For many years, Attorney Dawn Thorson has provided expert estate planning services to clients throughout Orange County and all of California in the following practice areas:

• Estate Planning, including the preparation of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and other related documents
• Trust Administration
• Probate Administration
• Tax Planning
• Will Contest or Trust Litigation
• Gift Taxes

Attorney Dawn Thorson specializes in estate planning, probate and trust administration, real estate transactions, and business formations;, and tailors her practice to providing comprehensive, affordable estate planning solutions. Ms.Thorson utilizes numerous tools to help clients meet their unique estate planning goals, including:

• Revocable Living Trusts. Revocable living trusts can be used to hold legal title to and provide a mechanism to manage your property. You act as the trustee during your lifetime and you select the individual(s) or financial institution to act as successor trustee upon your incapacity or death. Unlike a will, a trust becomes effective immediately, continues in force during your lifetime, even in the event of your incapacity, and continues after your death. Most trusts are revocable and amendable, which allows the person who creates the trust to make future changes and even terminate the trust. Trusts also help you avoid or minimize the expense, delay and publicity of probate.
• Wills. A will, sometimes called a Last Will and Testament, allows you to transfer property you hold in your name to the person(s) and/or organization(s) you want to receive it after your death. A will also names someone you select to be your Personal Representative (Executor) to carry out your instructions and names a Guardian if you have minor children. A will only becomes effective upon your death, and after it is admitted to probate.
• Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care or Health Care Proxy. Durable powers of attorney for health care appoint a person you designate to make decisions regarding your health care treatment in the event that you are unable to provide informed consent. California law now also allows you to address health care issues such as withdrawl of life support treatment and organ donation in the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, eliminating the need for a separate Living Will or Directive to Physicians document.
• Durable Powers of Attorney for Property. Durable powers of attorney for property appoint a person you designate to act for you and handle financial matters should you be unable or perhaps unavailable to do so.

"Our firm has built its reputation on providing superior quality legal services at reasonable prices. The combination of exceptional customer service, extensive academic knowledge and years of practical experience makes our office an excellent choice for anyone seeking counsel or services related to estate planning, probate/trust administration and conservatorships."

- Attorney Dawn Thorson

Dawn Thorson began her legal career in 1989 and since that time has acquired extensive experience and expertise in the estate planning area. Ms. Thorson has also gained invaluable experience in the areas of employment law and civil litigation.

To best assist her clients with all of their estate and tax planning needs, Attorney Thorson maintains associative relationships with CPAs, and senior attorneys in various other areas of specialization including general litigation, asset protection, commercial collections, taxation, elder law, and international business transactions.

If you or someone you know in Orange County, Los Angeles County or Riverside County needs the assistance or legal counsel of an experienced probate lawyer, contact Dawn Thorson today at 949-707-1300, or use the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free phone consultation.

Practice Areas and Legal Definitions

California Estate Planning:

Good estate planning involves more than just a simple Will. In order to have a comprehensive estate plan, the estate planning attorney must evaluate the unique facts and circumstances of each client, including the nature and extent of the client's assets, the client's family history, as well as the client's goals and objectives.

Proper estate planning minimizes potential costs and fees, and sets up contingency planning to help ensure your wishes regarding management and distribution of your assets are followed before and after death. A good estate plan also coordinates what happens to a home, investments, business, life insurance, employee benefits (such as a 401K plan) and other property in the event of disablement or death.

Estate tax and other estate-related issues are hot legislative items, with new laws being passed on a regular basis. A competent and experienced estate planning lawyer is critical in assuring that your unique estate planning goals are understood and carried out. To discuss your estate planning options, please contact the Law Offices of Dawn M.Thorson.

Probate v. Non-Probate Estates:

Estates can be categorized as probate or non-probate property. Probate property is property that is transferred by the provisions of a will and/or pursuant to court order. Non-probate property is property that is either jointly held and passes by right of survivorship, is directed by beneficiary designation such as an IRA or a life insurance policy, or passes according to the terms of a trust.

