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Estate Planning Contract Terms

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Supreme Court Decision in Connelly v. US: Implications for Family-Owned Businesses

In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Connelly v. United States will require closely-held business owners to reconsider their current buy-sell arrangement in order to avoid additional federal estate...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirms Modification Of Trust That Relied On Extrinsic Evidence And Contradicted Express Trust Terms

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In In re Poe Trust, a co-trustee of a trust filed suit to modify the trust to change distribution provisions, increase the number of trustees, and change the method for trustees to vote on issues as well as other...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Legal Terror: A Look at Infamous In Terrorem Clauses

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In this day, it seems just wrong to even write a word incorporating “terror.” It seems as if terrorism is everywhere and one place we could hope to elude it would be in contract drafting. Yet, as we shall see, these clauses...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

In the case of a donative transfer in irrevocable inter vivos trust, it is not the trustee who is the donee of the gift

In International Rescue Committee v. Trustee of the Wylie Street Emergency Fund, 537 P.3d 30 (2023), the Supreme Court of Idaho cited Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019) as authority for the proposition that “a person can...more

Lathrop GPM

The Importance of a Buy-Sell Agreement for Business Owners

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If you are the owner of a business that does not have a buy-sell agreement in place, or you have not reviewed your buy-sell agreement recently, it may be time to sit down with your attorney. Buy-sell agreements can be complex...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That The Incorporation Of AAA Rules Can Delegate Scope Issues To The Arbitrator, Which May or May Not...

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The Texas Supreme Court held that arbitration clauses in trust documents may be enforced regarding claims by beneficiaries against trustees. In Rachal v. Reitz, a beneficiary sued a trustee for failing to provide an...more

Winstead PC

Enforcement Of Will/Trust Provisions Giving The Fiduciary The Power To Construe The Document

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​​​​​​​It is common for wills or trusts to provide that the fiduciary has the right to construe the document. For example, a provision may state that the fiduciary shall resolve any question regarding the construction,...more

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

M&A in Brief: Q2 2022

Delaware Clarifies “Pro-Sandbagging” Stance by Mark Tarallo and Mary Moran In almost every M&A transaction, the parties spend some time discussing (if not heavily negotiating) the right of the buyer to bring claims against...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Unsigned, Non-Final Operating Agreemeent Trumps Conflicting Testamentary Bequest of LLC Interest

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Ten months ago, we wrote about an unusual case involving an LLC member who documented two irreconcilable membership interest transfers upon death. In Harris v Harris, 2020 NY Slip Op 31570(U) [Sup Ct, NY County Apr. 23,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Cross Border Prenuptial Agreements

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A prenuptial agreement is entered into by a couple before marriage to address the rights and obligations that accrue in the event of a termination of the marriage by divorce or death. In the United States, there is not a...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

How to Resolve Competing Estate Plans of an LLC Owner with a Double Life

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Corporate shareholder and LLC operating agreements routinely contain provisions addressing the transfer of equity interests upon the death of an owner of a closely-held business. Such provisions are vital for succession...more

Winstead PC

The Use of Arbitration, Forum Selection, And Jury-Waiver Clauses in Trust and Estate Litigation In Texas - Presentation

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David F. Johnson, lead writer for the Texas Fiduciary Litigator blog, discusses the enforceability of arbitration, forum-selection, and jury-waiver clauses in trust and will disputes as well as other related issues associated...more

Winstead PC

Contractual Jury Waivers in Trust and Estate Litigation in Texas

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Individuals execute trusts and wills to determine how certain assets are to be managed and distributed. Those same individuals may want to have some control over the dispute resolution process for any conflicts that arise in...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Testator Intent and In Terrorem Clauses

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

My colleagues have written on the enforceability of in terrorem clauses, and the courts continue to confront challenges in reconciling the testator’s intent to impose an in terrorem condition with the rights of beneficiaries...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Eleventh Circuit Rules Reverse Mortgage Companies Not Prohibited from Foreclosing on Non-Borrowing Spouses

Mortgagees of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (“HECMs,” more commonly known as reverse mortgages) obtained a significant victory in an important federal appellate court, which ruled last month that non-borrowing spouses are...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That Testator Devised Property As A Life Estate

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In Knopf v. Gray, the will disposed of the testator’s entire estate, specifically including a tract of land. No. 17-0262, 2018 Tex. LEXIS 249 (Tex. March 23, 2018)....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Waiver of Right of Election: Correction of Defective Acknowledgment

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

With a specific statute (Domestic Relations Law §236(3)) mandating that pre-nuptial agreements must be acknowledged, and with a specific statutory form of acknowledgment (Real Property Law §309-a(1)), it is surprising that...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Surrogate’s Court Sets Aside Fraudulent Conveyance Violative of Contract to Make a Testamentary Disposition

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

A person who executes a valid agreement to make a testamentary disposition as to a specific item of property is precluded from making an alternative disposition, either during lifetime or upon death. ...more

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