What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is the process of creating a comprehensive legal strategy to manage your assets, medical care, and personal wishes, both during your life and after your death. It’s more than just drafting a will; it’s about ensuring your loved ones are provided for, your final wishes are respected, and your legacy is preserved.

Whether you’re starting with a basic plan or need to build a more detailed structure involving trusts and other legal tools, the goal is the same: to offer clarity, reduce stress for your loved ones, and protect your family’s future.

connect with our team
A family with grandparents, parents, and grandchild gathering on the couch.

At Cookman Law, we guide individuals and families throughout California through every step of the estate planning process, from straightforward trusts to more advanced plans designed for complex family dynamics and long-term care needs.

Why Estate Planning Matters

  • Avoiding Probate: A well-structured plan can help your estate bypass the lengthy and public court process of probate.
  • Appointing Guardians: If you have minor children, you can designate who will care for them.
  • Designating Decision-Makers: You’ll be able to name someone to make medical or financial decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated.
  • Protecting Beneficiaries: You control how and when your assets are distributed to your heirs, including minor children or loved ones who may not be ready to manage a large inheritance.

Common Estate Planning Tools

Revocable Living Trusts

Central to many California estate plans, RLTs help you avoid probate and maintain privacy.

Wills

Although a will alone is not sufficient to protect against probate in California, it is often used in tandem with a trust to nominate guardians for minor children and direct remaining assets.

Powers of Attorney

These documents allow someone you trust to manage your financial affairs if you are unable to.

Advance Health Care Directives

Ensure your medical wishes are known and empower someone to make decisions on your behalf.

Beneficiary Designations

Ensure your retirement accounts, life insurance, and other assets align with your broader plan

What Is Special Needs Planning?

Special needs planning is a specialized area of estate planning designed to ensure that individuals with disabilities are cared for throughout their lives without jeopardizing their access to housing or vital public benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medi-Cal.

At Cookman Law, we understand the deep importance of long-term planning for a child, sibling, or family member with special needs. Our role is to help families create customized legal solutions that provide stability, structure, and peace of mind today and well into the future.

What Makes Special Needs Planning Different?

A standard estate plan isn’t enough for individuals with disabilities who rely on means-tested public benefits. Leaving assets to them outright – or through a revocable living trust or even a dynasty trust – can unintentionally disqualify them from essential programs.

That’s why we work closely with families to design plans that offer financial protection and lifelong support without compromising eligibility for programs like SSI, or Medi-Cal, or IHSS.

schedule a call with our team

Key Tools in Special Needs Planning

Special Needs Trusts (SNTs)

These specialized trusts allow assets to be held for the benefit of a person with disabilities without being counted as a resource for public benefits.

> First-Party SNTs are funded with the beneficiary’s own assets (often from an inheritance). *Please note that we do not handle First-Party SNTs for settlements, but we are happy to refer you to firms that do.

> Third-Party SNTs are funded by parents or other family members and offer more flexible distribution options.

> Pooled Trusts are managed by nonprofit organizations and can be an option for beneficiaries with smaller amounts to set aside. *Note: While Cookman Law does not handle Pooled Trusts, we are happy to refer you to trusted professionals who do.

Conservatorships and Alternatives

We help families evaluate when legal authority over medical or financial decisions is needed and explore less restrictive alternatives, such as Supported Decision Making, when appropriate. *Please note that while we do not currently handle Limited Conservatorships, we can refer you to trusted professionals who do.

Coordination with Public Benefits

We ensure the plan is fully integrated with the family member’s current and potential public benefits, including Section 8 housing vouchersIn-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), and regional center services.

Letters of Intent

Non-binding documents that provide guidance about the person’s routines, care preferences, history, and future goals – essential information for future caregivers or trustees.

Coordination with CalABLE Accounts

Use this section to help them realize that their situation doesn’t have to be like this, in fact… there’s another way! Pastry sweet roll brownie gummi bears toffee.

If you would like more information about how Special Needs Planning can help to preserve benefits,
please check out our Public Benefits playlist on our YouTube channel.

What They’re Saying…

  • It was a great experience updating our trusts/wills with Ellen, Aimee and the Cookman staff. We feel totally confident that they helped us create the trusts/wills that fit our needs. Their guidance and advice were invaluable. Everyone on the team was personable, readily accessible, and well informed – about both best practices and our particular needs.
    Sandra W.
  • Cookman Law is absolutely wonderful. Ellen explained all the details on how estate planning is done and walked us through, and swiftly executed. I have no worries in terms of estate planning now. Highly recommended!
    Arisa L.
  • Very pleased with the knowledge and support from the whole team. This is the third time we’ve used Cookman Law for trusts and updates. Always been a good experience.
    Barbara F.

A Lifelong Plan, Not a One-Time Project

Families often come to us at pivotal moments: when a child turns 18, when a loved one is diagnosed with a disability, or when a parent begins to age. No matter the stage, we are here to walk alongside you with compassion, clarity, and experience.

Whether you need a basic estate plan or a highly tailored special needs strategy, Cookman Law is here to help you prepare, protect, and plan with confidence.

Schedule a consultation today to learn how we can support your family’s planning journey.

Schedule Your Consultation with Our Team