Del Mar Estate Planning Attorney

Del Mar is a small coastal city with median home values exceeding $3.5M and a demographic concentrated in HNW retirees, technology and biotech executives, and longtime coastal homeowners. Estate planning here is rarely about the basic will package. It is about federal estate tax planning under OBBBA, Prop 19 succession on appreciated coastal real estate, and coordination with your existing CPA and financial advisor. With an LL.M. in Taxation and 20 years of California estate planning practice, we work with Del Mar families on the integrated tax and trust strategies their situations call for.

Managing Attorney T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M.
Last Updated: May 21, 2026

20+ Years of California Estate Planning in San Diego County

Why Del Mar Families Need an Estate Plan

California statutory probate fees under Probate Code 10800 and 10810 apply identical sliding scales to both the personal representative and the attorney. On a $3M Del Mar coastal estate, combined statutory fees are approximately $86,000.

For couples whose combined estate approaches or exceeds the OBBBA exemption of $15M per individual or $30M per couple (Pub. L. 119-21), federal estate tax planning remains relevant. The exemption was made permanent under OBBBA but did not eliminate tax exposure for HNW families above the threshold.

Del Mar coastal properties have very low Prop 13 factored base year values for long-tenured owners. The Prop 19 parent-child exclusion (cap $1,044,586 above factored base year value per BOE Letter to Assessors No. 2025/009) requires the inheriting child to use the property as a primary residence within 1 year and claim the Homeowners’ Exemption.

Approximate Statutory Probate Cost On A $1M California Estate: ~ $46,000*

A Revocable Living Trust generally avoids this entirely

Based on Cal. Prob. Code §§10800 and 10810. Actual fees may vary*

Del Mar Estate Plan vs. No Plan: Side-by-Side

A Del Mar family with a properly funded California estate plan generally avoids most of the cost, delay, and public exposure that probate creates.

Without an Estate Plan

Probate court oversight required for most estates above the small-estate thresholds
Combined statutory fees approximately $46,000 on a $1M California estate
9 to 18 months from filing to distribution
Probate filings are part of the public court record
Court-appointed administrator if family conflicts arise
No incapacity planning unless separately documented

With an Opelon Estate Plan

Probate generally avoided through a properly funded revocable living trust
Flat fee quoted up front, with no hourly billing surprises
Trust distribution typically begins within 60 days of death
Trust administration stays private
You name your own successor trustee
Durable Power of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directive included

What to Expect: Our 4-Step Estate Planning Process

A clear, predictable process from first call to a fully funded plan, generally completed within 4 to 6 weeks.

Free Consultation

A 30-minute call or video meeting. We learn your situation, answer questions, and quote a flat fee.

Design Meeting

We walk through trust structure, beneficiaries, guardianship choices, and your specific concerns.

Document Review

We deliver drafts for your review. You request changes, and we finalize the documents.

Signing & Funding

Sign at our Carlsbad office or via mobile notary. We then retitle assets into your trust.

What Opelon LLP Handles (And What We Refer Out)

We Focus On

Non-contested California estate planning, probate administration, and trust administration. This includes revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, guardianship designations, trust funding, Heggstad petitions, and high-net-worth planning under OBBBA.

We Do Not Handle

Trust contests, will contests, or any adversarial proceedings; conservatorship as a discrete practice; Medi-Cal crisis planning; M&A, or business litigation; family law or divorce; personal injury; or criminal defense.

Del Mar Estate Planning Services Offered by Opelon LLP

Revocable Living Trust

Avoid probate, maintain privacy, and control how your assets pass to your family. When funded properly, the trust transfers your estate to your beneficiaries without court involvement.

Wills + Pour-Over Wills

A pour-over will catches anything not titled into your trust at death and directs it through to the trust. Includes guardianship nominations for minor children, which most California families consider the single most important estate planning decision.

Durable Power of Attorney

Authorizes a trusted agent to manage your finances if you become incapacitated. We tailor the document for deployment, illness, extended travel, or aging-parent scenarios.

Advance Health Care Directives

Names a health care agent and documents your medical wishes if you cannot speak for yourself. Includes HIPAA authorization so your agent and family can access your medical records.

Guardianship Designations

Names who will raise your minor children if both parents are unavailable. The single most important provision in any estate plan for parents of children under 18.

Trust Funding + Deed Retitling

The most-skipped step in DIY plans. We retitle your California real estate, bank accounts, and brokerage accounts into your trust so the trust actually controls the assets.

Trust Administration

When a loved one passes, we guide the successor trustee through the 60-day notice under Probate Code 16061.7, asset valuation, beneficiary distribution, and final accounting.

Beneficiary Designations

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and payable-on-death accounts pass by designation, not by will or trust. We coordinate your designations so your full plan works as intended.

Pet Trusts

Under California Probate Code 15212, a pet trust provides for your pet's lifetime care with a named caregiver, a separate trustee for the funds, and a remainder beneficiary for what's left.

Where Del Mar Probate Cases Are Filed

San Diego Superior Court probate matters are typically handled at the San Diego Superior Court Central Division (Madge Bradley Building), approximately 25 miles south of Del Mar. Verify current jurisdictional assignment for North County cases.

A trust-based plan generally avoids court filings entirely.

How We Work with Del MarFamilies for Estate Planning

In-Person at Our Carlsbad Office

16 miles from Del Mar. Free Parking by Appointment

Video Meetings via Zoom

Plan from home. Document signing arranged separtely via mobile notary

Mobile Notary

Final Signing meeting at your kitchen table. No travel Required

Flat-fee pricing quoted up front. No hourly billing surprises.

