we assist fiduciaries and beneficiaries with the mediation of any issues and, if necessary, will represent them in the litigation of probate, estate, and trust matters.

Although we attempt to dispel any unnecessary family disputes, if one does occur, we assist fiduciaries and beneficiaries with the mediation of any issues and, if necessary, will represent them in the litigation of probate, estate, and trust matters.

Contact Cummins & White about your estate and tax planning needs.

Tax Planning in Newport Beach and Southern CA

Cummins & White, LLP provides tax planning and estate planning for clients in:

  • Newport Beach
  • Huntington Beach
  • Anaheim
  • Irvine
  • Santa Ana
  • Costa Mesa
  • Garden Grove
  • Westminster, CA
  • Fullerton
  • Long Beach, CA
  • And many other areas in Southern California and throughout the state

Dispute Resolution & Litigation

Planning ahead and communicating effectively often can reduce or eliminate disputes. However, in unfortunate cases involving disagreements that develop following the death of a loved one, assertive legal representation may be necessary to protect your rights and see that your loved one’s wishes are carried out.

Cummins & White has a track record of using proven strategies to help trustees, personal representatives, and beneficiaries of trusts and estates resolve disputes while being sensitive to the emotional and personal aspects of these matters.

We can assist by listening to the parties involved, providing options to address the issues, and guiding the process toward resolution. We advise clients on disputes relating to:

  • Claims regarding fiduciary duties or obligations
  • Modifications of will or trust provisions
  • Removal or change of trustee or personal representative
  • Testamentary capacity issues
  • Undue influence claims
  • Validity and enforceability of will or trust provisions
  • Valuation of business and other assets
  • Will and trust interpretation

Our litigation practice encompasses a wide range of trust and probate controversies, such as will and trust contests, community property disputes, interpretation disputes concerning complex estate planning documents, contested accountings, and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

While we have extensive trial and litigation experience, our primary goal is to resolve the dispute to our client’s satisfaction as economically as possible. We often take advantage of alternative dispute resolution procedures such as mediation in order to save our clients funds.

Trusts & Estate Planning

We understand and are sensitive to the personal nature of estate planning. Our proactive and focused approach allows us to meet all of your estate planning needs.

Our estate planning process begins by listening to your goals and objectives and reviewing existing planning, if in place. We will work closely with you and other professional advisors to design and implement a comprehensive estate plan that protects your assets—and your family’s assets—during your lifetime and beyond.

We assist with:

  • Review of beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement plans
  • Asset titling—listing the correct owners of all titled property and ensuring that registrations align with your estate plan
  • Charitable giving, including charitable trusts, private foundations, and donor advised funds
  • Estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning
  • Family business succession planning
  • Family limited partnerships and limited liability companies
  • Financial powers of attorney
  • Gun trusts, including NFA firearms trusts
  • Healthcare directives and living wills
  • Intrafamily loans
  • Irrevocable life insurance trusts
  • Irrevocable life insurance trusts
  • Lifetime giving programs
  • Multi-generational estate planning and trusts
  • Planning for incapacity
  • Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
  • Probate and trust administration
  • Special needs trusts and supplemental needs trusts
  • Stock options and executive benefits
  • Values-based planning
  • Wills and revocable trusts