Estate planning attorney in Cupertino.

Yes. The Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman is based at 3535 Ross Avenue in the Cambrian Park neighborhood of San Jose, roughly a 20 to 25 minute drive from most Cupertino neighborhoods via Highway 85. Bob has drafted estate plans and handled trust administration, Heggstad petitions, and trust modification petitions for Cupertino families for decades, with deep experience in the digital-asset and equity-compensation planning common in the city.

Trust petitions for Cupertino residents are filed in the Probate Division of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, located at the Downtown Superior Courthouse, 191 North First Street, San Jose, California 95113. Bob files Heggstad petitions and trust modification petitions at this courthouse on behalf of Cupertino families.

Apple RSUs, ISOs, ESPP shares, and post-vesting Apple stock concentration are the most common planning topics in Cupertino. The trust often needs provisions for stock concentration, a coordinated beneficiary strategy for retirement and brokerage accounts, and a transfer plan for unvested equity. A Cupertino estate plan from Bob is designed around these specifics rather than being filled in from a template.

Cupertino home values are among the highest in California outside of a handful of Peninsula cities, which makes Prop 19 a planning concern for nearly every long-time homeowner. A child who inherits a Cupertino home only keeps the parent’s low Prop 13 tax basis if the child uses the home as a primary residence within one year, and only the first $1 million of value above the parent’s assessed value is excluded. Bob runs the Prop 19 numbers for every Cupertino client whose plan involves real property.

A modern Cupertino estate plan addresses digital assets explicitly. The trust grants the successor trustee authority over digital accounts under California Probate Code Section 870 et seq (the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act). The plan includes a digital asset inventory, instructions for crypto holdings, and a coordinated approach to password managers and hardware keys so the fiduciary can actually reach the assets.

Most Cupertino estate plans are signed within three to six weeks of the initial Plan Design Meeting. The schedule has four steps: the Plan Design Meeting itself, drafting and a draft review meeting, the signing appointment, and funding the trust by retitling assets. Many Cupertino clients do the design and review meetings by Zoom and reserve a single in-person visit for the signing appointment.

Yes. Many Cupertino clients meet with Bob by Zoom for the Plan Design Meeting and the draft review, then come down to the Ross Avenue office for the signing appointment because California law requires witnesses or notarization. Mobile notary services are available for clients with mobility constraints or frequent business travel.