If you live in California but have property in another country or are the citizen of another country, you may want to look at the rules on "international wills" in sections 6380 through 6390 of the Probate Code. If you follow the formalities set forth in these sections, the will you sign in California should be recognized as valid in another country. These sections authorize an attorney licensed to practice law in California to supervise the signing of the will and to attach a certificate confirming that certain requirements have been met. To be sure that your wishes are carried out as set forth in your will,  you may have to do more  than simply follow  the rules in the California  [...]

I have written previously about IRAs and the need to update periodically your beneficiaries on your IRAs. I keep seeing this problem come up, so I thought I would say something about it again. The first point I want to make is that  there are accounts other than IRAs which require beneficiary designations. If you have a  401(k) account, a pay on death account, or an annuity with a life insurance company,  for example,you may need to fill out a beneficiary designation  which states who gets the asset when you die. The second important point is to  remember to update this beneficiary designation when something happens, such as a divorce or a death.  I recently handled a case in which the named [...]

I get calls from French business people who want to set up a business in the U.S. and use that as a vehicle for obtaining a visa.  There are always a number of visas to consider, but often the most appropriate one is the E visa.  The E visa is for a treaty "trader" or a treaty "investor." French business people are fortunate in that France does have a treaty with the U.S. for E visas.  You do have to show that the company you are setting up is also "French," which basically means that the majority of people who own the company are French nationals.  As the owner, you are entitled to come work for the company you are setting up [...]