Amichai Law

08/16/2026

07/20/2026

The #1 thing most settlors never review in their trust is also the most important.

Ask most people who have created a trust, and they can usually tell you:

• Who their beneficiaries are.
• Who their successor trustees are.
• Even the order in which those successor trustees will serve.

Ironically, those are often the easiest provisions to change later.

What most settlors cannot tell you is what happens after the first spouse dies.

Just yesterday, I spoke with a surviving spouse who confidently told me:

"When my husband died, everything passed to me."

When I reviewed the trust, that wasn't what it said at all.

Under the terms of the trust, she only had control over her own share of the assets held in the Survivor's Trust. The deceased spouse's share was held in a separate trust with different terms and restrictions.

She had no idea.

This is one of the most overlooked parts of estate planning.

Many couples spend their time reviewing beneficiaries and successor trustees, yet never revisit the provisions governing how the trust divides after the first death. Those provisions often have a far greater impact on the surviving spouse, the administration of the trust, and the family's future.

If the trust split no longer reflects the family's financial situation or goals, it can create unnecessary complexity, increase legal and accounting fees, and make trust administration far more difficult than it needs to be.

An estate plan should not only answer who inherits or who serves as trustee.

It should also answer what happens after the first spouse dies and whether that still reflects your wishes today.

That may be the most important review you ever conduct.

06/19/2026

Yesterday, a client told me that she wanted to do an estate plan but, "hated bureaucracy".

I told her that if she thought that was bad, let me explain the bureaucracy that could affect her assets, spouse, and young children if she did not have an estate plan.

After a short explanation of the alternative, the client asked me to send her the engagement agreement after our call so that she could sign it.

05/02/2026

Sign up Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2efs-M4YRnq8gjphR9bVyg

04/24/2026

This week reminded me how a simple three-page document, often completed by hand, can save a family tens of thousands of dollars and more than a year in court.

I was recently approached in two separate matters involving incapacitated individuals. In both cases, the agents under power of attorney wanted help transferring real estate into the individuals’ revocable living trusts.

Unfortunately, before the deeds could be completed, both settlors passed away.

Once a person passes away, the power of attorney ends. That means the opportunity to transfer the property during life is gone.

However, in both cases, the real estate had been listed on the trust’s Schedule of Assets.

Because of that simple step, the families may be able to use a Heggstad petition to confirm the property as trust property instead of going through a full California probate.

That can mean substantial savings in time (over a year), stress, legal fees (tens of thousands of dollars), and court costs.

What surprises me is that not every estate plan includes a Schedule of Assets, and not every client is told how important it is to keep that document updated.

A trust is important. Funding the trust is critical. Documentation matters.

If you have a living trust, ask yourself:

• Do I have a current Schedule of Assets?

• Does it list my real estate correctly?

• Have I updated it for new accounts or assets?

• Have key assets actually been transferred to the trust where appropriate?

Sometimes the smallest documents make the biggest difference.

If you live in California and have questions about trust funding or updating your estate plan, now is a good time to review it.

04/15/2026

A few days ago I spoke with a potential client facing a situation that comes up more often than people realize.

His mother in law created a revocable living trust, but never transferred her home into the trust.

Unfortunately, the mother in law is now incapacitated and can no longer sign any documents.

At first glance, this situation often leads to probate. In California, probate can take eighteen to twenty four months and cost tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

However, there was one critical detail that changed everything.
Before becoming incapacitated, the mother in law signed a durable power of attorney. In that document, she gave her daughter the authority to transfer her property, including the ability to transfer it into her trust.

Because of that one document, the daughter can now complete the funding of the trust and avoid probate entirely.

Without a durable power of attorney, even a well drafted trust may fail when it matters most. No one would have legal authority to transfer the property, and the family would likely be forced into probate.

This is why a complete estate plan must include more than just a trust.
A durable power of attorney ensures that someone you trust can step in and take action if you become incapacitated. It allows your plan to be completed, even if you are unable to act yourself.

If you have a trust but are not sure whether your plan is fully in place, or if you want to make sure your family can avoid unnecessary court involvement, I am happy to help.

03/30/2026

If you're Israeli and living in California, your estate planning assumptions may be putting your family at risk.

