The Case of the Laughing Heirs
The Secret Child
Welcome to 'Splitting Heirs'
To Give or Not to Give: Considerations for Year-End Gifting
Are you considering remarriage? Do you and/or your spouse have children from a previous marriage? If so, remarriage and a blended family are excellent reasons for a new or updated estate plan. Blended families are quickly...more
In Ruiz Mattei v. Commercial Equipment Finance, Inc., the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico determined that claims under the Unjustified Dismissal Act and the Workplace Discrimination Act are transferable to the employee’s heirs...more
In the first 10 minutes of Netflix’s The Gentleman, the grieving heirs of Archibald Horniman are shocked when it is revealed that he has left his sizeable estate almost entirely to his second-born son, to the exclusion of his...more
Today on “Splitting Heirs,” host Warren Racusin speaks with Molefi McIntosh and Mavis Gragg about the “heirs’ property problem--” or what happens to real estate when it is passed down within families without benefit of a...more
Understanding the significance of trustee notice, as mandated by Probate Code Section 16061.7, is crucial in trust administration. This notice is required upon the occurrence of certain events, most notably, when a trust...more
I am not an expert on Zen Buddhism. However, even if I had spent decades of my life studying its tenets (instead of, for example, baseball stats from the 1920’s), I would hesitate to call myself an expert because of what...more
As estate planning attorneys, a question that often arises with new and prospective clients is, “What happens if I die without a will?” The short answer is this: if you die without a valid will in Massachusetts, state law...more
In the United Arab Emirates, inheritance and wills are governed by a combination of Sharia law and civil laws. The legal framework for Muslim individuals' wills and inheritance is primarily based on the Federal Law No....more
There has been immense activity surrounding the jurisprudence of celebrity rights in India with numerous judicial pronouncements in recent years. As regards legislation, there is no statute in India that expressly recognises...more
Who’s your father for inheritance purposes in California? Family Code section 7540(a) states that “the child of spouses who cohabited at the time of conception and birth is conclusively presumed to be a child of the...more
Estate administration: A discussion with a religious leader and an experienced attorney in estate administration about the legal, emotional, and spiritual rituals and processes surrounding the death of a loved one. ...more
Wills: An estate planner and a Shakespearean scholar talk about the right way—and the many wrong ways—to design your will. Speakers: Warren Racusin, Chair, Trusts & Estates Bridget Harris, Counsel, Trusts & Estates Mary...more
An information packed and hopefully entertaining guide to estate planning and the world of trusts and estates. Estate planning really involves thinking about the people and things that are most important to you—family, loved...more
While Disneyland may be the “Happiest Place on Earth,” a California probate court may be the opposite for a Disney heir, mused the U.S. Court of Appeals in Lund v. Cowan (9th Cir. 2021) ___ F.3d ___. Bradford Lund, a 50...more
Grieving the death of a friend or family member is hard enough. Imagine the compounded feelings of realizing that an inheritance you had been promised or otherwise believed would be coming is not materializing. You were...more
Continuing the Smith and Alexander family saga, this blog focuses on the interesting and not-uncommon twist of Stevie Jenkins surfacing and believing to be half-siblings with Twyla and Randall. Tiffany Bentley’s blog last...more
Providing for your children is one of the primary purposes of estate planning, but what happens to your carefully crafted trust if you had children you did not know about when you created the trust? Or, what if you have...more
A common misconception is that when you die with a Will, your heirs avoid probate. In California when you die with a Will and the total assets owned in your sole name exceed $166,250, your estate goes through probate (a court...more
On September 15, 2019, Ric Ocasek, singer, songwriter, and guitarist of The Cars, died in his Manhattan residence. He was found that morning by his wife, Paulina Porizkova, a supermodel and celebrity in her own right, as she...more
One of the most common questions clients ask is whether they need a trust. While they are usually seeking a “yes” or “no” answer, as with most legal questions, the correct answer usually is, “It depends.” The answer depends...more
In the absence of a trust that allows assets to pass without opening probate, the California probate process lasts for at least six months and can run much longer depending on the size of the estate and the nature of assets....more
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2019! Leighton v. Hallstrom, 94 Mass. App. Ct. 439 (2018) - In Leighton, the Appeals Court vacated a final decree of the Plymouth Probate and Family Court settling an intestate estate....more
There are lots of “do-it-yourself” Will programs floating around on the internet. You may be able to save legal fees by drafting your own Will – at least up front; but in the long run, the cost usually comes after you die...more
Several recent decisions serve as a good reminder that it is not only the Probate and Family Court that addresses important T&E issues in Massachusetts. In the consolidated matters of Hanna et al. v. Williams et al.,...more
Preface to Case: The Texas Constitution states that “[n]o conviction shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture of estate.” Tex. Const. Art. I § 21 (emphasis added). The Texas Estates Code also states as much. Tex. Est....more