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Estate Planning › Probate Courts › Probate

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Amundsen Davis LLC

Common Misconceptions in Estate Planning: Wills Avoid Probate

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It is a common misconception believed by many that having a will avoids probate. Not only is it false, it really could not be further from the truth. Rather, a will is a tool that is often used during the probate process and...more

Fleurinord Law PLLC

From Purple Reign to Probate Pain: Lessons from Prince’s $156 Million Estate Planning Mistake

Fleurinord Law PLLC on

The Purple Reign… in Chaos: Netflix, Secrets, and the Fight Over Prince's Legacy...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

What Type of Facts Support a “Confidential or Fiduciary Relationship” Determination to Trigger the Presumption of Undue Influence?

Warner Norcross + Judd on

Two recent Michigan Court of Appeals cases delve into what it takes to successfully pursue an undue influence claim. In re Sherrod Estate, No 369863, 2025 WL 855275 (Mich Ct App Mar 18, 2025) (unpublished) and In re Estate of...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

What is a Special Fiduciary and When Can the Probate Court Appoint One?

Warner Norcross + Judd on

The Michigan Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that considered the scope of the probate court’s ability to appoint a special fiduciary. In re Trueman Harrison and Modesta Harrison Trust, No 368031, 2025 WL 272281...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Slayer Statute — Does a Crime Committed Against the Decedent Impact Inheriting from the Decedent under Michigan Law?

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Yes, depending on the nature of the crime and if convicted. In re Donald F. Clark Trust, Court of Appeals January 16, 2025 (unpublished). This appeal involved the probate court's winddown of the Donald F. Clark Trust....more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

Who Gets the Iron Skillet? A Solution for Avoiding Family Conflict

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. on

The Chambliss estate planning team often helps families navigate the complexities of administering a loved one’s estate. Challenges can arise in addressing the personal property in the estate...more

The Estate Lawyers

Divorce Need Not Ignite Estate Litigation, But Too Often It Does

The Estate Lawyers on

Certain life events demand that estate planners work with client testators to adjust their estate plans. Divorce and remarriage are at the top of that list. When matrimony devolves into acrimony – setting the stage for...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Planning to Avoid Fiduciary Litigation

Husch Blackwell LLP on

When a loved one dies, the last thing you want to deal with is a lawsuit, or have your heirs inherit a lawsuit. After the death of a maternal or paternal figure that keeps the family together, tensions flare between siblings...more

Downey Brand LLP

No Such Thing as a Free Ride: Section 859 Awards Can Now Go To Whoever Does the Work

Downey Brand LLP on

Newcomers to probate litigation are frequently surprised by how differently things work in probate court, as opposed to your more straightforward civil courts. (And how do those newcomers know how civil courts work?  Law &...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

SJC Finds Words of Survivorship Sufficient to Avoid Anti-Lapse Statute

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Does the phrase “if they survive me” demonstrate a testator’s intent to avoid the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code (“MUPC”) anti-lapse statute, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B § 2-603? The Massachusetts Supreme...more

Mandelbaum Barrett PC

Navigating Probate Litigation in New York: A Comprehensive Guide

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Probate litigation can be a complicated and emotionally taxing process, especially in a state like New York known for its stringent probate laws. When disputes arise over the distribution of assets or the validity of a will,...more

Allen Barron, Inc.

Estate Planning for Business Owners

Allen Barron, Inc. on

What are some of the fundamental issues when estate planning for business owners? Why should every business owner have an estate plan? What are some of the primary issues to address in an effective estate plan for those who...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Trial Win for Warner Clients in Dispute Over Decedent’s Assets

Warner Norcross + Judd on

Trial attorney David Skidmore from Warner Norcross + Judd LLP’s Probate Litigation Practice Group, a subgroup of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, recently represented clients in a trial before the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Admission Of Remotely Witnessed Wills To Probate In New York

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In 2021 and 2022, I wrote about Surrogate’s Court decisions that addressed the admission of remotely witnessed wills to probate in New York State.  Since then, Surrogate’s Courts have issued at least two more decisions...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - November 2023

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This newsletter is intended to keep readers informed about developments in probate and fiduciary litigation in Massachusetts and New York. Our lawyers are at the forefront of this area of the law, shaping how it is handled in...more

Downey Brand LLP

Hey, That’s Also My Turf! Contract Claims Involving Estates May Be Litigated in Federal Court

Downey Brand LLP on

Exactly where a court’s jurisdiction begins and ends is a question that has long irked our judicial system. One muddle is the extent to which federal courts, as opposed to state courts, can decide disputes involving a...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - May 2023

Goulston & Storrs PC on

This newsletter is intended to keep readers informed about developments in probate and fiduciary litigation in Massachusetts and New York. ...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP - Left Coast Appeals

This Week At The Ninth: Death and Taxes

Morrison & Foerster LLP - Left Coast Appeals on

This week, the Court addresses the application of the probate exception to federal-court jurisdiction. The Court holds that the probate-exception bar to federal-court jurisdiction does not apply when a breach-of-contract...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed An Order Holding That A Deceased Astronaut’s Artifacts Were His Separate Property

Winstead PC on

In Bean v. Bean, a dissenting co-executor sought relief from a probate court regarding whether certain assets were separate property or community property. No. 05-21-00286-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 9058 (Tex. App.—Dallas...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - February 2023

Goulston & Storrs PC on

Trust v. Code: What Trumps? Matter of the Leo Kahn Revocable Trust, 102 Mass. App. Ct. 38 (2022) - If the terms of a trust instrument are inconsistent with a provision of the Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code (“MUTC” or...more

Lippes Mathias LLP

Hiring Counsel for Estate and Trust Administration Could Help You Avoid an Expensive Conflict

Lippes Mathias LLP on

Losing a family member or friend is a difficult situation for everyone. In 1969, the Swiss-American psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross wrote in her book “On Death and Dying,” that grief could be divided into five stages:...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - October 2022

Goulston & Storrs PC on

Power of Attorney Did Not Provide Authority to Create a Trust on Behalf of the Elder Who Granted the Power of Attorney - Barbetti v. Stempniewicz, 490 Mass. 98 (Sup. Jud. Ct. June 28, 2022) Does a power of attorney...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - April 2022

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This newsletter is intended to keep readers informed about developments in probate and fiduciary litigation in Massachusetts and New York. Our lawyers are at the forefront of this area of the law, shaping how it is handled in...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Court of Appeals Takes a Look at an Undue Influence Claim from a Non-Jury Trial

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced litigants to wrestle with the dilemma of waiting for a jury trial or moving forward more expeditiously by way of a bench trial.  Recently, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and the...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Wealth Management Update - December 2021

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Federal interest rates increased slightly for December of 2021 but remain fairly low historically. The December Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 1.6%, which is...more

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