Back home, most of us grew up in a culture where family takes care of family. And when it comes to inheritance, Israel makes it relatively simple — no estate tax, no inheritance tax, and a probate process that is typically straightforward, affordable, and resolved in 45 to 60 days.

So it's completely understandable that many Israelis living in the US carry that same mindset here.

The problem is that California plays by very different rules.

In California, dying without a proper estate plan can mean a probate process that drags on for 12 to 24 months, court and legal fees that consume a significant portion of what you worked your whole life to build, and a judge deciding who raises your children rather than you or your family.

But for Israeli families specifically, the risks go even deeper.

If something happens to both parents and your closest family members are in Israel, your children could temporarily be placed in Child Protective Services while family flies in. Without a temporary guardianship nomination in your plan, there is nothing telling authorities who should care for your children right away.

There are also important considerations around naming Israeli family members as trustees, coordinating a California estate plan with assets or documents you may already have in Israel, and planning for non-citizen spouses.

Israelis are among the most family-oriented people I know. We build businesses, buy homes, raise children, and work incredibly hard to create something meaningful. But many of us are unknowingly leaving our families exposed because we assume the system here works like it does back home.
It doesn't.

I created a dedicated page specifically for Israelis living in California because this community deserves guidance in a language and cultural context that actually makes sense to them.

If you or someone you know is Israeli and living in California without an estate plan, I'd love to have a conversation. The consultation is free. The peace of mind is priceless.

🔗

Estate planning for Israelis living in California. Protect your family, avoid probate, and coordinate U.S. and Israeli assets with a tailored plan.

02/16/2026

אם יש מילה נרדפת ל"תכנון עיזבון" זו דחיינות.

תכנון עיזבון (Estate Planning) הוא משהו שאף אחד לא רוצה לחשוב עליו, למרות שכולם יודעים בוודאות של 100% שזה משהו שהם חייבים לעשות.

כאשר גרים בארה"ב הדחיינות אפילו יותר מפתה. בניגוד לתכנון העיזבון ה"פשוט" בישראל, בארה"ב תכנון עיזבון דורש מחשבה ותכנון מדוקדק יותר.

צריך לקחת בחשבון שאם לא תהיה תוכנית מסודרת כל הרכוש עלול להגיע לבית משפט לענייני ירושה Probate Court. וזה עוד לפני שמדברים על מס עיזבון שקיים בארה"ב ובישראל לא.

וכמובן, הנושא הכי חשוב להורים לילדים קטנים הוא השאלה מי יגדל את הילדים במקרה של פטירה של שני ההורים.

הורים שרוצים שמשפחה בישראל תשמור על ילדיהם צריכים לתכנן אפילו יותר בקפידה, כולל קביעה מי ישמור על הילדים באופן זמני עד שהמשפחה תגיע מישראל.

קוראים לי מיכאל עמיחי. אני עורך דין מוסמך בישראל ובקליפורניה וליוויתי כבר משפחות רבות בתהליך תכנון עיזבון צעד אחר צעד כדי ליצור עבורן תוכנית שמעניקה שקט נפשי. תוכנית שבה ברור מי יקבל משמורת על הילדים ואיך ינוהל הרכוש כדי לפרנס את המשפחה בדיוק כפי שההורים רצו.

אני מזמין אתכם, ללא עלות, לוובינר בנושא תכנון עיזבון לישראלים המתגוררים בקליפורניה.

בסיום הוובינר תבינו הרבה יותר טוב מה עליכם לעשות כדי להגן על המשפחה שלכם.

הוובינר יתקיים ביום חמישי הבא, 26 בפברואר, בשעה 12:30 בצהריים.
לינק להרשמה: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/l_NMINmBR3-7P7aRH5dAzg

בנוסף ניתן ליצור איתי קשר בטלפון 356-0517 (619) או במייל [email protected]

ואם אינכם יכולים להשתתף בוובינר אשמח לקבוע איתכם פגישת ייעוץ ללא עלות של 30 דקות שבה נדבר על המצב הספציפי שלכם.

לינק לקביעת פגישה מופיע בתגובה הראשונה.

01/24/2026

You can help your parents with estate planning — just not in every way.
Here’s where your help is usually appropriate.
This video is for education purposes only and is not legal or tax advice