Slayer Statute: You Won’t Profit From the Will if you Kill
California law says, “No one can take advantage of his or her own wrongdoing”. The California Probate Code punishes those who commit murder under the California Slayer Statute.
The Pros and Cons of Probate
The word “probate” often causes a severely negative reaction. For many people — especially those with large estates — estate planning attorneys recommend keeping property out of probate whenever possible. The probate system was ultimately established to protect property, and protect those people entitled to inherit it. In a few cases, probate may even work to an advantage.
How to Avoid Probate
It is very important to avoid probate. You may think that a Last Will avoids probate after you pass away – but it does not. Everyone pictures a scene out of a movie where the executor reads the Will to the family, and then everyone gets their inheritance. It is never that simple!