A few years ago, a business owner from Manhattan came to us after his father passed away. His father, a successful man, had used an
When a family patriarch in Brooklyn passes away, his children believe his last will and testament is the final word. They expect a swift, orderly
When a family in Brooklyn loses their matriarch, the discovery of her will is often just the beginning. They assume her wishes are clear, but
An executor clearing out her father’s apartment on the Upper West Side finds a metal box in the back of a closet. Inside, beneath old
A client came to our Manhattan office last week with a question I’ve heard many times. He is happily remarried, with two adult children from
A client recently sat in my office, just across from Grand Central, proud of the 401(k) statement in his hands. He and his wife had
When a Manhattan family loses a parent who left behind a well-organized stock portfolio, a primary residence, and a single vacation week at a Florida
A few months ago, a man came into my Manhattan office with a binder. Inside was a set of documents he’d purchased from a national
When a Brooklyn homeowner passes away, their children often spend the following weeks sorting through dusty file cabinets and overstuffed safe deposit boxes. Frequently, they
When a Brooklyn family sits at my conference table and announces they want to sign their brownstone over to their children to “get it out
The moment a will is filed for probate in a New York Surrogate’s Court, it becomes a public document. Anyone can walk in, request the
A few months ago, I took a call from a woman whose father, a retired teacher in Brooklyn, had recently passed away. He was a
I recently met with a family from Brooklyn. Their mother had passed away, leaving them the family brownstone where they grew up. They had the
When a family from Brooklyn loses their matriarch, they often find her Last Will and Testament tucked away in a safe deposit box. There’s a
A family in Brooklyn finds their father’s original Last Will and Testament neatly folded in a fireproof safe. It names the eldest daughter as executor
A construction worker falls from a scaffold in Manhattan. After two years of litigation, a seven-figure settlement is finally reached. The family feels a wave
When a Manhattan family loses a parent, the initial quiet of mourning eventually gives way to the stark demands of Surrogate’s Court. Once a judge
I once worked with the children of a founder who built a formidable construction company in Brooklyn. For forty years, he was the business. When
A client sat across from me last week, convinced he needed a “living trust” but concerned about the term “revocable.” It’s a question my firm
What Happens When Family and the Law Disagree? A few years ago, a woman came into my Manhattan office. Her brother, a lifelong bachelor living
I often meet with new clients who believe a simple will is all the planning they need. They’ve signed a document, named an executor, and
I recently met with a couple from Brooklyn. Twenty years ago, they had a “simple will” drafted by a general practice lawyer. Today, their life
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
When a Manhattan executive passes away, the family often assumes the carefully drafted Will controls everything. They read the document, note that all assets are
When a Brooklyn family finally decides to protect a brownstone they have owned since 1985 by transferring it into a revocable living trust, they usually
I once worked with a family in Brooklyn where the father, a successful small business owner, passed away suddenly. He had remarried late in life
When a Brooklyn family loses a parent, the surviving spouse often assumes they automatically inherit the family home. They continue paying the mortgage, keeping up
When a Manhattan business founder dies leaving behind unreleased products, trademarks, and a fragmented family, the ensuing nine months in Surrogate’s Court determine whether that
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 client recently asked me, “If I put my Manhattan co-op into a revocable trust, do I still own it? Can I decide to sell
