“California Probate” refers to the judicial process of formally dividing a person’s estate upon death. An estate must pass through probate with or without a will, although other methods of transferring an estate may be used to avoid probate entirely, such as a living trust. Probate is costly, with attorney’s fees and court costs that easily total thousands of dollars. It is also a lengthy process, with the average estate taking between 6 months to 2 years in San Diego County. Click here for a list of probate’s disadvantages.