The more you study probate administration, the more you see that it is an area of law that passes largely unnoticed. Unless there's a story in the paper about a big will contest, or regarding the estate of someone like Aaron Hernandez. But it...

One thing you want is an attorney who enjoys what they're doing. Honestly, after all the different types of law, after 40 years, that I've done, at this point for whatever reason, the only one I can say I find any enjoyment out of it is probate...

Probate administration can give you a PhD in soap opera. You see a 4 child family, fighting, and the various personalities you're going to have to deal with. The latest description I use is this: For a living, what I do is swallow grief, make...

In the field of probate administration, you have to be very careful. There are attorneys out there who churn cases for fees, create controversy to justify it, and act aggressively as both a part of strategy, and to help fund their cases. (e.g....

Even your dentist needs to be made aware. Today an associate dentist, under 40, was asking about the need for a will. Here it is her husband is a financial planner, and you wonder what the personal family financial plan is. This woman even confirmed...

Recently a husband and wife executed documents. The key was that they had a daughter who was honest, capable and willing - to be the health care proxy for her dad, and power of attorney for BOTH, seeing as how wife is in decline. Normally you take...

People need to be aware that the probate laws changed drastically with the implementation of the Uniform Probate Code in 2012. People come in with estates that were processed 25 years ago, and there are now issues that need be resolved, e.g.,...

One sad aspect of practicing in today's world is that the system itself has broken down. Petitions for guardianship or adoption are held up for weeks because papers sit undocketed, and appointments delayed; notices of objection are in the...

Sometimes you have to tell a prospective client that they can't get what they'd like. You have to be inventive. You can't just deed over property to minors, or use what everyone thinks is the magic solution - a trust. People want to put...

People have come to the office looking to set up property for their children who, when coming for consultation, you find out they are likely to be pursuing divorce within the foreseeable future. A divorce invalidates a will created prior to...