Gokal Law http://www.gokallaw.com Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:15:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 The Challenges Of Probate http://www.gokallaw.com/the-challenges-of-probate/ http://www.gokallaw.com/the-challenges-of-probate/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:15:09 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=1041 When an individual with a last will pass away the next of kin, their Orange County probate attorney, and anyone involved with or mentioned within the will, will likely spend considerable time in court dealing with some complicated issues. Even with a really good attorney on your side probate court is something that consumes considerable time and resources.

Probate can last anywhere from six months to several years depending on the size of the estate, its beneficiaries, and how complicated the deceased person’s finances were at the time of their passing. Probate can also be extremely expensive if the decedent had a considerably large estate. There is a California law that sets statutory fees both an Orange County probate attorney and executor can charge for probate which is based off of the total value of an estate. Some courts may order higher fees in more complicated cases.

All external issues and disputes aside, probate court is an extremely complicated process and one that’s proceeded over by a judge. Issues and complications arise however when heirs decide to dispute the last will of the decedent. As the judge decides which heirs get what, it’s not uncommon for heirs to disagree with the judge’s decision thus creating additional problems during probate and extending the process by months or even years at a time. When disputes arise both the executor of the will and their Orange County probate attorney must defend against these claims in order to preserve the estate and its assets for all beneficiaries.

Executors of wills are charged with numerous duties which include deciding which assets to liquidate in order to pay any debt the decedent left behind and how to best distribute the remaining assets in a manner which they believe the decedent would approve of. Executors are also required to prepare an accounting report which shows all of the executors activities regarding the will.

There is virtually no individual that is capable of handling the challenges of probate on their own. The process is extremely muddy and complicated not to mention expensive and again, time consuming. It is for these reasons that we here at Gokal Law recommend that every executor hire a probate lawyer. Should you have any questions about the probate process or about any of our probate services please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we may be of assistance!

Gokal Law

8105 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 900, Irvine CA 92618
 Phone: 949-753-9100
 Email: info@gokallaw.com

Gokal Law provides is proud to provide it’s clients with the following:

Orange County estate planning lawyers * Orange County probate lawyers * Orange County trust attorneys * Orange County corporate lawyers * Orange County business lawyers

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/the-challenges-of-probate/feed/ 0 Getting To Know Your Orange County Estate Planning Attorney http://www.gokallaw.com/getting-to-know-your-orange-county-estate-planning-attorney/ http://www.gokallaw.com/getting-to-know-your-orange-county-estate-planning-attorney/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:12:31 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=1036 There are three Orange County estate planning attorneys that comprise the staff here at Gokal Law. As is the case with most other businesses clients want to get to know the personnel they’ll be working with you for ever committing to hiring someone. It could be argued that this is especially true prior to hiring an attorney. Individuals who need the services of an attorney will want to get to know a firm’s staff in order to get an idea of whether or not there will to offer them what they need.

In an effort to help our prospective clients get to know the Orange County estate planning attorneys at Gokal Law we’ve listed them here.

Abbas K. Gokal, J.D., M.B.A.

Abbas is our principal attorney working at a the Irvine spectrum office. Abbas represents clients all over Southern California including areas such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and even Orange County.

Abbas holds a Juris Doctorate degree which he earned at Suffolk University Law school located in Boston Massachusetts. He also holds a Masters in business administration which he earned at the University of Massachusetts as well as a bachelors of science in biology which year and while attending State University of New York.

Abbas’ diverse background in business and law enables him to evaluate complex asset portfolios and navigate through complicated business and real estate transactions. Additionally this experience allows him to work effectively with a large team of CPAs and even other attorneys to deliver results to his clients. In addition to spending time with his family, Abbas loves golfing, playing racquetball, and traveling.

Jacob B. Bach, J.D.

Mr. Bach is Of Counsel to the firm and as such he ambles all aspects of estate planning and probate. This native of Orange County grew up in Costa Mesa and attended the University of California in Irvine where he majored in biological sciences. He also attended the University of Minnesota’s law joint degree program where he obtained his law degree and Masters in biological science in just three years!

Mr. Bach is licensed to practice in California, New Jersey, New York, as well as before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. When not working Mr. Bach enjoys mountain biking, tennis, barbecuing, and of course spending time with his wife and three children.

Alison S. Gokal, J.D.

