Qualifying Exam for Possible Appointment as Probate Referee Scheduled for September 11

Are you interested in a potential career opportunity as a probate referee?

The State Controller’s Office will offer its next probate referee examination on September 11, 2010.

A probate referee independently appraises all real estate and tangible and intangible personal property except cash-type items in probate estates, applies probate law to the facts, may hold hearings to obtain the necessary facts and resolve issues of the application of the law to the facts, and other duties as provided by law. Probate referees are not salaried but are remunerated by law, by fees by the estate (ordinarily 1/10 of 1 percent of the appraised value in each case to a maximum of $10,000 per estate) from which the referee must pay all expenses (such as mileage, rent, employee salaries, office expenses).

Applicants for appointment must possess threshold academic and/or relevant professional experience to take the examination and be considered for appointment. Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Bachelor's degree plus at least 30 class hours in appraisal/valuation classes or 2,000 hours of experience within the last four years appraising real and/or personal property, or
• Certified as an appraiser by the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers, the Appraisal Institute, or the American Society of Appraisers, or
• Attorney with a minimum of three years as a member of the California State Bar, or
• Certified Public Accountant with a minimum of three years as a licensed CPA in California.

Find out more about probate referee opportunities at http://www.cps.ca.gov/ProbateReferee/ProbateReq.asp