Lathrop GPM Partners Alma Soongi Beck and Erika Gasaway recently published “Beyond Biology: How California’s More Than Two Parent Rule Impacts Trusts and Estates Practice Everywhere” in the latest issue of the California Lawyers Association’s Trust and Estates Quarterly.
The article examines California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal decision in Estate of Martino and the states multiparent framework, showing how functional parentage, not just biology, can determine intestate heirship, with implications for practitioners far beyond California. As Beck and Gasaway note, “the practical response is precise drafting, careful administration and considered litigation to ensure that client intent, not default presumptions, controls.”
Read the full article here: Beyond Biology: How California’s More Than Two Parent Rule Impacts Trusts and Estates Practice Everywhere