John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
Basics of Estate Planning
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
Protecting Your Estate Plan from Challenges: No-Contest Clause Explained
The Secret Child
Welcome to The Verdict: Estate Planning Through Film. In episode two, host Hons Yung is joined by Farella Braun + Martel's Greg LeSaint to discuss the movie John Wick and the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Greg breaks...more
In In re Trust A & Trust C, a beneficiary sued a trustee for breach of fiduciary duty and sought a constructive trust over assets that were transferred out of the trust. 690 S.W.3d 80 (Tex. 2024)....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
Most states provide a mechanism by which a beneficiary or other person interested in a trust or an estate may petition a Court asking the Court to order a fiduciary to account for his, her, or its actions and proceedings....more
For parents with young children, naming the guardian who will raise their children upon the parents’ passing can be one of the most important and foundational questions of an estate plan. And in fact, because this decision is...more
A longstanding and critical incident of a trustee’s fiduciary duty of loyalty is the duty to vigorously defend the trust’s very existence, as well as all its material provisions (hereinafter “existence defense”), unless it...more
Does a court-appointed GAL in a trust matter owe fiduciary duties to the parties to the trust relationship who have yet to come into existence, e.g., the settlor’s future great grandchildren (hereinafter the “non-existent...more
Married couples: Joint or separate trusts? Revocable trusts are a key component of many estate plans. Among other things, these trusts allow you to minimize probate expenses, keep your financial affairs private and provide...more
Beneficiaries of trust can face a difficult situation when the trustee of their trust either dies or becomes incapacitated. They may have many questions about the trust, such as what assets are in the trust or should be in...more
In McCoy v. McCoy, trust beneficiaries sued the trustee for breaching his fiduciary duties by pursing claims against a third party when they instructed him not to do so. No. 08-23-00119-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 6604 (Tex....more
This is the time of year when folks are trying to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones and are also thinking about their New Year’s Resolutions. Wouldn’t it be great if these could be combined into one? An old Saturday...more
On November 6, 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued its opinion in In the Matter of the Trust Agreement of Genevieve M. Rossow. Among other topics, the court’s opinion addressed whether a trust beneficiary’s power to...more
This update will address the following issues: whether a party has a right to jury trial in trust modification and other similar actions, what are the standards for pretrial receivership and injunctive relief in trust...more
As its name implies, an irrevocable trust cannot be revoked by the person who establishes the trust. Typically, an irrevocable trust also cannot be changed by a trustee or beneficiary. The irrevocable nature makes the trust a...more
Los Fideicomisos (“Trusts”) son vehículos que pueden ayudar en la preservación de la riqueza y la propiedad para las generaciones futuras, proteger activos o llevar a cabo un propósito caritativo. Un Fideicomiso es una...more
Trusts are vehicles that can assist in the preservation of wealth and property for future generations, protect assets, or carry out a charitable purpose. A trust is an entity created and governed under the state law in which...more
What is a Trust? A Trust is a legal entity involving three roles: The Grantor or “Trustor”, the Trustee, and the Beneficiary. The Grantor (the creator of the trust) will give the Trustee the right to hold and manage property...more
We invite you to listen to our podcast, A Primer on Trusts with Janathan Allen. We begin with an overview of several key terms associated with a trust including: Trustee, Grantor, Beneficiary, Executor, Pour Over Will,...more
No, according to In re Estate of Elze D. Harris, Docket No. 362364 (September 28, 2023). In Estate of Harris, the decedent’s three children were embroiled in litigation over who should control their deceased father’s...more
In Moody Nat’l Bank v. Moody, a beneficiary sued a trustee regarding several allegations of breach of fiduciary duty. No. 14-21-00096-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 7844 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] October 25, 2022, pet....more
In Ahlgren v. Ahlgren, plaintiffs sued a defendant alleging that the defendant was a trustee of an oral trust who breached duties by refusing to return certain property. No. 13-22-00029-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 4182 (Tex....more
Selecting the person or institution who will act as your trustee is one of the most important decisions you and your family members will make. For the task of managing your trust, it is natural to want to choose a family...more
Preparing for 2026 - Four ways to build flexibility into your estate plan - January 1, 2026, is a significant date for estate planning. On that day, the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount set by the Tax Cuts...more
In the last alert, we reviewed the responsibilities of an executor. In this next introductory review, we will discuss the role of a trustee. Before we define the role of a trustee, we must explain the definition of a...more
In the recent case of Schaddelee as Cotrustee of Ronald Schaddelee Irrevocable Trust v. Deleon as Cotrustee of Ronald Schaddelee Irrevocable Trust, 2023 WL 4143639 (Mich Ct App Jun 22, 2023) (unpublished), the Michigan Court...more