The following forms are provided as a public service.  The going rate for them on most commercial websites is about $15, but there is no reason you should pay for them.  You may print them out for your own use (requires Adobe Reader^TM), but please use them with caution.  If you have any doubts at all about any of these forms, please contact a qualified estate-planning attorney rather than attempting to fill them in yourself.

California Statutory Will.

The California Legislature has provided for only one authorized form of "fill-in-the-blank" will for use in this state.  I don't find it very flexible, but if it does fit your needs, you can do your own will without an attorney.  Please read each section very carefully, as it is easy to become confused.

To download the form, click here.

California General Durable Power of Attorney.

The Legislature has also decreed a pre-printed General Durable Power of Attorney.  It's OK, as far as it goes.  Unfortunately, it doesn't go very far, being an off-the-rack, one-size-fits-all form.  If it suits your needs, it's free, which is the whole point.  I'm in favor of the concept, or I wouldn't include it here.

To download the form, click here.

Advance Health Care Directive.

This form is also courtesy of those nice folks in Sacramento.  Kaiser and many private hospitals offer it to their patients who are competent to sign.  Again, it's not as good as a form drafted specifically for you by an attorney (although some attorneys charge a hefty price for simply filling in the blanks in the statutory form), but it's certainly better than nothing.  I firmly believe everyone should have one.

To download the form, click here.

Trust Worksheet.

At the request of many clients, I have developed a four-page trust worksheet or questionnaire which they can fill out in advance of our first appointment.  I find that it not only saves a lot of time, but gives the clients an idea of the sort of questions I will be asking and helps them to collect their thoughts (and, in the case of a husband and wife, discuss the answers in private) before their first consultation.  Even though it is titled "Trust Worksheet," most of the questions are equally applicable to wills.  Please feel free to print out this form for use as a guide to your estate planning.  Your attorney will thank you for it.

To download the form, click here.