Thank you to Roy Newman of The San Diego Estate Center for his post, 8 Steps To Avoid Estate Litigation.
Newman reports:
"An article by the US News and World Report gives “8 Tips to Avoid Nasty Estate Surprises.” I agree with most of the points, and add my critique after each tip below:
This article from the UK highlights the predicted rise in dementia diagnoses due to the ageing of the population and what that means for will contests. Click here.
Hat Tip to J. Michael Young, Esq. at Texas Fiduciary Litigation.
Bruce Carton at Legal Blog Watch writes:
"An out-of-court settlement has finally resolved a long-standing dispute among Dr. Martin Luther King’s children over his multimillion-dollar estate.
Although Dr. King died in 1968, his estate continues to produce substantial income. Among other things, the estate includes the broadcast rights to Dr. King’s “I have a
When your client owns property in foregin countries, estate planning and tax issues can be complex. This is an excellent article discussing inheritance in the European Union nations centering on the issue of forced heirship. It is a concept strange to Americans who strongly believe they have a right to disinherit their children.
Thank you
Whom are a person’s heirs? Heirs are those who inherit a decedent’s property if he or she dies without a will. The law has long established that a surviving spouse has a right to receive a share, and then children, or other lineal descendants, inherit. If there are no lineal descendants, then parents are heirs
Remember Jarndyce and Jarndyce? The Chancery suit that goes on and on in Dickens’ Bleak House?
From the first chapter of Dickens’ Bleak House:
Jarndyce and Jarndyce drones on. This scarecrow of a suit has, in course of time, become so complicated that no man alive knows what it means. The parties to
The jury came back on October 8, 2009 on the 11th day of deliberations with the verdict: guilty on 14 counts including first-degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud.
The co-defendant, estate planning lawyer Francis X. Morrissey Jr. was convicted on 5 counts including scheming to defraud, conspiracy and forgery.
The trial took 5 months.
The Chicago Tribune reports the Supreme Court of Illinois’ unanimous decision in the Erla Feinberg case. Here is Manya A. Brachear’s and Ron Grossman’s article: Illinois Supreme Court: Wills can use religious tests.
We blogged about the case before: The Jewish Clause. Read the Illinois Supreme Court opinion here.
"Although those plans might be offensive
The Springfield, Illinois State Journal-Register reports:
"Sandra Gayle, 65, of Springfield was convicted of financial exploitation of the elderly and financial exploitation of a person with a disability. A Sangamon County jury deliberated a little more than an hour Friday before returning the verdict.
Prosecutors introduced testimony over the course of the four-day trial to
Charles Kuralt, the TV Journalist and "On the Road" reporter, has another distinction. He has become famous in estate planning circles for "what not to do" with regard to your estate plan.
Mr. Kuralt died at age 62 of complications from lupus. His wife survived him, and under his 1994 will, his estate passed to