When I am about to represent someone who is about to become a Fiduciary (Executor or Administrator) of an Estate, I find it helpful talk about “how an Estate finishes”. Like many things in life, if you know where you are trying to go it is easier to make a good plan to get there.
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3 Questions in Every New Probate Case
When I refer to a “probate case”, I am talking about any situation where someone has died and somebody is talking to me about it.
There are 3 main areas I ask questions about. Asking these questions helps me figure out what needs to be done, helps me analyze possible scenarios, and helps me decide…
Inheritance Rights of “Cousins” in New York
When people refer to “cousins”, in a way that covers a variety of relationships. For family and social purposes there isn’t much difference between first cousins, second cousins and “cousins once removed. But for legal purposes when inheritances are involved, there are big differences. The distinctions arise in two particular situations:
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Types of Proof in Kinship Cases
As noted in previous posts, aunts/uncles/cousins CAN inherit, if they can disprove the prior inheritance classes (spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, siblings/nieces/nephews) and prove their own relationship and identify and account for everyone at their inheritance level. This generally arises when the Public Administrator is filing a Accounting with the Court and refers to the cousins…
Inheritance Rights of Cousins in New York Surrogate’s Court
People often use the “cousin” terms loosely, as if they were interchangeable. For social purposes they are interchangeable, but legally they are decidedly NOT. This distinction arises in two particular situations:
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Aunt/Uncle/Cousin Cases in New York Surrogate’s Court
If a person dies without a Will, and the closest relatives are aunts, uncles and first cousins, do they inherit in New York?
The answer is YES, but there are some special rules. Aunts, uncles and cousins can inherit if there is nobody in the prior inheritance classes (spouse, kids, parents, siblings, nieces or nephews).…
Estate handling approach – “Begin With the End in Mind”
When I represent someone who is about to become a Fiduciary (Executor or Administrator) of an Estate, I always talk about “how an Estate finishes”. Like many things in life, if you know where you are trying to go it is easier to make a good plan to get there.
Not every State handles “estate…
Top 10 Things Many Lawyers Don’t Know About New York Surrogate’s Court
Many lawyers deal with Surrogate’s Court only peripherally. Considering that questions about Estates and Surrogate’s Court arise so often, it is worth knowing the basics. Here are the top 10 things worth knowing about Surrogate’s Court….
1. The Surrogate Court Clerk’s offices are broken down into departments:
– Probate (Appointment of a fiduciary when there…
Important “Little Things” That Affect Probate
When we “probate” a Will, we are having the Court recognize it as official and proper. The Court then grants “Letters Testamentary” to the Executor, giving the appointed person authority to act.
When looking at a probate proceeding, a few basic elements will determine how simple or complicated the proceeding is going to be.
Here are…