Are electronic wills or e-Wills valid? Well, the short answer is that in California they are not. In order for a will to be valid in California it must be a physical writing.

Sometimes, I get asked, "Do I need an estate plan?" And I respond, "Well, technical, you already have one." As a matter of fact, everyone has one. The State of California, as well as many other states, provides a default estate plan known as intestate succession.

I often get asked which is better, a will or a trust. And I would follow up by asking better for what? You see, wills and trusts are legal tools used by estate planners to help our clients achieve their goals.