California Partition Law Blog

A Guide to Liquidated Damages (Civ. Code § 1671)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In many contracts, the parties know that one person will be harmed if the other one breaches, but also realize that damage would be hard to calculate. So, what is a person to do to protect themselves from loss while also living their life in a way to pursue their goal? How can the law…

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What is the Difference Between a Jurat and an Acknowledgement?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Property transfers often require documents showing the transfer to be notarized and recorded. This means the document is entered into the county recorder’s office and notarized to ensure the document is authentic. A signed document can be notarized via a jurat or an acknowledgment. The choice of method is left to the person signing. The…

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Does a Personal Lien Attach to Real Estate? (CCP § 697.320)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

This article is about whether a personal lien, like a lien for child support, can attach to real estate. This is important because property can be used as collateral for debt voluntarily or involuntarily. This means the owner of the property uses the property as collateral by having a lien placed on it. What is…

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What is a “Partnership Dissolution”/ Partnership Buyout Agreement?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The purpose of this article is to explain what Partnership Dissolutions and Partnership Buyout Agreements are. Understanding the purpose of these contracts is important to business partners attempting to navigate the dissolution or end of their partnership and the loss of a partner. Knowing the differences between a Partnership Dissolution and a Partnership Buyout Agreement…

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A Guide to Exceptions in a Title Report
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Exceptions in a title report, also called a preliminary title report, make a potential buyer aware of issues with the property. Exceptions are important as they may limit what title insurance a buyer is eligible for and may prevent the sale of property altogether. What is a title report? A title report is used when…

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Can a Co-Owner Recover Value of Time or Services in a Partition Action?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The purpose of this article is to explain whether a property owner can recover value of time or services in a partition action. Understanding whether an owner can recover the value of time or services is important because it directly affects the compensation they are entitled to recover in a partition action. What is a…

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AB 2016 — An Update to “Small Estate Petitions” (Prob. Code § 13100)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

An Assembly bill applying to decedents’ estates was finalized on August 29, 2024. The bill will amend six sections of the Probate Code (Cal. Prob. Code § 13100-13101, 13150-13152, 13154) and repeal one section (Prob. Code § 13158). This is significant because it impacts how successors of decedents can manage a decedent’s real property. Specifically,…

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Is It Possible to Bring a Partition Action in Federal Court?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The purpose of this article is to explain how a partition action could be brought in federal court. While it is possible to bring a partition action in a federal court, because of how state-specific partition statutes are, partition matters are usually handled in state courts. Generally, partition actions are governed by state statutes. Also,…

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What is a “Title Defect”?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The purpose of this article is to explain about the legal concept of a title defect. Finding defects in the title of a property is important because it indicates there is a problem with the property’s ownership. Title defects can prevent sale and present additional costs to owners and buyers. What is a title defect?…

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What is a Trustee Removal Petition (Prob. Code, § 17200(b)(10))?
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The purpose of this article is to explain what a trustee removal petition is. In a trust the trust is managed by the trustee, who is put in charge by the creator of the trust called the settlor. A trustee removal petition is made by a settlor, co-trustee, or beneficiary of the trust with the…

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I.S.

I own a real estate investment company that operates across multiple states (California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and more), whenever I run into an issue that needs legal attention, Eli is my first call. I've been working with him for years. He is an amazing attorney and I highly recommend him."...

T.W.

Mr. Underwood is a fantastic Lawyer with extraordinary ethics. He responds quickly, which is rare these days, and he is very knowledgeable in his craft. It was a pleasure working with him and we will definitely use his services in the future if needed. Thank you for your help Sir!

M.O.

Eli took our case and controlled every hurdle put before us. I one time commented to him that he must love his job because it seemed that he was always available. When talking about my case to anyone I always bring up where, I believe, the other parties Lawyer tried to take advantage of my wife and...

E.T

We were in need of an attorney with considerable knowledge of real estate law and the legal issues related to property ownership. Eli Underwood went above and beyond our expectations. In keeping us abreast of our suit, his communication skills were outstanding. This talent was especially...

P.B.

In our need for legal services we found Eli to be well informed and on top of our case and our needs. Our's was not an ordinary case as it was a case with many facets. It was a very convoluted case. There were multiple owners involved in a property dispute where one of the owners sued the rest of...

M.A.