How do I avoid probate in California?

The most reliable method for California homeowners is a properly funded Revocable Living Trust. When your home and assets are titled in the trust, they transfer to your beneficiaries privately without going through the court-supervised probate process.

What is a Charitable Remainder Trust?

A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is an irrevocable trust under IRC §664 that allows you to sell appreciated assets, defer capital gains, receive an income stream for life, and leave the remainder to charity. Klaus Gottlieb publishes nationally on CRUT suitability analysis.

Do I need a power of attorney in California?

Yes. A durable power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive are essential companion documents to any estate plan. They authorize a trusted person to manage your finances and medical decisions if you become incapacitated — avoiding a costly court conservatorship.

Where are your offices located?

Wealth Care Lawyer has offices at 956 Walnut Street, Suite 200, San Luis Obispo CA 93401 and 871 N Ocean Avenue, Cayucos CA 93430. Both offices are by appointment. Clients throughout California are also served by phone and video.

More Than Probate Avoidance

Your Estate Plan Should Fit Your Life

Not a template. Not handed off. Built around you.
I teach Wills & Trusts at law school and publish on trust planning. When you work with me, I handle your plan personally from our first conversation through your signed and funded plan. No hand-offs. No paralegals. Just careful planning shaped around your family, your goals, and your actual circumstances.

Start the Conversation

Revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. Klaus Gottlieb, Esq. | JD · MS · MBA One attorney. One fixed fee.

Three Paths. One Attorney.

Find the Right Track for Your Situation

Every client arrives at a different starting point. Choose the path that fits—there is no wrong door.

For Families & Homeowners

Estate Planning & Trusts

A properly drafted Revocable Living Trust keeps your California home out of probate court—away from an 18-month public process that consumes thousands in fees. Every plan includes a durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, and successor trustee instructions. Fixed fee. No surprises.

Protect Your Home

For High-Net-Worth & Investors

Advanced Tax Strategy

Specialized trusts can do what standard estate plans cannot. Charitable Remainder Trusts, Flip CRUTs for appreciated real estate, and capital-gains architecture require both legal and quantitative expertise. I publish and teach this material nationally.

Explore Tax Architecture

For Entrepreneurs & Owners

Business Formation

A bare LLC filing does not protect you. Tax-optimized entity selection, integration with your estate plan, and proper operational structure separate a defensible business from a liability waiting to happen. Klaus works through your specific situation - ownership structure, tax exposure, succession - before a single document is drafted.

Build the Right Structure

Klaus Gottlieb, Esq. About Your Attorney

Deep Expertise Should Not Cost More

My background spans business, law, and quantitative methods—including graduate-level simulation analysis and published research on charitable trust mathematics. That depth shows up at the drafting table, not on your invoice.

I coordinate directly with your financial planner and CPA rather than working in isolation. For clients with complex charitable, real estate, or business planning needs, that integration is often the difference between a plan that works on paper and one that works in practice.

I serve clients throughout California by phone, video, and in person from offices in Cayucos and San Luis Obispo.

Revocable Living Trusts Probate Avoidance Powers of Attorney Healthcare Directives Successor Trustee Planning Charitable Remainder Trusts Flip CRUTs LLC & Business Formation Capital Gains Planning

Wills & Trusts Faculty — Monterey College of Law

Teaching the subject at graduate level keeps doctrine current—not just practice habits.

Published — Tax Notes & California Trusts & Estates Quarterly

For a complete archive of Journal Contributions and Technical Briefings, see the Technical Library.

Super Lawyers Rising Star — 2024, 2025 & 2026

Peer-nominated recognition reserved for attorneys who demonstrate sustained excellence in practice.

California Central Coast Estate Planning Council

Founding member. Active in practitioner education and professional collaboration.

What Clients Say

Trusted by Families Across the Central Coast

From straightforward living trusts to complex multi-jurisdiction estates.

Before I had my will and trust updated by Mr. Gottlieb, I thought what I had was fine and had me covered. After working with Mr. Gottlieb I find they were totally inadequate and I’m just glad I’m still here to have the documents prepared correctly. He is very thorough and explains all the details in a manner that is easily understood without using any “lawyerly” or pretentious language. Every question I asked was answered and I never had the feeling that any question was too small or beneath him to answer. He never pushed if I wanted to do something contrary to his suggestions. The questionnaire he uses during preparation was very helpful in pinpointing what I wanted. He is genuinely a kind person and my family and I now feel confident that what we have will be protected in the future. I can recommend him unreservedly.

★★★★★ Kathy Walker Google Local Guide · 18 reviews

★★★★★

“He made a tricky process feel manageable, always respectful, thoughtful, and clear — even when family dynamics added an extra layer of difficulty. His ability to combine legal expertise with genuine empathy made all the difference.”

Raymond Greer

★★★★★

“He does not just pump out a generic trust and send you on your way like other lawyers I’ve dealt with in the past. His knowledge of all of the intricacies is vast — I was very impressed.”

Josh Cohen

★★★★★

“He identified that our Trust was structured as an AB trust which could have resulted in negative tax consequences for our beneficiaries. Fortunately he was able to correct that and simplify our Estate Plan.”

Bill Simonson

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Your Estate Plan Should Fit Your Life

Find the Right Track for Your Situation

Estate Planning & Trusts

Advanced Tax Strategy

Business Formation

Deep Expertise Should Not Cost More

Trusted by Families Across the Central Coast

Two Convenient Locations

San Luis Obispo

Cayucos

Ready to Talk? No Obligation—No Pressure.

Wealth Care Lawyer

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