Handling an uncle's disputed will from 2,000 miles away

Having someone to advocate for me, and someone to ask questions of, made all the difference.

Brandon Yates

When Brenden Yates's uncle passed away, the family had never dealt with probate before, and they didn't think their uncle had left a will. That meant navigating California's court system from scratch, with Brenden living in Minnesota and a reverse mortgage on the estate's home quietly accumulating interest with every passing day. Within a couple days of his uncle's passing, Brenden was Googling "how to settle an estate in California." That search led him to Alix.

No will, no legal background, and a reverse mortgage adding urgency

Brenden and his mom joined an initial call with Alix and left with their questions answered and a clear sense of what lay ahead. Settlement Specialist Naomi became Brenden's primary point of contact throughout: reachable by text, quick to respond, and consistent even when other team members stepped in.

"I've worked with Naomi for almost every single call," Brenden said. "And if she wasn't available, it just went to another team member and they were super helpful. It seemed like a smooth transition; I didn't have to get everyone up to speed."

Alix prepared Brenden for the reality of California probate: the full process could take 9 to 12 months. The team briefed him ahead of every court appearance, handled required filings, and coordinated with local legal resources as needed. When an unsigned, partially altered will surfaced late in the process and raised new questions about its validity, Alix worked through the legal considerations and helped the family reach a resolution—an equal three-way split among the surviving brothers, documented and presented to the court—that finally cleared the path to Letters of Administration.

I didn't feel like I was being bombarded with information. I felt like I had a lot of questions and I got a lot of questions answered.

Throughout the process, Brenden regularly received correspondence from creditors and institutions he didn't know how to handle. Each time, Alix stepped in. The team kept him informed at the right cadence: intensively early on when the questions were most urgent, and more measured as the process found its rhythm. "I definitely appreciated it early on because that's when you need the most assistance,” Brenden said.

With the Letters of Administration secured, the estate's two vehicles sold, and the home under contract, Brenden could see the finish line on a process that had once felt impossibly complex.

Everyone on the call was very willing to help and was understanding of our situation, helping teach us the process as we go.

THE RESULTS

A process no one in the family had done before, done right

Faced with an intestate estate, a California probate process, and the pressure of a reverse mortgage eating into the estate's value, Brenden needed more than general guidance; he needed someone to handle it. Alix managed the legal complexity, navigated an unexpected will dispute, and kept Brenden informed and supported every step of the way, so he could fulfill his responsibilities as executor and honor his uncle's memory.

"Whether it was 1% or $6,000, Alix’s fee seemed reasonable," Brenden said. "Without Alix, we literally had nowhere to go."