Is Your Trust Really Doing What You Think It Is?
I recently met with a prospective client who told me he really didn’t need estate planning. He already had a trust prepared by an attorney in another state; that attorney was “fantastic,” and he had been assured by that attorney that his trust was fine. What he wanted was much simpler: he just needed North […]
Sneaky Lawyer Tricks That Drain Your Estate Plan
When people hire an estate planning attorney, they’re trying to make things easier for their family. They want to avoid probate when possible, reduce court involvement, keep costs under control, and make sure the people they choose can carry out the plan without unnecessary delays or confusion. That is what estate planning is supposed to […]
Do You Want the Government to Write Your Trust?
Thick vs. Thin Trusts More than ten years ago, I attended a nearly three-hour continuing legal education session devoted entirely to the 187 changes to trust law from the previous year. That may sound like an important program for estate planning attorneys, and technically it was. In practice, it was one of the most boring […]
Your Power of Attorney – Why the Bank Said No
There is a very common and very disruptive misunderstanding that comes up in estate planning, and it usually doesn’t show up until something has already gone wrong. By the time it surfaces, families are frustrated, financial institutions are refusing access, and someone is pointing fingers, trying to figure out what “failed.” This is one of […]
Online Wills, Why I Throw Most Away
I’m an estate planning attorney, and this is a story about how I saved two PhDs who used online wills from accidentally disinheriting each other. They thought they were being clever by using an online will. Instead, they created a legal mess that could have cost their family everything. Their DIY documents eventually ended up […]
Can You (or Should You) Concealed Carry at an ICE Protest?
Concealed Carry – Why State Law, Not Federal Law – Determines the Answer Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several people reach out on social media asking some variation of the same question: “Can I legally carry a concealed firearm if I attend or observe a protest against ICE?” The reason these questions are […]