"California probate is daunting when you're grieving. In 20+ years of San Diego County practice, I've walked families through every step: the petition, the notices, the inventory and appraisal, the creditor claims, and the final distribution. At Opelon, you get a transparent flat fee, a real attorney on the case, and most non-contested probates finished in 9 to 18 months."

T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M.

Managing Partner, Opelon LLP | Super Lawyers 2023–2026

FAQs for Estate Planning in Del Mar

Do Del Mar HNW families still need federal estate tax planning under OBBBA?

Yes for couples whose combined estate approaches or exceeds the $30M couple exemption. OBBBA made the elevated exemption permanent at $15M per individual but did not eliminate tax exposure for HNW families above the threshold.

How does Prop 19 affect inherited Del Mar coastal homes?

The parent-child exclusion preserves the parent’s factored base year value plus up to $1,044,586. The inheriting child must use the property as a primary residence within 1 year and claim the Homeowners’ Exemption (BOE-19-P). Otherwise full reassessment to fair market value applies.

What is a QPRT and is it useful for an appreciated Del Mar home?

A Qualified Personal Residence Trust transfers the primary or second residence to beneficiaries at a discounted gift value while allowing the grantor to live in the home for a retained term. For long-tenured Del Mar coastal homes with substantial appreciation, a QPRT can remove significant value from the taxable estate.

What is a SLAT and is it useful for Del Mar couples?

A Spousal Lifetime Access Trust is an irrevocable trust that one spouse establishes for the benefit of the other spouse and other beneficiaries. SLATs remove transferred assets from the taxable estate while providing indirect spousal access through the beneficiary spouse.

Where is the probate court for Del Mar residents?

San Diego Superior Court Central Division (Madge Bradley Building, 1100 Union Street, San Diego), approximately 25 miles south of Del Mar. A trust-based plan generally avoids court filings entirely.

How much does HNW estate planning cost in Del Mar?

Standard packages are flat-fee. HNW engagements involving multiple trust structures or coordination with CPA and family office relationships are typically billed at flat fees quoted in advance after the initial consultation.

Does Opelon coordinate with my existing CPA and financial advisor?

Yes. Most Del Mar HNW clients have established advisor relationships. We handle the legal-document side: trust drafting, beneficiary designation coordination, and structural recommendations. We work directly with your CPA and financial advisor when appropriate.

What is the difference between a will and a trust for Del Mar families?

A will directs probate distribution after court oversight, typically 9 to 18 months, with public filings. A revocable living trust generally avoids probate, distributes within 60 days of death, stays private, and continues to function during incapacity.

Common Estate Planning Situations for Del Mar Families

Del Mar families typically come to estate planning around one of these recurring life events. Each situation has a clear planning path.

HNW Couple With Combined Estate Above $30M

For Del Mar couples whose combined estate approaches or exceeds the $30M couple exemption, strategies under consideration include SLAT, GST trust planning, QPRT for the Del Mar primary residence, and ILIT to hold life insurance outside the taxable estate.

Long-Tenured Del Mar Coastal Homeowner

Del Mar residents who have owned their home since the 1970s or 1980s have very low Prop 13 factored base year values. Estate planning evaluates Prop 19 succession (parent-child exclusion if the child will use as primary residence) versus sale at stepped-up basis.

Coordination With Existing Advisors

Del Mar HNW clients typically have established relationships with a CPA, financial advisor, and sometimes a family office. Opelon's role is the legal-document side: drafting the trusts, coordinating beneficiary designations, and providing the operational structure that the advisor team can implement.

Del Mar Estate Planning Attorney Reviews

Schedule a Free Del Mar Estate Planning Consultation

(760) 278-1116

T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M.

T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M. is the founding partner of Opelon LLP and a California-licensed estate planning, trust, and probate attorney based in Carlsbad. Admitted to the California Bar in 2005 (State Bar No. 236974), Owen has drafted 700+ California trusts and shepherded 250+ San Diego County estates through probate. He earned his LL.M. in Taxation at the University of San Diego School of Law, his J.D. at Pepperdine University School of Law, his M.B.A. at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, and his B.A. in English Literature at UCLA. Owen has been selected to Super Lawyers every year from 2023 through 2026 (4 consecutive years) and is an active member of the California State Bar Trusts and Estates Section, the San Diego County Bar Association (Taxation and Business & Corporate Law Sections), and the North County Bar Association. Opelon offers flat-fee pricing and free trust-administration consultations. Reach Owen directly at owen@opelon.com.

Important Information About This Page

This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Dollar thresholds and statutory provisions cited were current as of the page's last-updated date but may have changed; verify before relying.

Practice Scope. Opelon LLP is a Carlsbad-based California estate planning law firm limiting its practice to non-contested estate planning, probate administration, and trust administration. Opelon does NOT handle trust or will contests, conservatorship, Medi-Cal crisis planning, business litigation, family law, or any adversarial proceedings.

Attorneys. Opelon LLP is licensed in California only. T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M. (CA Bar No. 236974), Managing Partner, handles all legal matters at the firm. Matt Odgers (CA Bar No. 290722), Co-Founder, does not practice law at Opelon; his practice is at Odgers Law Group, a separate firm.

No Attorney-Client Relationship. Visiting this site, submitting a form, or scheduling a consultation does not create an attorney-client relationship. That relationship forms only after a signed engagement agreement.

Past Results. Awards, testimonials, and case outcomes referenced describe past results. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Attorney ranking selection criteria vary by publication.

California Attorney Advertising. This page constitutes attorney advertising under Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 6157-6159 and § 6157.7. Opelon LLP, 1901 Camino Vida Roble Suite 112, Carlsbad, CA 92008. CA Bar verification: apps.calbar.ca.gov.

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