Do I have to go to the Berkeley Courthouse myself?

Almost never. We make the appearances; most uncontested cases proceed without the family attending a single hearing.

My mother's Berkeley house is worth more than $750,000. Does AB 2016 still help?

The primary-residence petition caps at $750,000, so above that, full probate usually applies, but the statutory fee is predictable and we will calculate it in your consultation before you decide anything.

East Bay Probate Attorney | Dublin & Berkeley Offices

East Bay Probate Attorney — Offices in Dublin and Berkeley

Every probate case in Alameda County — whether the decedent lived in Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, or Pleasanton — is filed at the Berkeley Courthouse at 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Our Berkeley office at 1935A Addison St, Suite 113 is a two-block walk from that clerk's window, and our main office is in Dublin, in the Tri-Valley. If your family's case is in the East Bay, it is on our home turf.

One firm, both East Bay counties

We handle uncontested probate, Heggstad petitions, and spousal property petitions across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Alameda County cases are filed in Berkeley; Contra Costa County cases are heard in Martinez. Either way, we make the appearances — most uncontested cases finish without the family attending a single hearing.

East Bay homes and the $750,000 question

East Bay estates usually center on a home bought decades ago that has appreciated past every simplified-procedure threshold. Before anyone files anything, we check the faster exits — including the AB 2016 primary-residence petition, which can transfer a home valued at $750,000 or less without full probate (deaths on or after April 1, 2025). In your free consultation we will tell you plainly whether your family needs full probate or qualifies for a faster petition, with statutory or flat fees quoted up front. Estimate the statutory fee now with our probate fee calculator.

Our East Bay pages

City guides: Dublin, Berkeley , Livermore, and Fremont. Elsewhere in the region, see our Bay Area page and all California service areas.

Do we have to use a lawyer in the same city as the courthouse?

No. Venue depends on the county, not the neighborhood, and appearances are ours to make, not yours. What matters is a firm that files in these courts constantly — and our Berkeley office sits two blocks from where every Alameda County probate is filed.

Our family is spread across the country. Does everyone need to come to California?

Almost never. Our process is built to run remotely — signatures, document gathering, and hearings are handled without travel in most uncontested cases. See our page on probate when no one lives in California.

Call (925) 336-3632 for a free 15-minute consultation, or book a meeting at our Dublin or Berkeley office.

Related guides: probate when no one in the family lives in California, handling a probate from New York or from Texas, ancillary probate in California, and what to do when an executor can't get a bond.