I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count. Two brilliant founders, often friends, sketch out an idea on a napkin in a Manhattan
A newly appointed executor stands in the living room of a Brooklyn brownstone, looking at forty years of accumulated life. The closets are full, the
The judge in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court has finally signed the decree settling your family’s estate. After months—sometimes years—of waiting, the probate process is officially over.
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
Your father passed away six months ago in his home on Long Island. He named your brother as the executor of his will. At first,
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent, the named executor usually expects a straightforward process. They gather the original will, order a stack of death
A few weeks ago, a couple came into my office. They had spent 40 years in their Queens home, raising a family and building a
A family is gathered in a conference room after a funeral. The will for their mother, a lifelong Manhattan resident, is being read. It contains
Picture a family sitting in a funeral director’s office in Brooklyn, forty-eight hours after a sudden loss. The director hands them an itemized estimate for
Clients often walk into my office with a question they’ve picked up from a financial blog or a relative in another state: “Can I use
I once worked with the family of a successful artist who passed away unexpectedly in her Manhattan studio. She was unmarried, had no children, and
A few years ago, a client came to our office with his late father’s trust document. He was 32, and the trust stipulated that he
A family in Manhattan is grieving the loss of their father. Then the probate petition arrives. The will they see is not the one they
Why Your Family’s Inheritance Could End Up in Court When a family in Brooklyn loses a parent, their grief is often compounded by a frustrating
A client sat in my Manhattan office last week, worried. He had read about a “7-year rule” for gifts and feared that helping his daughter
After a funeral in Brooklyn, the family often gathers. They share memories, they grieve, and they wait. Many expect a phone call from an attorney
When a Manhattan patriarch passes away, the family often expects a call from my office inviting them to sit around a mahogany conference table while
A client’s father passes away in his Brooklyn brownstone. He was organized—he left a properly signed and witnessed will in his desk drawer. The family
A daughter sits in a Brooklyn bank branch holding her father’s notarized durable power of attorney, expecting to update his beneficiary designations and consolidate his
A few years ago, I sat with the parents of a 29-year-old software engineer who had died in a sudden accident. They came to my
I often sit with clients in our Manhattan office after they’ve signed their newly drafted trust. They feel a sense of relief, holding a binder
After a parent passes away in Brooklyn, the family’s grief is often compounded by a frantic search. They check desks, filing cabinets, and old boxes,
An elderly client’s daughter called our Manhattan office in a panic. Her father had suffered a serious fall, was incapacitated, and could no longer manage
When a Brooklyn family prepares to sell the brownstone their parents bought in the 1980s, the process often stalls at the title search. I see
A son recently came to our Manhattan office with his father’s original Last Will and Testament. The document was clear—it named him as the executor
A client sat in my office recently, the paperwork for his mother’s estate settled and in perfect order. “Russel,” he said, “the trust did exactly
When a Manhattan executor sits down at a dining room table with a stack of death certificates and an address book, the next steps dictate
A client once came to my office with an unusual problem. Her mother had just passed away, leaving her a substantial IRA. While grateful, my
A family in Brooklyn recently sat in my office facing a brutal arithmetic problem. Their widowed father needed skilled nursing care—an expense running upwards of
When a Manhattan family discovers an un-notarized trust document in a deceased parent’s desk, the next nine months belong to Surrogate’s Court. I see this
