Justice Stephen Field wrote for a unanimous Supreme Court in the 1869 case of United States v. Kirby that “The reason of the law . . . should prevail over its letter.” Justice Field wrote these words in support of a decision...more
A question for you: do you have an estate plan? Of course you do, everyone needs an estate plan. Second question: who is(are) the beneficiary(ies) of your estate plan? Someone you love and trust, I presume. Perhaps a spouse,...more
Hey everybody – it’s January! How was your New Year’s Eve? How did you celebrate? Did you go to a party? Did you host a party? Were there games at your party? What kind of games? Charades? Jenga? Maybe you went crazy and...more
Under universally accepted law, across every jurisdiction, lawyers owe vital and concrete duties to their clients. The duty of confidentiality. The duty of loyalty. The duty to disclose. And, greatest of all, the duty to...more
The California Courts of Appeal are typically pretty stingy with their published opinions – only about 10% of Court of Appeal decisions are published in the Official Reports. And per Rule 8.1105 of the California Rules of...more
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
It’s the Halloween season, a time when most of us spend a more-than-reasonable amount of time focusing on the spookier side of things: ghosts, goblins, small children dressed like jack-o-lanterns, suspiciously foggy and...more
You’ve probably heard that “He who represents himself has a fool for a client,” an adage dating back to the 17th century and commonly attributed to Abraham Lincoln (but not by me – I first heard it on an episode of...more
There are a few standard questions I almost always get when people find out that I work in probate litigation. “Do people call you right away when their relatives die?” “Isn’t that tough to deal with, emotionally?” And most...more
This blog has devoted a lot of real estate to the use of anti-SLAPP motions in California trust and estate litigation. Though the courts’ treatment of such motions is varied and oftentimes unpredictable, Californians can...more
2/28/2023
/ Anti-SLAPP ,
Beneficiaries ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Elder Abuse ,
Estate Planning ,
Litigation Funding ,
Probate Courts ,
Protected Activity ,
Trust Amendments ,
Trust Assets ,
Trust Funds ,
Trustees ,
Trusts
Suing the suer is a common strategy in California civil litigation. A special motion to strike, known as an anti-SLAPP motion, can be a powerful weapon against such retaliatory litigation. We have explained the use of such...more
11/9/2021
/ Anti-SLAPP ,
Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Division of Assets ,
Family Trusts ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Inheritance ,
No Contest Clause ,
Residual Trusts ,
Trustees
Section 2030 of California’s Family Code provides an important safeguard to ensure the fairness of marriage dissolution proceedings. It allows the Court to order a more financially well-off party to pay some or all of the...more