An elderly mother in Manhattan stops paying her bills. A son with a traumatic brain injury is suddenly vulnerable to financial predators. These are not
A client recently came to my office with a thick folder and a sense of exhaustion. His father, a lifelong Brooklyn resident, had passed away,
When a surviving spouse in Brooklyn walks into a bank with a death certificate and a Last Will and Testament, they usually expect to walk
Nine weeks after an executor submits a petition to the Kings County Surrogate’s Court, a notice arrives in the mail. The petition has been rejected.
I once met with two siblings in our Manhattan office. Their father had just passed away, and they were at a complete impasse. One insisted
I often sit with clients who have spent a lifetime building a business or stewarding a family fortune. Their concern is no longer about their
A client from Brooklyn sat in my office last week with what she thought was a simple plan. “I want to give the house to
I once worked with a family whose matriarch left her beloved Brooklyn brownstone outright and in equal shares to her three adult children. It was
An elderly mother passes away in her Queens apartment. Her son, named as the executor in her will, knows she had a pension and owned
When a Manhattan executive passes away leaving highly unconventional instructions for their physical remains, the immediate aftermath rarely resembles a peaceful transition. Instead, the family
Every few years, an executive sits across the desk in our Madison Avenue office and asks a variation of the same question. Usually, it starts
I once met with a family from Brooklyn whose matriarch, a brilliant retired professor, had started giving away staggering amounts of money to strangers she
I recently met with a couple from Queens who had spent a significant sum on an irrevocable trust they didn’t fully understand. A non-attorney “advisor”
A client from Westchester called me recently. Her father had passed, and as the executor of his estate, she was cataloging his assets. Tucked inside
After a parent passes away in Brooklyn, the family might discover a handwritten note in a desk drawer. It starts with, “To my children, I
When a Manhattan business owner dies with a significant estate held only in their name, their family often believes a valid will is all they
A family in Brooklyn receives a final accounting from the executor of their father’s estate, and the administrative fees are far higher than anyone anticipated.
An executive living in California is named the executor for her mother’s estate in Brooklyn. Her first call to our office often begins with the
When a Brooklyn family discovers a handwritten letter in a late parent’s desk drawer outlining who gets the house and the bank accounts, they often
A client from Brooklyn sat in my office last week with what she thought was a simple, elegant plan. “I want to give my brownstone
A client recently came to our Manhattan office with a copy of a will. It belonged to his uncle, a man he hadn’t spoken with
A client came into my Manhattan office last week with a will she’d signed in 2012. In the years since, her husband had passed, a
I recently met with a couple from Westchester who had spent 40 years building a life in their home. Their question was a common one.
Is a Trust Better Than a Direct Inheritance? I once had a client—a successful entrepreneur from Manhattan—who was immensely proud of the wealth he had
The call often comes at an inconvenient hour. A client’s mother has passed away in her Brooklyn home, and my client—named as the executor in
When a Brooklyn family unlocks a deceased parent’s safe deposit box and finds a will, the initial reaction is usually relief. That relief often evaporates
A family in Brooklyn discovers their late father’s will must be validated by the Kings County Surrogate’s Court. For the next nine to twelve months,
Two adult siblings stand at their father’s bedside in a Manhattan intensive care unit. One holds a living will drafted twelve years ago, stipulating that
A son recently came to my office with his late mother’s will. He was the named executor, ready to probate her Manhattan apartment and investment
A young woman in Manhattan recently learned she was the beneficiary of a trust her grandfather established years ago. Her first call was one of
