The Czech Republic and Consanguinity
I recently traveled to Prague and the southern Czech Republic. Touring castles and palaces, I learned the history of this “crossroads” between the Slavic and Germanic regions. The ubiquitous wars between Catholic rulers and Protestant “reformers” occurred here as elsewhere in Europe.
Before the events which led to the creation of Czechoslovakia, the Nazi and Soviet occupations, and ending with the Velvet Revolution and Velvet Divorce in 1993, the right to continue as a castle ruler was determined by descent from a common ancestor, or “consanguinity.” When a line of heirs was exhausted, transition to a new ruling class happened by marriage, purchase or overthrow.
In estate planning today, you may choose to follow a similar plan by passing property to your lineal descendants. More often, however, clients have their own ideas for leaving a legacy. It is typical now to include your spouse, and perhaps also close friends, extended family and charitable beneficiaries.
California’s law of intestate succession defines the legal heirs who are to receive property if someone dies without a Will, Trust or other beneficiary designations. Intestacy law generally follows the Table of Consanguinity, pictured below.
For further information, or to discuss the beneficiaries you wish to include in your estate plan, please contact our office at 530-272-4292 or email through our website at www.jwilkerson.net.