A client from Brooklyn called me last week. Her father had just passed, and the attorney who drafted his trust twenty years ago had long
When a Brooklyn family presents a freshly printed, internet-generated will to the Surrogate’s Court, the clerk does not look at the elegant font or the
When a Brooklyn family discovers their father’s downloaded, ninety-nine-dollar will was witnessed by only one person instead of the two required by EPTL §3-2.1, the
I regularly meet with adult children who arrive at our Manhattan office carrying their parent’s newly signed last will and testament, expecting it to solve
A client came to me last month with a common, and very human, problem. His son, a bright 19-year-old in his first year of college,
Patient abandonment is a term that strikes fear into the hearts of healthcare providers and patients alike. This elusive concept of failing to provide necessary
A family in Brooklyn recently came to my office. Their father had passed away, leaving behind a home, a modest investment account, and a will
I recently sat with a client who wanted to name her two adult children as co-executors of her will. It’s a common request, and the
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. A family from Staten Island walks into my office after a parent has passed away.
A Long Island business owner passes away, leaving a will that reflects decades of careful planning. He provided for his wife, his children, and a
When a father in Queens passes away and the sibling living in the family home suddenly stops answering calls, the rest of the family is
A grandparent in Queens passes away, leaving a loving gift of $100,000 in their will directly to a grandchild with a developmental disability. What seems
The story is American folklore: Walt Disney had his body cryogenically frozen, waiting beneath his theme park for a future cure. The truth is conventional—he
When an executor walks into the Surrogate’s Court in Manhattan a week after a parent’s funeral, holding an original, ink-signed will, they often expect a
A few years ago, I met with three siblings who had just inherited their parents’ brownstone in Brooklyn. Their father had passed away suddenly, leaving
A client recently came to our Manhattan office after his father passed away. He had the original will—signed, witnessed, and notarized—and assumed he could now
Two siblings inherit a Brooklyn brownstone. Five years pass. One sibling wants to sell and cash out, while the other lives in the parlor floor
You’ve found the document in your father’s desk drawer or a safe deposit box. It’s the original, signed and witnessed—his Last Will and Testament. He
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who never drafted a formal will, the surviving children usually expect a straightforward path to stepping in and
A few months after her father’s passing, a client from Brooklyn called me. She had just located his original will, tucked away in a safe
A client came to our Manhattan office after her mother passed away in Brooklyn. Her mother lived a simple life—she rented her apartment, had a
A call comes from a hospital in Manhattan. Your father has passed. Amid the grief, you find his will, and in it, your name next
I once had a client in Manhattan—a successful entrepreneur—who created a trust for his two children. He named his brother as trustee. His brother is
When a Brooklyn family sits at my conference table and announces they want to sign their brownstone over to their children to “get it out
I once met with the children of a successful Manhattan entrepreneur a week after his funeral. He had built a remarkable manufacturing business from nothing.
When an adult child takes on the role of executor after a parent dies, the first few weeks are often spent tearing apart filing cabinets
A client came to my office last month, a successful entrepreneur from Manhattan with a growing logistics company. “Russel,” she said, “I want to put
I often meet with families after a loved one has passed. If the deceased owned a Brooklyn co-op and a brokerage account with only a
A client from Manhattan sat in my office, staring at a copy of her mother’s will. “She named me trustee,” she said. “I thought it
It’s late January in New York. A trustee for a family trust discovers that a portfolio asset unexpectedly paid out a large capital gain on
