Trust Lawyer Keith Moten
Keith J. Moten is the founder of the Law Offices of Keith J. Moten. Prior to founding the Law Offices of Keith J. Moten, Keith worked in the City Attorney’s Office in the Land Use Department, Media Creature Music, and the Law Offices of Larry D. Lewellyn.
In his previous employment, Keith litigated Land Use and Zoning Issues for the City of Los Angeles, Real Estate Litigation, including Quiet Title issues, Fraud, and Elder Abuse, as well as Estate Litigation, including Will Contests, Breach of Trust cases against Trustees, and cases to invalidate Trusts and Wills based on Fraud, Undue Influence, and Forgery.
Keith also has made numerous presentations to various audiences about Living Trusts, Wills and Estate Planning, a topic to which Keith is especially sensitive, as he has extensive personal experience with the legal and personal complexities involved in the death of a loved one.
Keith now brings his personal touch, compassion, commitment and energy to his clients in the Trusts and Estates field, as well as criminal defense, and civil litigation.
Keith, a native of Los Angeles, attended high school at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, then finished at University of California at Berkeley. After a number of years as a Series 7 Registered Representative in the financial arena, Keith attended and graduated from Southwestern University Law School. Keith is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and John M. Langston Bar Association, and is Member of the Real Estate and Trusts and Estates Sections of the State Bar and Los Angeles County Bar Association panels.
Questions and Answers:
Is it worth it to create a will if someone doesn't have children?
K.M. Yes. You may have friends, or other family that you wish to leave your assets to. If you don't create an estate plan, the law creates one--intestacy--in which your assets go to a pre-formulated next of kin.
Why hire an attorney if a document service can help me create a will for a fraction of the cost?
K.M. Often, document services do trusts and wills WRONG. And when they do, they're usually the subject of litigation to determine the drafter's intent, or for someone to come in and get an inheritance they may not have been.
K.M. First, you need to determine whether your loved one had a will or trust. If they had a will or trust, contact the Law Offices of Keith J. Moten immediately so that we can go through and determine the terms of the will or trust. If your loved one had a will, or passed away without a will, a petition for probate will need to be filed with the Court, so that we can transfer the title of the deceased to the heirs of the will, or the heirs at law.
If the deceased person had a trust, we will need to do trust administration--the process of paying off the decedent's debts, and distributing assets. This can be done without filing any documents in court.
I am a beneficiary of a will or trust and I suspect the administrator or trustee of wrongdoing, OR it has been a long time since I have received my inheritance. What should I do?
K.M. You may need to consult my offices for a free consultation. The person named as the administrator may have committed a breach of trust, or some other misconduct, which may make them liable for damages, and/or removal as trustee or administrator. A petition in court may have to be filed to accomplish this.