A client came to me last week with what he thought was a simple plan. “Russel,” he said, “I’m just going to sign the deed
Imagine a family matriarch from Manhattan with three adult children. For decades, her intention was simple: divide her estate equally among them. But years pass.
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who left their estate to a minor child, the specific wording of the testamentary document dictates the next
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who left behind a paid-off brownstone but no trust, the next nine months are dictated by Surrogate’s Court.
When a Manhattan executive passes away unexpectedly, the family often spends the first six months fighting a shadow war against technology companies. The physical assets—the
The call I dread is the one that comes a week after a funeral. It’s usually from an adult child, confused and hurt. A parent’s
A brownstone in Park Slope, a family business in Williamsburg, savings built over a lifetime. Without a deliberate plan, what happens to it all when
A family in Manhattan loses their father. He never remarried after his wife passed, but he had a devoted partner for fifteen years. He always
When a Manhattan family loses a parent, their grief is often compounded by a surprising discovery. The will they hold, a document they assumed was
A client came into my Manhattan office last month with a common problem. Fifteen years ago, she had drafted a will naming her sister as
A family home in Brooklyn passes to three siblings. One has lived there for years, caring for their aging father. The other two, who live
When a Manhattan family discovers their father’s DIY will—printed on cheap paper and signed at the kitchen table—they often assume the hard work is done.
A family from Brooklyn recently came to my office. Their mother had passed away, leaving behind the brownstone she’d owned for 40 years. They assumed
A few months ago, a new client came to our Manhattan office after his mother passed away. He was relieved because she had named him
A Manhattan family gathers in an intensive care waiting room. The attending physician has just delivered the news: their father, following a catastrophic stroke, will
When a Manhattan family loses a parent, they often find a Last Will and Testament tucked away in a safe deposit box or a desk
Two sisters purchase a brownstone in Brooklyn. They put both of their names on the deed, assuming that if one of them passes away, the
A Brooklyn father decides to save his daughter the future hassle of Surrogate’s Court. He downloads a two-page legal form, fills it out at the
A family in Manhattan finds their late father’s original Last Will and Testament in his desk drawer. They see he named his eldest daughter as
A client once came to my office with a common story. To simplify his estate, he had added his adult son to the deed of
A client recently called me from her late father’s apartment in Brooklyn. She had found his will, dated 1998, in a locked file cabinet. The
I often meet with the surviving spouse of a new client, someone who has just lost their partner unexpectedly. They sit in my Manhattan office,
When a Brooklyn business owner prepares to sell a company they spent forty years building, the tax projections can be sobering. Between federal capital gains
Can Making a Gift Before Applying to Medicaid Save Assets in New York? Medicaid is a vital program that provides healthcare coverage to eligible individuals
An estranged aunt passes away in Manhattan. A few weeks later, a vague letter arrives from an attorney you have never met, mentioning a court
A client recently came into my Manhattan office with a printout from an online legal site. “I want one of these,” he said, pointing to
I often meet with families after a parent has passed away. The children come to my office with a will, thinking the family home in
I once met with a family from Long Island whose father had passed away suddenly. He was a meticulous man who believed he had left
A young executive in Manhattan downloads a will template online. For $99 and fifteen minutes of his time, he fills in the blanks, names his
The envelope arrives from the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court. Inside are the Letters Testamentary—the official document appointing you as the executor of a loved one’s estate.
