Monthly Archives: July 2013
Court sides with nursing home against woman’s grandchildren
An elderly New York State woman thought she was doing the right thing for her grandchildren. A court ruled otherwise, in a case of estate planning gone horribly wrong. The woman, Lillian Hellman, sought to have four annuities, which she obtained in her name with her in control of the accounts, transferred to each… Read More »
Appeals court extends attorney-client privilege
People turn to attorneys for estate planning for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the assurance that information exchanged in the process is protected from disclosure. “A fundamental principle in the client-lawyer relationship is that, in the absence of the client’s informed consent, the lawyer must not reveal information relating… Read More »
When irrevocable trusts no longer make sense, they can be revoked
There’s irrevocable in the dictionary, and then there’s irrevocable in the law. The two are not the same thing at all, and for that, some people are quite grateful, according to a recent article in Forbes magazine. “Americans were once trust-happy,” the story began. “Now many are having second thoughts, and rightly so. Given… Read More »
How To Decide When It’s Necessary To ‘Lawyer Up’
“You’ll need an attorney for this journey,” Tom Waits wrote in one of his songs. But just when is it necessary to pull that trigger? People struggle with this question all the time, and even lawyers understand this can be a difficult decision to make. “The United States has more lawyers per person than… Read More »