California Probate:

Probate is the legal process of transferring property following a person's death. Although probate customs and laws have changed over time, the purpose has remained much the same: an individual formalizes their intentions as to the transfer of their property at the time of their death (typically through a will), their property is collected, certain debts are paid from the estate and the property is distributed accordingly.

California Trusts:

Trusts are estate-planning tools that replace or supplement wills as well as help manage property during life. A trust manages the distribution of a person's property by transferring its benefits and obligations to different people. Transferring assets to a trust is a cost effective way to avoid probate and, depending on the circumstances, provide a steady income to the trust beneficiary over the course of time, rather than distribution in a lump sum. This strategy can allow the trust assets to grow through investment and keep the assets free from creditors of the trust beneficiaries. Trusts can also be established for the benefit of charitable organizations.

California Wills:

A will is a written instrument containing directions on how the assets and property of the testator (individual creating the will) shall be divided upon his or her death. Wills can also contain instructions regarding the care of minor children, gifts to charity, and the formation of posthumous trusts. In order for a will to be legally valid, the testator must sign the Will in the presence of two witnesses, and he or she must be mentally competent and not acting under duress or under the controlling influence of another. For more information related to Wills, please contact the Laguna Woods, California estate planning office of Dawn M. Thorson.

Will Contest Litigation:

A Will Contest is a type of litigation that challenges the admission of a Will to probate. Issues that are likely to spur the contesting of a Will include:

• The testator lacked mental capacity, i.e. was senile, delusional, or of unsound mind at the time the documents were created
• The testator was subjected to fraud, coercion or undue influence during its creation and implementation
• There are ambiguities in the document, or
• The will is a forgery or does not conform to legal requirements as to the number and nature of the witnesses.

California Powers of Attorney:

Powers of Attorney are governed by the law of agency, a branch of common law concerned with the delegation of power from one person (the principal), to another (attorney-in-fact or agent).

When a person becomes incapacitated, the the court often steps in and appoints someone to represent and make legal decisions for the incapacitated person. This person is called a guardian or conservator. One of the ways to avoid court intervention, and the appointment of a guardian or conservaotr, is to use a power of attorney. A power of attorney is a written document that can allow one person (the principal) to give another (the agent or attorney-in-fact) the full power and authority to represent him or her or it can be limited in scope. There are two types of power of attorneys; one covering assets, and one covering health care decisions.

If you or someone you know in Orange County, Los Angeles County or Riverside County needs the assistance or legal counsel of an experienced probate lawyer, contact Dawn Thorson today at 949-707-1300, or use the contact form provided on this site

Professional Profile

Attorney Dawn Thorson provides superior quality legal services at reasonable prices. Her firm is committed to providing exceptional customer service to clients seeking legal counsel related to estate planning, trust, probate and conservatorship.

If you or someone you know in Orange County, Los Angeles County or Riverside County needs the assistance or legal counsel of an experienced probate lawyer, contact Dawn Thorson today at 949-707-1300, or use the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

FIRM ADDRESS:
Law Offices of Dawn M. Thorson
24361 El Toro Rd., Suite 170
Laguna Woods, CA 92637

Phone: 949-707-1300
Hours: M-F, 8:00AM-5:00PM

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:
Dawn M. Thorson

EDUCATION:

• University of Colorado School of Law, J.D., 1989
• Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards for Academic Excellence
• Arizona State University, B.S., Corporate Finance, 1985, Magna Cum Laude

COURTS ADMITTED:

• California
• Colorado

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

• State Bar of California
• Trusts and Estates Section of State Bar of California
• Orange County Bar Association
• Trusts and Estates Section of Orange County Bar Association

PRESENTATIONS:

• Numerous seminars and speeches on Estate Planning, Trust Law and Probate Law for a variety of groups including trust companies, banks, brokerage firms and community organizations
• Lecturer, continuing education seminars for attorneys
• Panel speaker on Trust Administration presented by the California State Bar Association

PRACTICE AREAS:

• Estate Planning
• Trust Administration
• Probate Administration
• Conservatorships
• Tax Planning