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REQUIRED READING (textbook):
A Student Guide to Probate in California©, 2005, 2008.
Click here to download the textbook in Adobe Acrobat format.
OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:.
Probate and estate planning procedures. Skills required to draft probate documents, assist attorney in administration of estates, monitoring assets and fiduciary accountings. Basic probate laws, wills, trusts, and taxes.
COURSE CONTENT AND ASSIGNED READING IN TEXT (this is tentative):
Week of:
| 2/12/09 | Course overview. Wills, intestate succession, and Trusts. Chapters 1 - 3. |
| 2/19/09 | Overview of probate administration. Terminology. Chapters 4 & 5. |
| 2/26/09 |
Class project assigned. Independent Administration. Notices. Community property, joint tenancies, Summary Administration. Chapters 6 & 7. |
| 3/5/09 |
CLASS PROJECT DUE. MIDTERM Continued from last week. |
| 3/12/09 | Superior Court, Dept. L73, 1:45 p.m. (Extra credit) Review class project. Inventory & Appraisement. Taxes. Creditors' claims. Simultaneous Death. Chapters 8 - 11. |
| 3/19/09 |
Sales, Leases, Loans, and Miscellaneous Petitions. Will Contests. Chapters 12 - 13. |
| 3/26/09 |
Accounts. Distribution. Compensation. Discharge.
Special Administration. Ancillary Administration. Chapters 16 - 17. |
| 4/2/09 | REVIEW!! FINAL EXAM!! |
GRADES AND TESTS:
There will be a midterm (100 points)and a final exam (100 points).
Each will contain true/false and multiple-choice type questions,
plus a few short essay questions. Exams may be made up with a valid excuse
only. There will also be a class project worth 100 points.
GRADING SCALE:
270 - 300 = A
240 - 269 = B
210 - 239 = C
180 - 209 = D
Below 180 = F
ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES:
A. Attendance - Students are expected to attend all sessions of the class in
which they are enrolled. Students should report absences due to illness to the
instructor upon returning to class.
B. Absence/Drop - It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from a
course. However, because of enrollment demand, a student MAY be dropped when
not appearing at the first class meeting. A student MAY be dropped for
excessive absences when one or more absences than the number of class hours per
week have occurred. Under extenuating circumstances, a student may be
reinstated by the instructor.
(This is official policy as stated in the college catalog.)
CHEATING:
Any student who cheats or attempts to cheat during a quiz or exam will receive
a grade of ZERO for that quiz or exam. Likewise, any student whose paper is
copied from any other student's will receive a grade of ZERO. Any student who
has previously received a grade of ZERO for cheating on a quiz or exam will
receive a grade of "F" in the course if a second instance of cheating occurs or
is suspected.
PAGERS-CELL PHONE PROCEDURES:
To insure consideration for other participants in our class, please turn off all pagers and cell phones while in the classroom. The first time you forget, you will be forgiven. The second time you will be asked to leave for the rest of the class session.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES:
Students with verifiable disabilities who want to request academic accommodations are responsible for notifying their instructor and Disabled Students Programs and Service (DSPS) by phone: (714) 564-6260, or (714) 564-6384 (TDD for students that are deaf), or stop by the DSPS Center in U-103.
Alan Davis attended Rutgers - The State University in New Brunswick, New
Jersey, majoring in history. After graduation, he enlisted in the navy and
spent six years maintaining computer systems on shore stations and the U.S.S.
Josephus Daniels. Following his discharge, he enrolled in law school at Western
State University in Fullerton, graduating in 1978. During his career he has
handled a variety of legal matters, including family law, criminal defense,
civil litigation, personal injury, bankruptcy, and probate and estate planning.
He started teaching probate law and procedure at Santa Ana College in 1981.
