Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Practice Areas
Alice A. Salvo is an estate planning attorney in Woodland Hills, CA, with an office at 20350 Ventura Boulevard. She is certified by the State Bar of California as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, and she has practiced in these areas for over 20 years. Woodland Hills families work with the firm on wills and living trusts, probate, trust administration, conservatorships, guardianships, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, special needs planning, and Medi-Cal planning. Call 818-676-9572 to schedule a consultation.
An estate plan decides who receives your property, who manages it if you can’t, and who makes medical decisions for you. Alice Salvo builds plans around the family in front of her: blended families, domestic partners, parents of a child with a disability, and people who own a home they want to keep in the family.
California requires a typed will to be signed in front of two witnesses who also sign it (Probate Code section 6110). A will names your beneficiaries and, for parents of minor children, a guardian. If someone dies without one, California’s intestate succession rules decide who inherits (Probate Code section 6401), and that order often isn’t what the person would have chosen.
A revocable living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and passes them to your beneficiaries without a court case. It only controls what is titled in its name, so Alice Salvo reviews your deed, accounts, and investments to confirm each one is funded into the trust. The firm also drafts special needs trusts and helps successor trustees handle trust administration after a death.
Probate is the court process for settling the estate of someone who died without a funded trust. For Woodland Hills residents, the case is filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Creditors have four months after the court appoints the personal representative to file claims (Probate Code section 9100), so no probate closes faster than that. Attorney and executor fees are set by statute as a percentage of the estate (Probate Code section 10810).
Smaller estates can skip full probate. For deaths on or after April 1, 2025, personal property worth $208,850 or less can be collected by affidavit, and a primary residence worth up to $750,000 can pass by a simpler court petition (Judicial Council form DE-300). Alice Salvo can tell you which route fits your family’s situation.
When an adult can no longer manage their own finances or personal care and has no power of attorney in place, a family member can ask the court to appoint a conservator (California Courts: Conservatorship). Alice Salvo represents Woodland Hills families filing the petition and serving as conservator.
A guardianship gives an adult legal authority to care for a minor child when the parents can’t (California Courts: Guardianship). Parents can name their preferred guardian in a will, and grandparents or relatives raising a child can petition the court.
A durable power of attorney lets someone you choose handle your banking, bills, and property if you become unable to. California provides a statutory form (Probate Code section 4401), and Alice Salvo tailors the powers to what your agent will actually need to do.
An advance health care directive names the person who makes medical decisions for you and records your wishes about treatment (Probate Code section 4701). Without one, doctors and family members may disagree about who decides.
Elder law covers the legal side of aging: paying for long-term care, protecting a spouse who stays at home, and planning for incapacity. Alice Salvo helps Woodland Hills seniors and their adult children plan before a care crisis forces rushed decisions.
California reinstated the Medi-Cal asset limit on January 1, 2026. It is $130,000 for one person plus $65,000 for each additional household member, and it drops to $21,000 for one person on July 1, 2027 (California Department of Health Care Services). A home, one vehicle, and certain retirement accounts are exempt. Families who plan ahead have more options than families who apply after a nursing home admission.
Asset protection planning keeps what you’ve built available for your family, whether the risk is long-term care costs, a beneficiary’s creditors, or a child who isn’t ready to manage an inheritance.
From the Woodland Hills office, the firm serves clients across the west San Fernando Valley and nearby communities, including Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Bell Canyon, Topanga, Tarzana, Encino, West Hills, Canoga Park, Winnetka, Reseda, and Northridge. The office serves the 91364, 91365, 91367, and 91371 ZIP codes of Woodland Hills itself.
The office is at 20350 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 110, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Meetings are available in person, by phone, or by video.
Probate for a Woodland Hills resident is filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Alice Salvo prepares the filings and appears in court for the personal representative.
No. Assets held in a funded living trust, accounts with named beneficiaries, and jointly owned property pass outside probate. For deaths on or after April 1, 2025, personal property worth $208,850 or less can be collected by affidavit, and a primary residence worth up to $750,000 can pass through a simpler court petition.
California’s intestate succession law decides who inherits. A surviving spouse does not automatically receive everything; children or parents may share the separate property. The estate usually goes through probate in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Since January 1, 2026, the limit is $130,000 for one person plus $65,000 for each additional household member. It drops to $21,000 for one person on July 1, 2027. A primary residence and one vehicle don’t count toward the limit.
Whether you’re writing your first will, settling a parent’s estate, or planning for long-term care, the first step is a conversation with Alice Salvo. Call 818-676-9572 or send a message through the contact page.