Alison is of counsel with Gokal Law. She represents clients all over Southern California and helps them with estate planning, trusted mission, probate and even personal injury litigation. Moreover she has extensive experience in the area of litigation and has assisted clients in all aspects of litigation including asset management. She holds Juris Doctorate degree which he earned as sulfite University Law school in Boston. She also obtained a bachelor of arts degree from Boston College in Massachusetts. She is particularly adept at understanding the unique needs of all of our clients.

Allison’s main goal is to provide a holistic approach to her clients and meet the needs of their families and businesses. As a wife, mother, and business professional Alison understands the difficulty in balancing all various aspects of life.

All of our attorneys have just one goal. To provide each and every client with unparalleled legal services! Should you have any questions about any of our attorneys or services please contact us so that we may be of assistance!

Gokal Law

8105 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 900, Irvine CA 92618
Phone: 949-753-9100
Email: info@gokallaw.com

Gokal Law provides is proud to provide it’s clients with the following:

Orange County estate planning lawyers – Orange County probate lawyers – Orange County trust attorneys – Orange County corporate lawyers – Orange County business lawyers

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/getting-to-know-your-orange-county-estate-planning-attorney/feed/ 0 Differences Between Last Wills And Living Trusts http://www.gokallaw.com/differences-between-last-wills-and-living-trusts/ http://www.gokallaw.com/differences-between-last-wills-and-living-trusts/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 10:00:46 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=1028 There tends to be quite a bit of confusion when it comes to differentiating living trusts from last wills. Generally speaking it’s not difficult to see how people get the two confused as their very similar in nature. Most individuals seeking a last will or living trust begin by consulting with a living trust attorney in order to gain an understanding of the difference between the two as well as the pros and cons of both.

Last wills, while still used frequently by many people, were popular for decades though that has changed as of late. Essentially a last will and testament are used to distribute property to beneficiaries which includes family members, friends, and even guardians of minor children. In addition to the distribution of property last wills also allow an individual to specify their last wishes in assign guardians for any children or grandchildren that they may leave behind. The problem with last wills and testaments however is that they are subject to probate law and can be tied up for years in court if somebody decides to contest them. If that weren’t enough last wills works slowly and beneficiaries may not see any type of inheritance for years at a time.

In sharp contrast to a last will and testament, a living trust is virtually incontestable and is not subject to probate court. This will save those left behind thousands of dollars in court fees and they will do the same for the individual having the living trust put together. Living trusts are similar to last wills and testaments however in that they are used to transfer property to beneficiaries after the passing of an individual. This is where the similarities between the two end however as living trusts are also easily updated or edited after the initial one has been drawn up and legally notarized.

The majority of Orange County trust attorneys who deal in living trusts and last wills now strongly recommend and urge their clients to choose a living trusts as opposed to a last will and testament if for no other reasons than for those reasons that were previously mentioned. They also recommend a living trust to their clients because the details of an individuals estate can be kept extremely private which doesn’t always happen with a last will and testament. In many cases living trusts also include a free or discounted last will too which makes it the only logical choice when the time comes for individuals choose their beneficiaries.

If you’re still not clear on the differences between a last will and a living trust fear not. There are plenty of resources online and many of those attorneys that you find through a search are more than happy and willing to provide a free consultation to anyone who calls requesting information on the differences between the two.

Gokal Law

8105 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 900, Irvine CA 92618
 Phone: 949-753-9100
 Email:info@gokallaw.com

Gokal Law provides is proud to provide it’s clients with the following:

Orange County estate planning lawyers * Orange County probate lawyers * Orange County trust attorneys * Orange County corporate lawyers * Orange County business lawyers

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/differences-between-last-wills-and-living-trusts/feed/ 0 Orange County Business Succession Planning http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-succession-planning-2/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-succession-planning-2/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:55:40 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=1017 Building a business from the ground up and making it successful for years or even decades at a time is not only something that’s extremely arduous but something to be proud of as well. Even in the best economic times competition is always high and it’s easy to fall into pitfalls, make mistakes, and make bad decisions based on a lack of or bad information. Those who have succeeded in business don’t want to see their hard work go to waste and often look towards family or friends when the time comes for them to step away and retire.

A great number of retired business owners often find out rather quickly that their business succession planning or complete lack of it makes it nearly impossible for even the most competent of friends or family members to keep the business running at the same level of efficiency that they did. These days more than 70% of family-owned businesses do not survive the transition from founder to the next generation. While this statistic is frightening, business owners can avoid being a part of it.

