In 1877, Cornelius “the Commodore” Vanderbilt died as the wealthiest man in America. He left an estate worth an estimated $100 million—more than the entire
I often sit down with families who have a will and believe their planning is complete. They’ve named an executor and listed who gets the
I recently sat with a couple from Brooklyn. They had two young children, a home, and retirement accounts. They believed they needed a “simple will.”
A family from Brooklyn calls our office. Their mother recently passed away, and her will clearly names her son as the executor. The New York
An adult child, recently named executor, stands in the doorway of their parents’ Manhattan apartment. Every room is filled with a lifetime of possessions—furniture, art,
I often get a call from the adult child of a recently deceased parent. After the initial shock and grief, the conversation inevitably turns to
I often meet with families in our Manhattan office after a parent has passed away. They arrive with a Last Will and Testament, believing it’s
When a Manhattan family loses a parent, they assume a Last Will and Testament makes the next steps simple. They arrive at Surrogate’s Court with
I once met with two siblings from Brooklyn who were about to spend tens of thousands of dollars fighting in Kings County Surrogate’s Court. The
When a Manhattan family inherits a brownstone valued at $3 million but discovers their parents left no liquid cash, the next nine months belong to
A client recently walked into my office with his late father’s will and a thick packet of forms from the Kings County Surrogate’s Court. He
A family in Queens recently came to my office. Their teenage son, who has a permanent disability, was the beneficiary of a life insurance policy
Is Walt Disney Really Frozen Under Cinderella’s Castle? A client asked me that question last week. We were in our Manhattan office, finalizing a trust
When Cornelius Vanderbilt died in 1877, he was the wealthiest man in America. He left nearly 95% of his $100 million estate to a single
I recently met with the wife of a Manhattan restaurant owner who passed away unexpectedly. He was in his early 50s, successful, and had never
When a Manhattan family discovers their father’s will in a locked desk drawer three weeks after his funeral, they almost always assume the document itself
A construction worker falls from a scaffold in Brooklyn. After two years of litigation, his personal injury attorney secures a seven-figure settlement. His family believes
I once worked with a family in Queens whose patriarch had built a successful contracting business from the ground up. When he died suddenly, his
When an executor submits a will to the Surrogate’s Court in Brooklyn and the clerk notices a beneficiary’s name crossed out with a handwritten note
When a Manhattan family finally locates a parent’s original will in a dusty home safe, the grieving process is quickly interrupted by administrative reality. The
A client once came to my Manhattan office holding two documents: his father’s original will and a freshly issued death certificate. He had been named
A son, a beneficiary of his late mother’s estate in Brooklyn, calls our office. He’s concerned the executor—his sister—is not communicating about the sale of
A son in Nassau County gets a call. His mother had a fall, and while she’s not seriously injured, she can no longer live alone.
When a Manhattan family locates their late father’s will in a safe deposit box, they usually assume the hardest part is over. They read 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 recently sat in my Manhattan office, the original copy of his mother’s will resting on the table between us. He had been named
When a Brooklyn father passes away leaving behind a carefully drafted will that divides his estate equally among his three children, the family usually expects
A couple I advised recently moved to Manhattan from California. After selling their business, they bought a brownstone in Brooklyn and titled it as “joint
An executor for his mother’s estate in Queens calls my office. They have a buyer for the family home, but the closing is stalled. The
A client called me last week from Brooklyn. Her father had passed, and while she was certain he had a will, she couldn’t find it.
