It’s late January. A trustee is reviewing the annual statements for a family trust and discovers a large, unexpected capital gain was realized in late
I received a call last week from a client’s son in Manhattan. His mother, a widow in her late eighties, had recently befriended a new
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who tried to handle their own property transfers, the next year of their lives often belongs to Surrogate’s
When a family patriarch in Brooklyn passes away, his children often find themselves sitting around the dining room table, surrounded by stacks of papers. They
I once worked with a couple from Brooklyn who did what they thought was the right thing. They named each other as the primary beneficiary
When a Manhattan family finds a parent’s Last Will and Testament folded in a firebox, the immediate assumption is usually that the document itself transfers
An executor I worked with recently was settling her father’s estate in Brooklyn. The largest asset was the family brownstone, owned for over fifty years.
Your sister names you as the executor of her will. When she passes, you find yourself spending the better part of a year managing her
When a Long Island father suffers a severe stroke at age 68, his family quickly discovers a harsh legal reality: his meticulously drafted Last Will
When a Brooklyn family arrived at my office last November with their father’s printed will, they assumed the hard part was over. The document looked
The call I most often receive comes from a kitchen table in Brooklyn or a home office in Manhattan. A parent has passed, and my
A client came to my office last month, a successful surgeon who had just purchased a condominium in Manhattan. He was proud of the accomplishment,
An elderly mother in Brooklyn starts making unusual withdrawals from her bank account. A brother, after a serious car accident, can no longer communicate his
A certified letter arrives from a law firm you don’t recognize. Inside is a formal notice from the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court. Your uncle has passed,
I recently spoke with a woman whose uncle lived a solitary life in his Brooklyn brownstone. After years without contact, her repeated calls went unanswered,
When a parent in Manhattan passes away with only a will, their children often discover their inheritance is frozen. The will must first be validated
A family in Brooklyn receives a probate citation in the mail. They are stunned. The will names a distant, barely-known caregiver as the sole beneficiary
When a Brooklyn family attempts to sell their late parents’ brownstone, the process usually hits a wall the moment the title search comes back. The
I often meet with families in our Manhattan office who have owned their home for generations. A common story is the Brooklyn brownstone, bought for
A client of mine, a surgeon with a successful practice in Manhattan, once asked me a question that gets to the heart of my work.
I once met with the widow of a successful Manhattan restaurant owner. He had died suddenly, without a will. She assumed that as his wife,
A family in Carroll Gardens owns their brownstone outright and runs a successful cafe on the ground floor. For 30 years, it’s been their life’s
An executor for a family estate in Queens recently called me. He was holding his father’s will and a stack of bank statements totaling just
When a Manhattan couple leaves a multi-million dollar estate to a twenty-something child, the immediate concern in our office is rarely about estate taxes. The
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
Three adult siblings are gathered in their late mother’s Brooklyn brownstone. For decades, this house was the center of their family. Now, it’s the center
A client from Brooklyn called me last week. He had read an article online about something called a “Transfer on Death” deed and wanted to
When a Manhattan family discovers their father left no written instructions regarding his funeral, the aftermath often fractures relationships before the estate even opens. One
A few weeks ago, a client sat in my Manhattan office with her father’s will. She knew he had been a deliberate man, but as
A family in Brooklyn receives a certified letter. Inside is a citation from the Kings County Surrogate’s Court and a copy of their father’s will—a