Working with an attorney to formulate your Orange County business succession planning will help ensure a smooth transition and allow not only those who inherit your business to keep it afloat but will also provide you with a solid exit strategy years before your retirement is ever at hand. In fact many attorneys recommend that you begin working with them 5 to 10 years in advance of your planned departure from your business. Doing so so far in advance allows all the kinks to be ironed out in the groundwork to be laid for the soon-to-be new owner of your business.

Orange County business succession planning is both extremely detailed and complicated. Working with an attorney on this matter will also help keep things reigned in and understandable throughout the entire process making it easier for current business owners to review and change things at any time. Business owners who don’t work with an attorney will quickly find that their old business experiences significant financial losses almost right out of the gate. Even the best laid plans without an attorney there to supervise, assists, and advise can and often do quickly go awry.

Any business owner who plans on retirement within the next decade needs to give serious consideration to working with an attorney for their Orange County business succession planning if they truly care about all the hard work they’ve put into their business. While walking away maybe easy come retirement day, watching your old business collapse rapidly is not easy and in some cases may force a retired person back into the workforce. Don’t become a statistic, as you’re leaving prepare to give your business the same type of love and care that you gave it when you started it and grew it.

Gokal Law

8105 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 900, Irvine CA 92618
Phone: 949-753-9100
Email: info@gokallaw.com

Gokal Law can provide you with:

Orange County estate planning lawyers * Orange County probate lawyers * Orange County trust attorneys * Orange County corporate lawyers * Orange County business lawyers

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-succession-planning-2/feed/ 0 Orange County Business Lawyers: Protecting Small Businesses With Affordable Pricing http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-protecting-small-businesses-with-affordable-pricing/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-protecting-small-businesses-with-affordable-pricing/#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:57:00 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=1001 Small businesses differ from large businesses in a great number of ways. The most obvious and perhaps biggest difference being the depth of their pockets. While a large company may be able to afford hiring an Orange County business lawyer a small business may not necessarily have the budget for one. This presents a large problem because although they are small, small businesses are subject to the same laws, regulations, and lawsuits that large companies deal with. What this means is that many small businesses with an equally small budget are at risk of being put out of business by even the simplest of legal matters.

Times have changed however and not all Orange County business lawyers are as expensive as they once were. In fact many professionals offer services for small businesses that allow it to get only what they need and not what they don’t which ultimately lowers the cost of the service. Small business owners need to keep this fact in mind as going even one additional day without having a good business attorney on their side raises the risk of them losing a significant portion or all of their business as a result of a legal matter.

Recognizing that many Orange County business lawyers now offer affordable services to small businesses, small business owners should seriously consider looking further into the issue of hiring one. Potentially dangerous or threatening legal matters aside, the distractions of legal matters on a day-to-day basis can take a business owner away from their goals and their day to day business operations. Small business lawyers these days handle things like negotiating agreements, contractual agreements, and address claims and disputes as well as other general corporate matters which enables a small business owner to focus on running and growing their business.

There is an old adage says that, “he who represents himself has a fool for a client” but this adage is also applicable to small business owners who don’t hire a small business attorney simply because they think they can’t afford it. Looking around online will reveal that this is clearly no longer the case and while the fools will still refuse to hire one, the proactive small business owner will hire one and protect what they have worked so hard to build and maintain.

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-protecting-small-businesses-with-affordable-pricing/feed/ 0 Orange County Health Care Planning Services With An Attorney http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-health-care-planning-services-with-an-attorney/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-health-care-planning-services-with-an-attorney/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:07:24 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=998 Many people are surprised when they learn just how many things they can have an attorney help them with. One of the things that’s often overlooked when it comes to attorneys and the services they offer is Orange County health care planning. While most people think or believe health care planning is as simple as choosing a plan and then going to the doctor when they need to, there’s much more to it than that, especially as they grow older.

Here at Gokal Law we are happy to provide our clients with Orange County health care planning services. All of our healthcare planning services aim to empower individuals and families during health crises by providing them with power of attorney actions and by ensuring that an individual has the ability to make written directions for their own healthcare.

Our services include:

  • Advanced Health Care Directives
  • Selection and discharge of health care providers
  • Approval or disapproval of diagnostic tests
  • Surgical procedures
  • Directions to provide, withhold, or withdraw artificial nutrition and hydration and all other forms of health care, including cardio pulmonary resuscitation

If you need assistance with or have questions regarding Orange County health care planning please don’t hesitate to contact us!

