Washington Probate > Richard Wills

Richard Wills, WSBA # 19720

Currently

• Providing legal counsel for Personal Representatives, Heirs, & Beneficiaries of over 250 active probate estates in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, & other counties in Washington.
   

• Certified as a King County Superior Court Mediator regarding estate, probate, guardianship, and trust matters.
   

• Created and publishing www.WA-Probate.com, initially as a source of information for patrons of King County Superior Court Probate Delinquency & Contempt Calendar, to provide instructions & forms for closing a probate estate  --- website later expanded to cover probate matters from A through Z.  See also:

  • http://www.Avoid-Probate.com for information about planning during life to avoid a probate at death.

  • http://www.Contest-Will.com for information about contesting (ie, setting aside) a Will in Washington.

  • http://www.Probate-Form for over 200 probate forms for Washington.

  • http://www.Probate-for-Dummies for simplified instructions & forms for filing a probate in Washington.

  • http://www.Small-Estate-Affidavit.com for instructions & the form for nonjudicially probating an estate having not more that $100,000 of personal property and no real property in Washington.

  • http://www.Probate-Litigation.com for rights of remedies of heirs and beneficiaries of a probate estate in Washington.

  • http://www.Washington-Wills.com for information about and forms for Wills in Washington.

  • http://www.Washington-Guardianship.com for information, instructions, and forms for guardianship proceedings in Washington.

Prior Legal Experience

• 2005-08: Served as Intake Attorney for Probate Review Calendar of King County Superior Court, dealing with all matters of probate law in petitions & motions going before the Court.
   

• 2003-05: Certified as a Washington Title 11 (guardianship & probate) Guardian ad Litem, acting as "the eyes & ears of the Court," investigating guardianship & matters matters, reporting one's findings, and making recommendations to the Court.
   

• 2002-05: Served as Intake Attorney for Probate Delinquency & Contempt Calendar of King County Superior Court, dealing with Personal Representatives and Guardians who had received an Order to Show Cause, compelling their attendance before the Court due to neglect or unlawful actions.
   

• 2000-05: Served as Attorney for Guardianship Monitoring Program of King County Superior Court, reviewing guardianship pleadings, advising petitioners or counsels of record as to deficiencies therein, suggesting remedies for statutory compliance, and specializing in languishing, messy, contentious, or abusive guardianships.
   

• Practiced estate, probate, & guardianship law in LA office of multi-national lawfirm representing 350 of the Fortune 500 companies & later joined "boutique" lawfirm in Westwood serving entrepreneurs & entertainment industry, responsible for all of its estate, probate, & guardianship matters:

  • Administered and litigated probate & guardianship matters from insolvency to in excess of $500M

    • Counsel to Personal Representative of co-founder of major LA film & entertainment studio

    • Counsel to Petitioner in Guardianship of Larry Flynt

    • Estate planning counsel to two Superior Court Judges

  • Received numerous Superior Court referrals and appointments as counsel for personal representative, guardian, or ward and as Guardian ad Litem for ward (often playing an unofficial role as a "Probate Public Defender" or a "Probate Prosecutor")

    • Counsel for largest individual landowner in San Fernando Valley whose guardianship estate ($60M) had been infiltrated by the mob

    • Counsel in numerous matters having criminal & political overtones, such as representing minor children in high-profile "murder probates"

  • Served as elected President of gift- & death-tax and estate planning bar group (in excess of 500 members) of LA County Bar Association

  • Served as Trustee of Estate Planning & Probate and Tax Sections of LA County Bar Association

  • Authored professional legal articles and lectured for Continuing Education of the Bar seminars for California and Los Angeles County Bar Associations in areas of estate planning, probate, and guardianship
     

• 1989:  Passed Washington Bar Exam & admitted to Washington Bar (1990; # 19720).
   

• 1979:  Passed California Bar Exam & admitted to California Bar (# 90571).

Pre-Legal Experience

• Served as Director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the LA equivalent of the Seattle Aquarium.

• Served on faculty of UCLA Medical School & Caltech.

Education

• JD, UCLA School of Law, 1979

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Caltech, 1970

• SB in Life Science, MIT, 1965

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