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Attention Attorneys, Paralegals and LDAs
ESTATE PLANNING IN CALIFORNIA
Roles, Responsibilities & Real Risks — A Practitioner's Perspective
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Drawing on her rare experience holding all three practitioner roles simultaneously - Professional Fiduciary, Legal Document Assistant, and Estate Planning Attorney - Lori Beth delivers a frank, practical, and legally precise examination of how California's estate planning ecosystem actually works. This course explores where each profession's authority begins and ends, the documents that matter most, and the costly mistakes that happen when practitioners drift out of their lane.
01 Three Roles, One Vision
A journey through fiduciary, LDA, and attorney stages — and why each perspective is essential to understanding the full estate planning picture.
02 California Statutory Forms
What the state provides (POAHC, DPOA, Statutory Will) vs. what it doesn't — and why the absence of a statutory living trust form creates the highest liability exposure.
03 UPL: Know Your Lane
What LDAs can and cannot do. The fiduciary grey zone. The attorney's full authority — and full responsibility. Real consequences of crossing the line.
04 The Four Pillars
The complete California estate plan: Revocable Living Trust, Pour-Over Will, Advance Health Care Directive, and Durable Power of Attorney — how they integrate.
05 Funding the Trust
The #1 estate planning failure. Asset-by-asset guide — real property, bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, life insurance — and professional duties attached to each.
06 Recent California Law Updates 2022–2025
Legislative changes every practitioner needs to know: Medi-Cal clawback reform (AB 1520), digital assets (AB 1148), remote notarization, Prop 19 implications, and SB 292.
Earn 1.5 hour MCLE credit*
Log in information will be provided upon registration
Speaker: Lori Beth Merrill
Attorney at Law · Licensed Professional Fiduciary · LDA
Paladin Fiduciary Services
Lori Beth Merrill is the principal of Paladin Fiduciary Services, serving Sonoma, Marin, and surrounding counties. An Attorney at Law and Licensed Professional Fiduciary, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate, a Juris Doctorate from Monterey College of Law, and a Professional Certificate in Fiduciary Management from UC Riverside. Licensed as a fiduciary since 2018 and a member of the California State Bar and Sonoma County Bar Association, Lori Beth's rare trifecta of credentials — attorney, fiduciary, and LDA — gives her unparalleled insight into California's estate planning landscape.
J.D. · Monterey College of Law | CA State Bar #363480
*MCLE certificates will be emailed to attendees whose FIRST AND LAST NAME appear on the Zoom report, verifying attendance for a minimum acceptable time. Please allow 2 business days for receipt of your certificate.