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-health-care-planning-services-with-an-attorney/feed/ 0 Orange County Business Lawyers And Tax Credits For Charitable Donations http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-and-tax-credits-for-charitable-donations/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-and-tax-credits-for-charitable-donations/#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:39:10 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=993 Donating money to charities is both an honorable and important thing to do. What many people do not realize however is that charitable donations are often tax-deductible. This usually comes as quite a surprise to both people who donate a large sum of money to charity and to businesses that do the same. The laws surrounding charitable donations however are not easily navigated nor understood and those who wish to take advantage of the tax credits that are often available as a result of charitable donations should first speak with and then consider hiring an Orange County business lawyer.

We here at Gokal Law offer, as part of our Orange County business lawyer services, assistance for businesses and individuals who enjoy making charitable donations. Our firm can help you set up charitable lead trusts, charitable reminder trusts and reminders of pooled income funds and even gift annuities. If you’re an individual who is taking advantage of the tax credits that you often get after making donations but doing it without an Orange County business lawyer on your side it’s likely you’re missing out on a number of credits.

Be sure to visit our website for more information on tax credits achieved through charitable giving and then contact us with any questions you may have! We look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to help.

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-and-tax-credits-for-charitable-donations/feed/ 0 Free Orange County Probate Lawyer Consultation http://www.gokallaw.com/free-orange-county-probate-lawyer-consultation/ http://www.gokallaw.com/free-orange-county-probate-lawyer-consultation/#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:24:56 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=991 There are many people who are in need of an Orange County probate lawyer but choose not to contact one for fear that a mere phone call will cost them an arm and a leg. Here at Gokal Law we take pride in offering all of our prospective clients a free consultation which is something that not every law firm offers. We believe that it’s not only important to have free access to a lawyer to find out if they’re right for you but free access to a lawyer to determine whether not you actually need one.

As Orange County probate lawyers we have made setting up a free consultation with us extremely easy. By visiting our website you can schedule your free consultation which will allow you to not only tell us about your issues but allow us to assess them and determine whether or not we can help you and what the best course of action might be if we can.

Be sure to stop by our website, take a look around, and then contact us with any questions or comments you may have about our legal services. We look forward to hearing from you and speaking with you during your free consultation!

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/free-orange-county-probate-lawyer-consultation/feed/ 0 Orange County College Savings: We Can Help You Save http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-college-savings-we-can-help-you-save/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-college-savings-we-can-help-you-save/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:04:10 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=985 One of the greatest things a person can receive in his/her lifetime is a college education. The problem lies in not getting into a college but whether or not a student and his or her family can afford to send them to a university. Even community colleges which many experts recommend students attend prior to attending a university, can be extremely expensive.

With the average tuition and fees for private university costing just over $26,000 per year and those costs continually rising it’s not easy for parents to put money aside for their children to attend college. The good news for parents who want to help their children attend college is that we here at Gokal Law offer Orange County College savings services whereby we assists families in setting up savings plans and accounts that will ultimately allow their children to attend college.

What do these services include?

  • Sec. 529 College Savings Plan
  • Sec. 530 Coverdell Education Savings Account
  • Outright payments of tuition without gift tax or generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax effect
  • Using penalty-free withdrawals from a regular IRA for education
  • Establishing savings vehicles under a custodianship account and Crummy Trust.

Should you have any questions about our Orange County College savings services please don’t hesitate to contact us that we can be of help! It’s never too early nor too late to begin saving for your child’s college education.

]]> http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-college-savings-we-can-help-you-save/feed/ 0 Orange County Business Lawyers: Protect Your Company http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-protect-your-company/ http://www.gokallaw.com/orange-county-business-lawyers-protect-your-company/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:40:20 +0000 admin http://www.gokallaw.com/?p=980 With frivolous lawsuits constantly on the rise and threatening owners of both small and large businesses, it has never been more important to have a trusted Orange County business lawyer at your side. Be it lawsuits from employees, a client, or anyone else, a business must always remain defensive minded when it comes to the legality of all issues regarding their business. Smaller businesses need to take even greater care as even small lawsuits have the potential to cripple and shut down a small business altogether.

Here at Gokal Law we work as Orange County business lawyers with one goal in mind, protecting your business and its assets. We not only help our clients protect their businesses from frivolous lawsuits but we also advise them in legal matters and assist them in navigating through the complicated world of labor laws and lawsuits regarding businesses. If you’re a business owner who has yet to begin work with a business lawyer be sure to contact us so that we may be of assistance. You work hard at growing and maintaining your business don’t risk losing it to a lawsuit.

In addition to working with Orange County businesses we also provide:

Be sure to contact us with any questions you may have regarding our services!

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