Estate Planning & Living Trusts
A properly drafted living trust avoids probate, protects your privacy, and ensures your wishes are carried out. Every document customized to your family — no one-size-fits-all packages.
Explore Estate Planning →LAESQUIRE — SNC Law Office
Estate Planning &
Legal Protection
for California Families.
Shekhar Chikhalikar, Esq. and SNC Law Office provide customized estate planning throughout California through secure online intake, phone or Zoom, electronic draft review, and coordinated originals. The office is based in Chatsworth; probate representation focuses on Los Angeles County.
⚖️ CA Bar #249708 · 10+ Years📜 Living Trusts & Wills🏛️ Probate & Conservatorship💊 Medi-Cal & Special Needs
📜 Customized Living Trusts🏛️ Probate Avoidance💊 Medi-Cal & SNT Planning👶 Guardianship & Conservatorship⚡ Mediation & Litigation
Legal Services
What legal help do you need?
Estate planning is available throughout California. Probate representation focuses on Los Angeles County, while other legal matters are reviewed individually for location and scope.
Probate
Probate takes 9–18 months and consumes 4–10% of the gross estate. We help families navigate Los Angeles County probate — or avoid it entirely with a properly funded trust.
Explore Probate →Medi-Cal Planning
Pre-planning is essential because Medi-Cal has a look-back period. A Medi-Cal trust lets your parent qualify for state benefits while protecting the family home from state liens.
Explore Medi-Cal Planning →Special Needs Trusts
A Special Needs Trust supplements SSI and Medicaid benefits without disqualifying the beneficiary — covering quality-of-life extras that public funds cannot provide.
Explore Special Needs Trusts →Conservatorship & Guardianship
When a loved one can no longer make safe decisions, or when minor children need legal protection — we establish, defend, and administer conservatorships and guardianships.
Explore Conservatorship →Litigation & Mediation
Trust and will contests, contract disputes, insurance denial litigation, and title disputes. We fight for the right result while always exploring mediation first to protect relationships and reduce costs.
Explore Litigation →Start Online — Anytime, From Anywhere
Start your estate plan right now.
Fill out your intake form online, pay your deposit, and Shekhar will draft your customized documents. No office visit required to get started.
Married Couple Trust — $2,000
Complete trust, wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, deeds. Start with $1,000 deposit.
Start Intake Form →Single Trust Package — $1,500
Individual living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, healthcare directive, and deeds. Start with $750 deposit.
Start Intake Form →Will Package — $500/person
Will, healthcare directive, and power of attorney. A starter plan. Does not avoid probate — but every adult needs these. Start with $250 deposit.
Start Intake Form →Probate Filing — $500 Court Deposit
A loved one passed without a trust. We assess the proper county and focus on Los Angeles County probate from petition to distribution. Start with the $500 court filing deposit.
Start Intake Form →All forms are confidential. No attorney-client relationship until a fee agreement is signed. Contact us →
Our Standard
The Four P's of a good estate plan.
Every plan LAESQUIRE creates is measured against these four outcomes.
P
Protection
Protecting you, your spouse, your children, and your assets from creditors, predators, and court proceedings during your lifetime and after.
P
Probate Avoidance
A properly funded living trust bypasses probate entirely — no public record, no 9–18 month delay, no 4–10% fees eating your estate.
P
Privacy
A living trust is private. Unlike a will, it never becomes public record. Only those you choose will know the details of your estate.
P
Peace of Mind
Knowing your family is protected, your wishes honored, and your loved ones won't be left fighting in court — that's the real value.
Complete Trust Package
Every plan is fully customized — not a form kit.
A complete LAESQUIRE estate plan includes every document your family needs — for after your death and to protect you during your lifetime.
- ✓Customized Revocable Living Trust
- ✓Pour-Over Wills (one per person)
- ✓Durable Power of Attorney
- ✓Healthcare Power of Attorney
- ✓Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
- ✓HIPAA Authorization
- ✓Real Estate Deeds (up to two CA properties)
- ✓Assignments of Personal & Business Interests
- ✓Memorial Instructions
- ✓Guardianship documents for minor children (+$250/child)
- ✓No charge for client calls during drafting
Life & Estate Planner — $30
Organize before you meet with an attorney.
The LA Vakil Life & Estate Planner helps you gather everything in one place — assets, accounts, beneficiaries, wishes, and family information — before your first appointment. Your name on every page. Download your personalized PDF. $30 one-time, no subscription.
California Estate Planning
Based in Chatsworth. Available to estate-planning clients throughout California.
