Roseville, CA estate planning & probate attorney Kristin M. Kaminski talks about probate. Probate, in the state of California, is a court-supervised process with an average duration of 16 months. It functions as a means to transfer a decedent’s assets to their beneficiaries or heirs. In situations where there is no will, the assets follow the laws of California, distributing to the heirs. If the decedent left a last will, the assets are allocated to the beneficiaries specified in the will.