Featured Articles

Virtual Representation

May 13, 2010 01:36

Today I listened to the ALI-ABA Webcast "Virtual Representation in Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution:  Opportunities and Risks",  You can check at the ALI-ABA website to find out when the online version will be available - i highly recommend it. ...

Who gets the grandfather clock?

March 01, 2010 18:07

How many families do you know who fought over the settlement of their Mom and Dad’s estate? In my experience, these family feuds are often over things - not money. Who gets the sterling flatware and who gets the drop-leaf table are points of contention that rip apart the family fabric. Mom...

Estate of Michael Jackson - Let the Battle Begin

Patti Spencer
June 29, 2009 02:01

No word as yet about Michael Jackson's will.  According to a June 29, 2009 article in The Independent: "For reasons that remain murky, Jackson's immediate family have so far had no luck in persuading his former entourage to grant access to his will, the one document that could reveal...

Recent Articles

Ex-spouse Does Not Mean Ex-beneficiary

Patti Spencer
January 01, 2012 20:38

  If you are divorced, or you advise clients who are divorced, this is important. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) takes precedence over the Pennsylvania statute that removes divorced spouses as beneficiaries. What this...

No More Patents on Tax Strategies

Patti Spencer
December 13, 2011 19:45

A patent is an exclusive right granted by the government to an inventor for a limited period of time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention. A patent application must include one or more claims defining the invention which must be novel and non-obvious. The exclusive right...

Wills and contracts: what happens when the two meet?

Patti Spencer
November 14, 2011 22:27

We often see situations where one spouse dies and the surviving spouse changes his or her will to benefit different persons than were contemplated by the first spouse. A prime example would be a couple where the man had four children by his first marriage and five with his second wife. Husband and...

Form 8939 Filing Deadline Extended

Patti Spencer
September 14, 2011 14:23

Hat Tip to Dean Mead:  Form 8939 Filing Deadline Extended There's nothing like prolonging the agony.

99% of Lawyers Give the Rest of Us A Bad Name

Patti Spencer
September 06, 2011 15:37

The estate of deceased multimillionaire Frank Blumeyer of Naples, Florida, is embroiled in controversy. The 92-year old Blumeyer's $10 million estate is being fought over by his children and, his neighbor, a disbarred lawyer.  Aisling Swift, writing for Naplesnew.com says:  "The...

Duane Morris Sued for Malpractice Because of Madoff Investments

Patti Spencer
August 16, 2011 20:13

In a suit filed against Philadelphia law fimr Duane Morris LLP and two of their estate attorneys, Stanley M. Joffee, Esq. amd Stanley A. Barg, Esq.,  plaintiffs claim  they suffered "substantial losses" after the lawyers allegedly ignored their requests for...

Zsa Zsa Gabor is Still With Us - But Already a Fight Over her Estate?

Patti Spencer
July 11, 2011 15:19

See this excellent blog post at Trust Advisor Blog: Zsa Zsa’s Heirs from Past Marriages Line Up at Deathbed, Get Ready for Probate Court