Fiduciary Litigation Update
Barred by Lunatics Law
How a preexisting substituted judgment order can preclude posthumous challenges to a will in California (and possibly elsewhere): the lesson of Murphy v. Murphy...
Amend the Amendment Clause
A few simple changes can make revocable trusts a tad less flexible so that your clients’ beneficiaries aren’t dragged into post-mortem legal wrangling...
Celebrity Estates Face Off With Publicity Laws
Marilyn Monroe died in 1962 but only recently lost control of her likeness; James Brown just died in 2006 but may already lose control of his. ...
Privilege Planning Is an Ounce of Prevention
Fellow practitioners—please direct your attention to a well-written and thought-provoking article providing client-saving advice on a topic that may not be uppermost in your minds when working on estate plans and tax returns: privilege....
JELL-O Fortune Slips Away
State high court rules that an "adopted-out" child is not entitled to inherit her biological mother’s estate...
Estate Tax on Wrongful Death Claims?
An Illinois appellate decision sets a potentially dangerous precedent suggesting it’s possible...
Discovery Goofs
An inadvertently disclosed document is sometimes a buried treasure -- but always a hot potato. Here's what to do when one lands in your lap...
Corporate Trustees Beware
Disappointed heirs lose their case against a bank -- but look at how much convincing the court needed...
Bonus Edition: Behind the Astor News
Indictment makes a mystery man out of a respected lawyer -- who could act as a key witness in the criminal trial. ...
Get Me to the Church on Time
The Kinney case out of Minnesota offers a good review of the general requirements for a valid prenuptial agreement. ...
