by Manish C. Bhatia | Jun 30, 2013 | News + Trends
On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”)1 is an unconstitutional “deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution” (U.S. v. Windsor, 2013). The...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Apr 1, 2013 | News + Trends
Most people first encounter probate when a loved one passes away (the “decedent”) and his or her assets need to be transferred. Probate is the process by which the county court validates an individual’s Will, if he or she left one, and approves the distribution of...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Sep 3, 2012 | News + Trends
The question of when and how often estate planning documents should be reviewed is a very common and important one to ask your estate planning attorney. As discussed in the October 2010 Newsletter (“Reviewing Your Existing Estate Planning Documents”), any significant...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Aug 1, 2012 | News + Trends
When an individual is considering a divorce, his or her estate planning is likely low on the list of priorities. However, divorce is one of those significant changes in your family situation that should trigger an immediate review of your existing estate planning...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Jun 1, 2012 | News + Trends
On December 17, 2008, Dianne Edwards (“Edwards”) was choked to death. Edwards’ Will, which was admitted to probate on October 5, 2009, named her daughter, Deanna Palladino (“Deanna”), as the sole beneficiary of Edwards’ estate, which consisted mainly of Edwards’...
