Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 509: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 508: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 1 - Rules)
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
On June 26, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Medicaid providers and beneficiaries lack the ability to enforce the Medicaid Act’s “any‑qualified‑provider” clause in federal court. In Medina v. Planned Parenthood, the Court...more
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that the Medicaid Act’s any-qualified-provider provision does not confer individual rights enforceable under 42 U.S.C. §1983. This decision reverses the Fourth Circuit’s...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved three state waiver requests to amend the statutory definition of food eligible for purchase under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). On May 19, 2025,...more
Applying for Medicaid benefits, particularly long-term care benefits, can be difficult and confusing. Yet, it is a necessary evil for many who rely on Medicaid to ensure that they can afford the room, board, care, and...more
New Jersey Officially Introduces Driver’s License Notation for Autistic Motorists - Autistic motorists in New Jersey, as well as their parents/guardians, are now able to request that their autism diagnoses be notated on...more
Unknown to many Floridians, Florida enacted the Community Property Trust Act which went into effect on July 1, 2021, and established the ability to convert non-community property into community property. The community...more
According to a report issued by the National Association of Realtors a couple of days ago, last year saw a large outmigration of people from California and New York, while Florida and Texas experienced a comparably large...more
A new law was recently passed in Florida that will allow a grantor spouse of a Spousal Limited Access Trust (SLAT) to be added as a beneficiary of the SLAT following the death of the beneficiary spouse. Please see below for a...more
Is it principal or it is income? This question has plagued trust beneficiaries, trustees, accountants, and attorneys since trusts have been used. The answer to the question is important, because the answer generally controls...more
We have previously reported on New Jersey’s effort to enact legislation prohibiting stranger-originated life insurance (STOLI) and the New Jersey case law leading up to that legislation. See June 2019, December 2019, and...more
Recent decisions in California and Mississippi illustrate the divergence among states regarding enforcement of in terrorem clauses in wills and trusts...more
As many of you may know, Cozen O’Connor was victorious last year in obtaining a ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Sun Life Assurance Company v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 238 N.J. 157 (2019) (Bergman) that...more
We previously reported on the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ruling on the validity of stranger-originated life insurance (STOLI) policies in the June 2019 issue of Expect Focus — Life, Annuity, and Retirement Solutions....more
California resident Cleopatra Cameron was the beneficiary of trusts created under California law. In 2009, her husband, Christopher Pallanck, filed for divorce in California. As part of the divorce proceeding, the California...more
Transferring assets into trust for the benefit of children or others is a common estate planning tool. The party making the transfer into a trust gives up any right to control the property or its distribution....more
When considering fiduciary litigation in New York, practitioners often think first of Surrogate’s Court (New York’s probate court) or full-out litigation in New York State Supreme Court (as New York’s basic trial court is...more
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that would have imposed significant liability on CalPERS employers for errors in their CalPERS reporting which result in post-retirement pension reductions....more
In a previous blog, we reviewed pending and approved 1115 waivers in 11 states. These reviews provide an overview of 1115 waiver applications, including a focus on work requirements, lock-outs, changes in coverage structures,...more
Although all signs this morning pointed to a quiet day under the Gold Dome, the halls quickly became abuzz with news of a compromise on HB 159, the adoption bill authored by Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta). The masses got their...more
As a first in the history of the Medicaid program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved, on January 12, 2018, Kentucky’s section 1115 waiver application that imposes on many beneficiaries a “community...more