AFTERLIVES OF THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS What can families learn from the Robin Williams estate dispute? Even a thorough estate plan can leave room for family conflict when key language might lead to multiple interpretations. This article will provide some California families can take to reduce those risks. Photograph by Jack Mitchell/Getty. In Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams delivers one of the most memorable scenes of his career. Playing therapist Sean Maguire, he repeated

The Scariest Thing in Your House Isn't a Ghost This time of year, we watch scary movies, decorate with skeletons, carve pumpkins, and jump at every creak in the floorboards. But here's what scares us most isn’t a goblin, ghoul, or any other monster that goes bump in the night. It’s an estate plan that hasn't been updated since your last major life event. Trick-or-treating is fun. Estate planning tricks? Not so fun, and most people never check for them until it's too late.

If you've watched HBO's Succession, this story is going to sound familiar. An aging media billionaire builds a global empire. His adult children spend decades maneuvering for his approval—and the chance to succeed him. Dad picks a favorite. The favorite changes. Politics gets mixed with business. Siblings form alliances, break them, and whisper about why the others can't be trusted. And hanging over everything is one question: Who gets control when Dad is gone? Rupert Murdoch

Dolly Parton built one of the most sophisticated estate plans in entertainment — but less than two months after her death, it's already in court. The dispute between her nephew and her longtime manager offers a powerful lesson for every family with an estate plan: the roles you assign while you're alive may collide after you're gone. Here's what happened, and what it means for your family's estate plan — whether your assets are millions or much less. Few entertainers have eve

A $30 million gift can look generous, grateful, suspicious, or coerced, depending on the story behind it. That is the problem at the center of many estate disputes involving caregivers. Older adults often form real bonds with the people who help them bathe, eat, take medication, get to appointments, and survive lonely days. A caregiver may become the most present person in someone’s life. A gift to that caregiver is not automatically improper. But when the gift is large, unex

Publicity photo of Aretha Franklin from Billboard, 17 February 1968 Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul. She sold millions of records, won 18 Grammys, and built a music legacy that continues to live on today. But when Franklin died in 2018, her family faced a surprisingly basic question: Who did she actually want to inherit her estate? At first, her family believed she died without a will. Then they started finding handwritten documents around her home. One was found in a l

Understanding the Trust Provisions When Dr. Jerry Buss died in 2013, his controlling interest in the Lakers passed into trusts for the equal benefit of his six children. The trust structure had a clear directive: the trustees were required to take all actions reasonably available to ensure Jeanie Buss remained the "Controlling Owner" of the franchise. That directive created a built-in tension. The trust wanted Jeanie to hold the operational reins. But it also named multiple c

Angie got married in 2024 and had her first baby in 2025. She talks about wills, trusts, and powers of attorney every single day at work. And she still put her own estate plan off for over a year. So what changed? Not a sudden inheritance. Not a tax concern. She realized that without a guardianship nomination in her will, a judge — not her family — would decide who raises her son if something happened to her and her husband. That's it. That's what got her in the door. She cho

Most people remember Donald Sterling’s fall as an NBA scandal. The leaked recording, the league response, and the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers all made national news. But one of the most important legal battles was not really about basketball. It was about a family trust. In 2014, while Donald Sterling fought to keep control of the Clippers, Rochelle “Shelly” Sterling moved to sell the team to Steve Ballmer. Her authority came from language in the Sterlings’

When families face high-stakes trust disputes, complex probate litigation, or sensitive estate planning choices, they need more than just a legal technician—they need a steady advocate who knows how to navigate turbulent waters. At The Law Offices of Rodono & Haydt, we believe in providing boutique, highly personalized service rooted in integrity and unmatched courtroom readiness. Today, we are proud to shine the spotlight on partner Zach N. Haydt, whose unique background, ri

A revocable living trust can keep an estate out of probate, but it cannot keep every family conflict out of court. That misunderstanding causes real trouble. Families often believe that once assets move into a trust, the estate plan becomes private, simple, and hard to challenge. Privacy and efficiency are real benefits. A properly funded living trust can avoid the automatic court process that applies to many wills. It can also help assets pass faster and with less public exp

When you hear the word “estate,” what comes to mind? For many, it conjures images of sprawling coastal mansions, multi-million-dollar trusts, or wealthy heirs squabbling over family fortunes. Here’s the truth: you don’t need to be rich to have an estate. If you own a bank account, a car, a home, or even personal items with sentimental value, congratulations—you have an estate! Because you have an estate, you also have a decision to make: will you decide what happens to

When was the last time you opened your estate planning binder? If your answer is "when I signed it five years ago," "before our second kid was born," or "honestly, I can't remember," you are far from alone. Most people treat estate planning like a chore to check off a bucket list: you do it once, put the folder on a shelf, and figure you’re set for life. Unfortunately, life doesn't stand still—and neither do state laws. An outdated estate plan, or a poorly drafted one, can so

Is Your Estate Plan Outdated? 5 Life Shifts That Mean It’s Time to Re-evaluate

When it comes to estate planning, there is one word that almost everyone wants to avoid: Probate. But what is it, exactly? Probate is the court-supervised legal process used to validate your will (if you have one), inventory your assets, pay off any lingering debts, and distribute what’s left to your heirs. While it sounds orderly on paper, the reality is often much different. For most families, probate is: ⏳ Incredibly Slow: It routinely drags on for months, and sometimes ev

Why We Push Off Estate Planning

You’ve taken the responsible step to plan for the future, meet with an attorney, and sign your estate planning documents. You have a brand-new living trust designed to protect your family and keep your estate out of court. You're completely protected now, right? The short answer is no. One of the most common and costly mistakes people make in estate planning is assuming that simply creating a trust automatically protects everything they own. In reality, a trust only controls

DIY Estate Planning vs. Hiring an Attorney: Is Your "Cost-Saving" Strategy Putting Your Family at Risk?

They’re family. Is their future protected? We plan for our homes, our kids, and our businesses. But what about our most loyal companions? At Rodono Law, we believe every family member deserves protection, including those with four legs and a tail. The Reality for California Pet Owners In California, you cannot leave money directly to an animal. Without a legal plan, your pet's future could be left to the uncertainty of the court system. Relying on a verbal promise or a "hands

Taking care of family is a core value here in the South Bay. However, there often comes a point where the emotional weight of caregiving meets the complex reality of the legal system. Whether you are stepping up to care for a minor or realizing an aging parent can no longer manage their own affairs, the transition is overwhelming. At Rodono Law, we believe that clarity is the first step toward peace of mind. Understanding the legal distinctions between Guardianship and Conser