Donkin v. Donkin

Holding

The court held that the 2002 amendment could not alter the irrevocable terms governing Trusts B and C, that the beneficiaries’ 2010 petition for surcharge and accounting was not a “contest” within the meaning of Probate Code § 16061.8 and therefore not time‑barred, and that the trust instrument required the trustees to distribute the assets of Trusts B and C outright “as soon as practicable” after Mary Donkin’s death; consequently, the trustees’ self‑representation did not constitute the unauthorized practice of law. ---