A family in Manhattan finds their father’s will, neatly filed in his desk. They see he left his apartment to his children and named his
A client from Manhattan recently asked me, “If I create a trust, does it get filed with the state? I don’t want my family’s affairs
The story about Walt Disney being cryogenically frozen is a persistent urban legend. It’s also false—his remains were cremated in 1966. Yet, the question it
Consider a family in Brooklyn Heights who purchased a brownstone in the early 1980s for a mere fraction of what it commands today. That property,
A client’s father passes away in his Brooklyn home. He was prudent, responsible, and left what everyone believed was a perfectly valid will. The family
A father passes away in his home in Queens. In his desk, his children find the title to his car, free and clear of any
When an aging parent in Manhattan begins missing mortgage payments and forgetting bank passwords, the family often assumes they can simply step in and manage
A client once came to our Manhattan office ready to sign his will. He was a successful entrepreneur, leaving a significant legacy for his two
I once sat across from the widow of a brilliant Manhattan software founder. Her late husband had built a company worth eight figures from the
A father passes away in Brooklyn. His son wants a traditional burial in the family plot. His daughter, citing conversations with her father, insists he
When a successful Manhattan executive passes away and leaves his entire estate outright to his second wife, an unintended countdown begins. The children from his
After her aunt passed away, a client from Brooklyn called me. She and her aunt had been very close. For years, her aunt had said,
When a Manhattan family opened their father’s safe deposit box last year, they found his revocable living trust neatly bound in a leather folder. Stapled
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
The call I receive often comes a few months after the funeral. An executor, usually a son or daughter, is standing in the middle of
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent who relied solely on a will, the next nine to eighteen months belong to Surrogate’s Court. The family
A mother in Brooklyn passes away, leaving her brownstone to her two children. They find her will and assume ownership is simple. But they soon
When a parent passes away in Manhattan without a trust, their family often learns a hard lesson about Surrogate’s Court. Their loved one’s final wishes,
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent, the immediate grief is quickly interrupted by a harsh administrative reality. The bank freezes the checking account. The
The story of Walt Disney being cryogenically preserved is a myth. His death certificate confirms he was cremated two days after his death in 1966.
When a Brooklyn family finally gets around to estate planning, the family home is usually the centerpiece of the conversation. I often see well-meaning parents
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
Your uncle passes away in his Manhattan apartment, and in his will, he’s named you the executor. A week later, you receive a thick packet
A client came to us last month, a widow who had lived in her Brooklyn brownstone for 40 years. Her husband had passed, and she
A Manhattan father leaves his estate equally to his three adult children. He signs the will, places it in a safe deposit box, and lives
A client recently came to my office with a shoebox. Inside was her late father’s will, a stack of unopened mail from the Kings County
A client of ours, a successful architect in Manhattan, wanted to leave a significant portion of her estate to her two young children. She knew
An aging parent in Brooklyn decides to avoid probate by adding her eldest son to the deed of her brownstone. It seems like a simple,
A client recently came to our office with a common concern. His mother had passed away in her Queens apartment, leaving behind a modest bank
A surgeon on Park Avenue builds a successful practice over 30 years. She’s proud of her work, but she also knows that one frivolous lawsuit—even
