Question: A friend of mine recently bought a house, and in doing some clean up and painting after closing, he found an antique toy tractor in the attic. It’s supposedly worth about $300; I assume the former owner simply forgot about it when moving her things out of the house. Then again, she may have [...]

Question: My neighbor has a large tree close to the property line separating our backyards. It is a nice-looking tree that provides some privacy screening between our two lots. The branches, however, hang over into my yard and are very close to the power line that crosses my property and services my home. I spoke [...]

Question: My sister and I inherited a small but valuable property in the Bay Area from our mother several years ago. It was my mother’s house that she bought and lived in since the 1960s. After she passed, my sister and I cleaned out the property and did some minor renovations. For the past several [...]

Question: My ex-husband and I divorced a few years ago. He was a workaholic, and I think that caused a strain on our marriage that ultimately led to our divorce. We worked out a parenting plan where we would have “equal” custody of the children. I think that he insisted on an “equal” plan because [...]

Question: I have worked here for a national company for almost two decades. A competing business recently expressed an interest in what I can bring to the job at their company. They are also offering to pay me more in salary, and the benefits appear better. I am concerned that my current employer may take [...]

Question: After my father died last year, I received notice that I was a beneficiary of a trust. The money in the trust was not really my father’s but rather an inheritance he received from his uncle. I have been processing the passing of my father and the family dynamics involved with that, and I [...]

Question: I got divorced a few years ago. I have been in a relationship now for almost a year, and my girlfriend recently accepted my marriage proposal. My prior divorce was drawn out with so many arguments and it was so expensive that I really want to avoid that mess, if at all possible. Although [...]

Question: Since my mother passed away a few years ago, my dad has been living alone at home and managing somewhat well. Shortly after her death, we visited a lawyer, and my father made me his agent under a power of attorney. I visit him frequently and have coordinated to have someone come by his [...]

Question: After the winds that blew hard here last week, the fence that separates my property from my neighbor’s was badly damaged. The fence has been in disrepair for some time, and it bothers me. Because of the way our houses are situated and our respective landscaping choices, the fence features more prominently on my [...]

Question: I had a plumbing company come to my house and give me an estimate on replacing a kitchen faucet and some shower fixtures. The plumber told me that he couldn’t see behind the walls to tell me what would need to be done. He told me that he hoped it would be a simple [...]