NOTE: This glossary is for convenience only, and is not meant to provide legal advice or guidance. Please consult an actual attorney for terms specific to your situation.
Sources quoted here:
(1) Per https://thelawdictionary.org/
The Law Dictionary (Your Free Online Legal Dictionary *Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd Ed.)(2) Per https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal.
Merriam-Webster Legal Dictionary(3) Per Verdugo Mobile Notary
Administrator: a person appointed by a probate court to manage the distribution of the assets in the estate of a person who has died without leaving a valid will or leaving a will that does not name an executor able or willing to perform. (2)
Advance Directive: a document (as a living will or health care power of attorney) in which a person expresses his or her wishes regarding medical treatment in the event of incapacity (2)
Advance Health Care Directive: see Advance Directive (3)
Apostille: Any international document that requires additional authentication. It can be anything from a school record to an adoption paper. It was done to reduce the amount of time taken on authentication between countries. (1)
Concierge Services:
Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA): a power of attorney that becomes effective immediately and is not affected by the principal’s subsequent incapacity or that becomes effective only upon the principal’s incapacity (2)
Executor: A person appointed by a testator to carry out the directions and requests in his will, and to dispose of the property according to his testamentary provisions after his decease. (1)
HIPAA: This is an abbreviation for the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (2) The United States Act of Congress, 1996, gives guidelines for protecting personal information given to healthcare and healthcare insurance providers. From Wikipedia
Intestate: A person who dies without a will is said to have died “intestate.” Each state has intestacy laws that determine how the assets of a person dying without a will are to be distributed. (1)
Last Will and Testament: The version of a will superseding all previous versions of this will. (1)
Legacy: a gift of property by will. specifically : a gift of personal property by will : bequest (2)
Legacy Vault: This refers to a digital vault, or place to keep digital copies of all important papers, information and authorizations. A top-notch legacy vault will provide the client with the option to grant separate logins to different people, which is specific as to which person can see which document(s). In the event of physical disasters, it ensures important papers are accessible because the vault is “located” and redundant in several locations. (3)
Living Will: Legal document effective while its testator lives. This covers death if imminent due to a medical condition or an accident. Medical care and degree of medical intervention and life sustaining support is typically expressed as the testator’s wishes. Contrast with traditional wills. (1)
Mobile Notary: A notary who will travel to the meet the client. This is different from a stationary notary where the client(s) go to the notary’s place of business, or a notary who is an actual employee of a company needing notaries in-house. Title companies, banks, real estate companies often have notaries onsite. (3)
Notary Public – also known as Notary: a public officer who certifies and attests to the authenticity of writings (as deeds) and takes affidavits, depositions, and protests of negotiable instruments (2)
Power of Attorney (POA): An express legal paper which gives any agent or attorney the right to manage the properties of an individual, as they see fit. (1)
an instrument containing an authorization for one to act as the agent of the principal that terminates especially upon revocation by the principal or death of the principal or agent (2)
Probate: a court that has jurisdiction over the probate of wills and administration of estates and sometimes over the affairs of minors and persons adjudged incompetent. (2)
Property, Personal vs Real: Real property refers to land and anything permanently attached to it, while personal property encompasses all movable and intangible assets.
The concept of property is foundational to many social, legal, and economic systems around the world. It represents the rights of ownership a person or entity has over things or resources. However, not all properties are created equal.
The most commonly referenced categories are land/real property and personal property. Understanding the distinction between these types of properties is critical for reasons ranging from taxation to legal disputes to real estate transactions. From Juristopedia
Seal/Stamp: An ink standard marking or embosser which identifies specifically the notary public who has performed the notarial act. (3)
Settlor/Trustor: A person who creates a trust. (2)
Secretary of State (at state-level, not the Federal position in the President’s Cabinet): The most common, and arguably the most important, function held by secretaries of state is to serve as the state’s chief elections official (although many states also have supervisors of elections, which are usually county elected officials). In 38 states, the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of elections, including the enforcement of qualifying rules, oversight of financial regulation and establishment of Election Day procedures falls .on the secretary of state. From Wikipedia
Testate: having made a valid will, died testate; disposed of or governed by a will (2)
Testator: One who makes or has made a testament or will; one who dies leaving a will. (2)
Trust: A financial entity created where, traditionally, there is the person putting something into the trust (the settlor or trustor), for the benefit of some person(s) or group(s) (the beneficiary), and is monitored and run by a trustee who may or may not be the settlor and/or beneficiary. Sometimes, banks or professionals can serve as trustees. (3)
Trust Certificate / Certification of Trust: A person acting as trustee has legal control over a trust and the assets it holds. A certificate of trust is simply an abridged version of a trust; it gives entities information regarding the trust while keeping certain provisions private. From Legal Beagle
Trustee: a natural or legal person to whom property is committed to be administered for the benefit of a beneficiary (as a person or charitable organization) : the holder of legal title to property placed in a trust. (2)
Trustor/Settlor: A person who creates a trust. (2)
Verdugo: A section of Los Angeles County, California around the Verdugo Mountains. It includes that includes parts of Burbank, Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, La Canada, Pasadena, Altadena, Sunland and Tujunga. The name is from Jose Maria Verdugo, holder of the Rancho San Rafael land grant from the 1700s. Before that, it was likely homeland to the indigenous Tongva people for some 7000 years. From Wikipedia
Will, Living: Legal document effective while its testator lives. This covers death if imminent due to a medical condition or an accident. Medical care and degree of medical intervention and life sustaining support is typically expressed as the testator’s wishes. Contrast with traditional wills. (1)
Will, Last Will and Testament: The version of a will superseding all previous versions of this will. (1)
