San Diego, San Diego County

Probate Attorneys in San Diego

Probate is the court supervised process of transferring what someone owned after they die.

Both founding partners active with the State Bar of CaliforniaLicenses 289039 and 306140, checked 22 August 2026.

Four Southern California officesLos Angeles, Ontario, San Diego and Carlsbad.

Over 20 years of combined experienceFounding partners admitted in 2013 and 2015.

Hablamos españolA bilingual team across all four offices.

Probate in San Diego County

Our San Diego office serves clients with real property, trust and estate matters connected to San Diego County.

Probate Code section 7051 generally places a proceeding concerning a California decedent's estate in the county of domicile. The court's current assignment rules determine the courthouse and department.

Probate Code section 7051 generally places a proceeding concerning a California decedent's estate in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. The property's location alone does not establish probate venue.

For a matter connected to San Diego County, deeds, liens and other recorded real property instruments are maintained by the Assessor, Recorder and County Clerk at 1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101. Those records can establish the chain of title and the instruments affecting the parcel.

Where the records are held

Recording is done county by county, so for a matter concerning San Diego County property the instruments that decide it sit with the Assessor, Recorder and County Clerk at 1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101. Recorded deeds, liens and other real property instruments for San Diego County property are maintained by the county recorder.

Probate Code sections 8000, 8100 and following

The petition for probate and the notice requirements that follow it.

Our San Diego office

9619 Chesapeake Drive, Suite 223
San Diego, CA 92123
(800) 997-8008
Serving Central San Diego, La Jolla, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Poway, Coronado.

For the full discussion of how these matters work statewide, see our probate page.

Call the firm

Describe the property and the dispute so the firm can assess whether it is a matter it handles.

Call (800) 997-8008

Call to ask about an initial consultation.

Contacting our San Diego office does not create an attorney-client relationship, and please do not send confidential details until we have agreed in writing to represent you.

Our San Diego office

4.758 Google reviewsSan Diego profileOur San Diego office Google Business Profile, checked 21 August 2026.

Court resource

San Diego Central Courthouse 1100 Union St, San Diego, CA 92101

Answers before you call

Common questions

How long does probate take in California?

A straightforward estate is measured in many months. A contest, a creditor dispute, or real property that has to be sold extends it considerably.

How much does probate cost in California?

Statutory compensation is calculated against the gross value of the estate rather than the work involved or the equity in it, so a heavily mortgaged property produces a fee based on the whole value. That arithmetic is why trusts are so widely used here.

Can probate be avoided?

Property held in a properly funded trust, or with a survivorship feature or beneficiary designation, passes outside probate. The word doing the work is funded: a trust that was signed but never had the house transferred into it does not avoid probate.

What if the house is in a different county?

The probate is filed where the decedent resided, and property questions may have to be dealt with where the property sits, which can mean two courthouses.

Tell us about the property.

Call to ask whether it is a matter the firm handles.

Call (800) 997-8008