Attorney Urges 1999 Deed Search to Recover Missing Living Trust
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 6
Attorney Urges 1999 Deed Search to Recover Missing Living Trust
1 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 6
Summary
A missing living trust may be traceable through the county recorder’s deed record, where the attorney or law firm that filed the document is often listed.
Jennifer Sawday said that identifying that filer could lead heirs to a retained copy of the trust, though lawyers generally are not required to keep estate-planning documents after delivering the originals.
If no copy surfaces, the family’s options depend on state law; in California, courts can be asked to establish a trust’s terms when the original cannot be found after a death.
The case underscores a broader estate-planning risk: moves, dementia diagnoses and other major life changes should trigger document reviews, with full plan checks every 3 to 5 years.