Category Archives: Estate Litigation
Estate Planning Lessons from Celebrity Nightmares
The dispute over Larry King’s estate shines a harsh spotlight on what happens when an elderly person makes major changes late in life to his or her estate plan, especially when the person has become physically weakened and possibly mentally affected, due to aging and illness. A recent article from The National Law Journal,… Read More »
How to Protect Your Estate from Unintended Heirs
Disinheriting a child as an heir happens for a variety of reasons. There may have been a long-running dispute, estrangement over a lifestyle choice, or not wanting to give assets to a child who squanders money. What happens when a will or trust has left a child without an inheritance is examined in an… Read More »
Hey Dad, Can I Get an Advance on My Inheritance?
Most parents want to divide their estate equally among their heirs, but sometimes things just don’t work out that way. That’s especially the case when one child needs more help than another. Therefore, what parents will often do is count the distributions they make during their lifetime as advances against the child’s future inheritance…. Read More »
How Bad Can a Do-It-Yourself Estate Plan Be? Very!
Here’s a real world example of why what seems like a good idea backfires, as reported in The National Law Review’s article “Unintended Consequences of a Do-It-Yourself Estate Plan.” Mrs. Ann Aldrich wrote her own will, using a preprinted legal form. She listed her property, including account numbers for her financial accounts. She left… Read More »
Planning on Disinheriting a Child? Best to Be Careful!
The law is very specific when it comes to disinheriting your child, so it is a good idea to be perfectly clear on your wishes or it can backfire, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel in “No shortcuts when planning estate trust.” Let’s consider this example: A couple has a son and a daughter…. Read More »