Do I have to go to the Berkeley Courthouse myself?

Almost never. We make the appearances; most uncontested cases proceed without the family attending a single hearing.

My mother's Berkeley house is worth more than $750,000. Does AB 2016 still help?

The primary-residence petition caps at $750,000, so above that, full probate usually applies, but the statutory fee is predictable and we will calculate it in your consultation before you decide anything.

Northern California Probate Attorney

Northern California Probate — Handled Remotely, Wherever the Case Is Filed

A California probate can be settled from anywhere, because the work is court filings and attorney appearances — not trips to a local office. From the Bay Area, we handle uncontested probate across Northern California: Sacramento, the Central Valley, the North Coast, the Sierra foothills. If the decedent lived or owned property in a Northern California county, we can file there, appear there, and finish the case — usually without your family traveling at all.

How a remote Northern California probate works

Documents are signed electronically or by mail, court appearances are made by the attorney — remotely where the court allows — and certified copies move by mail. Our remote probate process was built for out-of-state and international families; a family two counties away is the easy case.

Check the faster exits first

Before filing full probate anywhere, we check whether the estate qualifies for a faster petition — including the AB 2016 primary-residence petition ($750,000 limit, deaths on or after April 1, 2025), Heggstad petitions for assets left out of a trust, and spousal property petitions. A free 15-minute callBay Area answers which path fits, with statutory or flat fees quoted before you commit. Estimate the fee with our probate fee calculator.

Where we publish local guidance

Bay Area families: see our Bay Area page and East Bay page. Statewide, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County guides: California probate service areas.

The estate is in Sacramento but I live out of state. Can you still handle it?

Yes. Licensed in California and New York, we regularly settle California estates for families who never set foot in the state. See our page on probate when no one lives in California.

Is a local lawyer better for a rural county?

Probate procedure is statewide law; local rules differ in the details, and we check them before filing. What varies more is focus — probate-only since 2012 means the process, timelines, and fee math are the everyday work here.

Call (925) 336-3632 for a free 15-minute consultation, or book a meeting at our Berkeley office.

Related guides: probate when no one in the family lives in California, handling a probate from New York or from Texas, ancillary probate in California, and what to do when an executor can't get a bond.