Empowerment Through Hero Generation with Nicole a`Beckett and Dr. Shruti Roy
Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 242: Business Planning in Healthcare & Life Sciences with Jennifer McEwen of Maynard Nexsen
Do I Need a Prenuptial Agreement?
Insights on Planned Giving From the BNY Annual Charitable Giving Report for 2024
Navigating Solo Aging with Dr. Gerda Maissel
Love Actually: Planning Considerations for Marriage, Divorce, Cohabitation, the Death of a Spouse, and More
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 503: Listen and Learn -- Present and Future Estates (Part 2)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 501: Listen and Learn -- Present and Future Estates (Part 1)
Charitable Split Interest Trust Planning with Dale Schroeder and Anneke Niemira, Part Two
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Charitable Split-Interest Trust Planning With Dale Schroeder and Anneke Niemira - Part One
Financial Planning Tips for the Sandwich Generation with Sherry Finkel Murphy
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
The Terminator: The QPRT as a Wealth Transfer Strategy and CTA Updates
The Risks of Bad Advice
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Planning for Your Digital Legacy
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Top Gun: Maverick - Core Estate Plan and Gifting Basics
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Estate Planning and the Corporate Transparency Act
In Pennsylvania, contesting a will is a serious legal action that should not be taken lightly. It can be emotionally challenging, especially if you believe that the last will and testament will not reflect the true intentions...more
Elderly persons often sign new estate documents, including trusts and trust amendments. Certainly, all persons with competence and without improper influences have the right to leave their property to whoever, and however,...more
In In re Estate of Carr, the court of appeals dismissed an appeal from a probate court order due to a lack of jurisdiction. No. 04-23-00287-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 7827 (Tex. App.—San Antonio November 6, 2024, no pet....more
A Civil Rights Legacy, a Contested Will, and Questions of Capacity - Gizelle Bryant, one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Potomac, is currently embroiled in a legal dispute that touches on deep family ties, a civil...more
Frank Fritz, star of the History Channel show “American Pickers,” suffered a stroke, became incapacitated, and died on September 30, 2024, at age 60. Before he passed away, his friend, Chris Davis, became his legal guardian....more
In Pennsylvania, contesting a will is a serious legal action that should not be taken lightly. It can be emotionally challenging, especially if you believe that the will does not reflect the true intentions of the deceased....more
In In re In the Estate of Wegenhoft, an applicant filed an application to probate a will, which contained a no-contest clause. No. 14-23-00350-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 5352 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] July 30, 2024, no...more
In a September 2024 decision, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that an estate beneficiary did not invoke the in terrorem clause under his father’s will by submitting an affidavit in support of his brother’s challenge to...more
During a Will contest, a party challenging a Will may assert that the Will was the product undue influence being exerted over the decedent by the party who benefited by the disputed Will. The question arises: What is what is...more
When conflict arises in the settling of an estate – especially a high-net-worth estate – the parties involved may look to the courts to help resolve the dispute. Litigation is one way to settle probate disputes, but it is...more
It is a standard requirement in Probate Court disputes that the parties strictly adhere to the rules regarding notice of relief sought to all potential heirs and beneficiaries. The recent decision of Bailey v. Bailey...more
Beginning in 2020 a new topic entered the estate planning world based on studies done at Cornell University. Cornell started what they call a “Family Reconciliation Project” and in 2021 they published data indicating that in...more
Earlier this month, a Michigan jury considered whether handwriting in a spiral notebook found under a couch cushion at singer Aretha Franklin’s home constituted her valid last will. Franklin had written and signed the...more
One of the many reasons for executing a Will and Trust is to make your wishes clear and prevent animosity among family members or other beneficiaries after your death. However, there are circumstances in which it is clear to...more
On March 2, 2023 the Family Law Section of the state bar association dropped a podcast hosted by my partner Aaron Weems with an estate lawyer, Mary Kay Kelm. It covered a broad range of topics including diminishing capacity...more
In rare instances, during the administration of an estate, there might arise an ambiguity within the language of the decedent’s Last Will and Testament as to how the decedent wished to dispose of his property pursuant...more
In In re Estate of Hogan, a father executed a new will, leaving his estate to one of his sons (Harold) and disinheriting his other son (Gary). No. 11-20-00170-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 3863 (Tex. App.—Eastland June 9,...more
If your estate has to be probated, in a perfect world everything will go without a hitch and the assets are distributed to beneficiaries in a timely manner. Everyone is satisfied with their inheritance and family harmony is...more
In Jones v. Jones, the decedent’s wife filed an application for probate of an attested will for her husband, and the decedent’s son from a previous marriage filed a petition contesting the will. No. 01-20-00073-CV, 2022 Tex....more
When considering whether to contest a decedent’s Last Will and Testament, an individual should consider whether red flags might be present which may point to a successful basis to challenge a disputed Will. The purpose of...more
In January 2021, I wrote about Broome County Surrogate David H. Guy’s decision in Matter of Ryan, in which Surrogate Guy addressed the admission of a remotely witnessed will to probate in New York State. Recently, in Matter...more
California law is surprisingly unclear as to whether the notes of an estate planning attorney are protected from discovery by the attorney work product doctrine. This can become a big issue in a will or trust contest when the...more
In a contested estate situation, family members are mad, often fighting mad. A common client question is, “When are we going to court?” Perhaps surprisingly, our usual answer to this is, “Only when everything else has...more
Producers, writers, and reporters have long been fascinated with high-stakes wealth, estate and trusts, and shareholder disputes. Whether tragic or comic, the drama between clients, families, business partners, as well as the...more
In In the Estate of Mahaffey, a testatrix executed a new will nine days before she died of cancer. No. 04-19-00122-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 11171 (Tex. App.—San Antonio December 27, 2019, no pet. history)....more