I often meet with couples who have built a significant life together in New York. They own a home, hold investment accounts, and have spent
When a family loses a parent in New York who left only a will, their next year is spent with the Surrogate’s Court. I see
I recently sat with a couple in their late seventies who had owned their Brooklyn brownstone since the 1960s. Their children were grown and settled,
When a Manhattan family loses a parent who relied solely on a simple will, the next nine months to a year belong to the court
When a Brooklyn family loses the last surviving parent who owned the family home in their individual name, the immediate assumption is often that the
When a Brooklyn family discovers their late father left a Transfer on Death deed instead of a traditional will, they usually breathe a sigh of
When a Brooklyn family discovers that a boilerplate trust failed to account for a son’s sudden divorce, the next two years belong to Surrogate’s Court.
A widowed mother in Brooklyn reads a generic article online about avoiding probate. Wanting to protect her property for her son, she downloads a template,
When a Manhattan executive passes away, their family often assumes the will is the final word. They read the document, see the named beneficiaries, and
A widow in Brooklyn decides to sell the brownstone she and her husband purchased in 1982. Her husband passed away four years ago, and she
A client recently came to my office after purchasing a brownstone in Brooklyn. Having moved from Texas, where she had used a “Transfer on Death”
A client once came to my office after his mother passed away in Brooklyn. She had a small checking account—just enough to cover her funeral
A young couple recently sat at a long mahogany table in Brooklyn, sliding a certified bank check across the desk to close on their first
When an elderly parent in Manhattan passes away, the last thing their children expect is a tax bill from Albany—especially when they know the estate
I recently sat with a couple from Brooklyn who had built a successful manufacturing business from the ground up. Their concern wasn’t about their own
A couple finalizes their divorce in Manhattan. The separation agreement is signed, and the last major task is transferring the title of their shared apartment.
A son recently sat in my office describing his father’s last few months. A lifelong relationship of trust had been upended by a new caregiver
The call often comes on a Monday morning. A client’s parent passed away over the weekend, and now they sit at a kitchen table in
Imagine a family in Brooklyn. A father passes away without a formal will, leaving behind a paid-off home and several investment accounts. His eldest son
A client recently sat in my office, pointing to a single phrase in his draft will. “Russel,” he said, “what does ‘per stirpes’ even mean?
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 man I met last year walked into a bank in Manhattan holding his late mother’s will. He was named as the executor and assumed
A client sat in my Manhattan office last week, wrestling with a decision that has kept him up at night for months. He built a
I recently sat with a client from Brooklyn who was creating a trust for her two young children. We had worked through the asset allocation
I once met with the adult children of a recently deceased client from Brooklyn. Their father had remarried late in life, and his will was
A father in Brooklyn decides to save his daughter the headache of Surrogate’s Court. He goes online, downloads a two-page template, signs it before a
A client recently sat in my office, convinced a simple will was all he needed. He owned his Brooklyn brownstone outright, had a straightforward investment
An executor for a late parent’s estate in Queens opens the mailbox at their mother’s old apartment. Inside, there’s a final utility bill, a sympathy
In the intricate web of end-of-life arrangements, one question that often arises is the cost of cremation. As experienced legal professionals at the Morgan Legal
Making Gifts Before Applying for Medicaid in New York: Asset Saving Strategies Medicaid is a vital program that provides healthcare coverage to individuals with limited
