Civil Remedies › Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning › Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Trial lawyers beware of the in terrorem trust clause: A nasty trap that can keep on springing.

An “in terrorem” or “no-contest” clause in a trust instrument provides for the forfeiture or reduction of the equitable property interest of a beneficiary who contests the arrangement. In a recent New Hampshire case, Shelton,...more

A Trust is Not an Entity, it is a Relationship

The Problem: Practitioners, and occasionally even some courts, will refer to assets as being “owned” by a trust, or will say that someone is “suing” the trust. This likely arises from the fact that proper designation often...more

Mediation and Arbitration have their limitations when it comes to trust disputes.

Unless the fiduciary issues and the representation issues in a trust dispute are properly sorted out in advance, there is a very real risk that an ill-considered rush to mediate or arbitrate will prove an expensive and...more