Use secure online intake, phone or Zoom consultations, electronic draft review, and mailed or coordinated originals. Local office access remains available in the San Fernando Valley.
- Chatsworth
- Northridge
- Porter Ranch
- Granada Hills
- Woodland Hills
- West Hills
- Simi Valley
- Canoga Park
- Reseda
- Tarzana
- Winnetka
- Encino
- Sherman Oaks
- Van Nuys
- North Hills
- Arleta
- Pacoima
- Sylmar
- Mission Hills
- North Hollywood
- Studio City
- Calabasas
- Sun Valley
- Greater Los Angeles
The Coordinated System
Legal planning that connects to real estate and insurance.
An estate plan that doesn't account for how your property is titled or how your insurance is structured is incomplete. LAESQUIRE is the legal lane inside LA Vakil — where all three work together.
Legal Foundation
Trusts, deeds, powers of attorney, healthcare directives — documents that protect you during your lifetime and transfer your estate on your terms.
- Customized living trusts
- Probate & estate administration
- Medi-Cal & special needs planning
- Conservatorship & guardianship
Real Estate Alignment
Property must be deeded into your trust to avoid probate. How you take title affects reassessment, step-up in basis, and what happens when you're gone.
- Deed preparation & recording
- Probate property sales
- Title and ownership review
- Prop 19 coordination
Insurance Coordination
When your home is transferred into a trust, your homeowners policy needs to be updated. Trust-owned property has different insurance requirements that most agents miss.
- Trust-owned property coverage
- Umbrella & liability review
- Life insurance coordination
- Business entity insurance
Common Questions
Estate Planning FAQ
Questions California families ask before starting an estate plan through our Chatsworth office.
Do I need a living trust, or is a will enough?
A will alone guarantees probate — a public court process taking 9–18 months that costs 4–10% of your gross estate. A living trust avoids probate entirely, keeps your affairs private, and protects you if you become incapacitated. For most California families who own property, a living trust is the better choice. A pour-over will is still included in every trust package as a safety net.
How much does a living trust cost in California?
LAESQUIRE charges $2,000 for a couple's trust package and $1,500 for a single trust package, plus $250 per minor child. This includes the customized living trust, pour-over wills, durable power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, living will, HIPAA authorization, up to two California real estate deeds, assignments of personal property, and memorial instructions. No hidden fees. No charge for client calls during drafting.
How much does probate cost in California?
California Probate Code §10810 sets maximum statutory fees: 4% of the first $100,000, 3% of the next $100,000, 2% of the next $800,000, and 1% of the next $9,000,000. Debts are not deducted — a home appraised at $1,000,000 with an $800,000 mortgage is still a $1,000,000 asset for fee purposes. A typical estate also incurs $1,000–$3,000 in court costs. The personal representative receives the same statutory fee as the attorney. A $1M estate can incur $40,000+ in combined fees before distribution.
What is a Medi-Cal trust and who needs one?
When a Medi-Cal recipient owns a home at death, California's Department of Health Services can place a claim against the estate to recover benefits paid. A Medi-Cal trust removes the home from the recipient's name in a way that protects it from state liens while preserving Medi-Cal eligibility. Pre-planning is critical because of the look-back period. Adult children who want to protect an elderly parent's home and their own inheritance should act early — before any long-term care need arises.
Does my homeowners insurance need to change when my home goes into a trust?
Yes — and this is one of the most commonly missed steps. When a home is transferred into a living trust, the homeowners insurance policy should be updated to reflect the new ownership. Many standard policies have provisions that can create coverage gaps for trust-owned property. LA Vakil Insurance reviews your existing coverage as part of the coordinated LA Vakil process to make sure no gap is created.
Every adult needs an estate plan — even without many assets?
Yes. Every adult — regardless of asset level — needs at minimum a Healthcare Power of Attorney, a Durable Power of Attorney, and a Living Will. Without these, if you become incapacitated, the court must appoint a conservator. This process is public, expensive, and traumatic for families. The Will Package ($500) covers these basics for every adult.
Do you serve clients outside of Chatsworth?
Yes. Estate-planning clients throughout California can use secure online intake, meet by phone or Zoom, review drafts electronically, and mail or coordinate original documents and any required signing. The office remains based in Chatsworth, and other services have their own geographic limits.
Start Here
Ready to protect your family?
The free 10-minute review is the best starting point. Tell us your situation — estate plan, probate, Medi-Cal, or just figuring out where to start — and we'll give you clear guidance on the best next step.
📞 818-714-1789