» Legacy Law Center

Think Twice Before Challenging a Will

February 4th, 2016

When people are upset over an inheritance their first instinct is often to contest the will. However, will contests have high emotional and financial costs and should not be undertaken lightly. The Rochester Business Journal recently published an int… Read More

Tags: Estate Attorney, Inheritance, will contest

Taking Elder Care Disputes Out of Court

January 29th, 2016

When families disagree about how to care for an elderly relative they often have to go to court to resolve the disputes, which can take a long time. Ontario is considering changing this by taking the cases out of the court system. Even when everythin… Read More

Tags: Elder Care, Elder Law

Estate Planning Versus a Divorce Decree

January 26th, 2016

Sometimes when people are upset about specific terms of their divorce they will attempt to use estate planning to possibly get around those terms. That is usually not a good idea. When you think of all the possible things that could be ordered in a d… Read More

Tags: Divorce, estate planning, Life Insurance

Who Will Inherit From Morgan Freeman's Granddaughter?

December 4th, 2015

Morgan Freeman's granddaughter was tragically murdered. The actor has gotten involved in a probate case to determine who her heirs will be. In August, E'Dena Hines was stabbed to death by her boyfriend who seemed to believe that she was pos… Read More

Tags: Intestate, probate

Wrongful Death Settlement Talks Can Now Proceed in DuBose Case

December 2nd, 2015

The aftermath of a high-profile police shooting incident in Cincinnati illustrates a central tenet of estate law when a person passes away without an estate plan. The death of Sam DuBose received massive media attention and sparked national outrage.… Read More

Tags: estate plan, probate, Wrongful Death

Declaring Lord Lucan Completely Dead

November 20th, 2015

In the United Kingdom Lord Lucan was officially declared dead by High Court order in 1999. However, that does not mean that he is considered legally dead for all purposes. In 1974 a nanny in the employ of the 7th Earl of Lucan was found murdered at t… Read More

Tags: Missing Person Declared Deceased, Presumption of Death

What Did the Scaife Trustees Know?

November 17th, 2015

The contentious battle over the trust of the late Richard Mellon Scaife has taken an interesting turn as new court filings make it appear that at least one of the three trustees may have suspected the trust was being mismanaged. Richard Mellon Scaife… Read More

Tags: Mismanaged Trust, Removing a Trustee, Suing Trustees, Trustee Responsibilities

How Probate Can Get Expensive

November 16th, 2015

There are many reasons to want to avoid probate for your estate. One of them is that probate can get very expensive. One doctor's bill in a case in New Hampshire illustrates just how expensive. The story of Geraldine Webber's estate has bee… Read More

Tags: Estate Litigation, Inheritance, Probate Costs, Probate Court, Will Challenge

California Court Upholds Trust that Gives Millions to Lady's Gardener

November 3rd, 2015

A Sonoma County bank overseeing the trust of a wealthy Kentfield divorcee who left a large chunk of her $8.5 million estate to her gardener and other non-family members will be allowed to dip into the fund to defend challenges from the woman's d… Read More

Money and Estate Planning Issues for Unmarried Couples

October 26th, 2015

Whether a couple is married or unmarried, there are invariably many money issues for them to consider – and some valuable financial moves to make. Here are some tips for those in the not-married camp. A bad way to manage your joint and separate fin… Read More

Tags: Asset Protection, estate planning, Estate Planning Lawyer, power of attorney, Probate Attorney, Trusts and Estates, Unmarried Couples, Wills

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