Trusts & Estates

Ethics Complaint Accuses NY Judge of Approving Fees for Lawyer Pal Based on Boilerplate Affidavits

An ethics complaint unveiled yesterday accuses Bronx Surrogate Judge Lee Holzman of approving attorney fees for a lawyer who was his chief campaign fundraiser based on boilerplate affidavits. When Holzman discovered problems with fees paid to the lawyer, Michael Lippman, he tried to work out a payment plan rather than…

Sep 13, 2011 3:34 PM CDT

Complex Labyrinth of Rules Can Wreak Havoc on a Seemingly Clear-Cut Plan for Retirement Assets

Think you know who will get your retirement-account assets after your death? Think again. Even those who seemingly have named beneficiaries on the right form might be surprised if they could see who actually gets the money, according to the Wall Street Journal. Federal law, for example, trumps beneficiary designations…

Sep 7, 2011 8:49 PM CDT

Legal Reform Needed So Pampered Pets of the Well-to-Do Inherit as Planned, Law Profs Say

Setting up an estate plan to take care of Fido and Fluffy can be more complex than one might think. Money to care for a beloved pet must be left in trust, with a designated caretaker. And even with all the high-priced legal talent available to Leona Helmsley, the hotel…

Aug 16, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

Left for Dead After Law Office Attack, Former Judge is Still Unable to Talk to Investigators

A former judge who was savagely attacked and left for dead in his New Mexico law office 10 days ago is still hospitalized and unable to speak to investigators. Tom Fitch, 68, was struck several times in the head with an unknown object. Maj. Daniel Lovato of the state police,…

Aug 15, 2011 4:35 PM CDT

Rocket Lawyer Raises $18.5M; Google Ventures Is Among the Investors

The online legal document service Rocket Lawyer has raised $18.5 million from a group of investors that includes Google Ventures. Rocket Lawyer already has 70,000 users a day, Forbes reports. Founder Charley Moore tells the publication that Rocket Lawyer allows consumers to pay for a lawyer to review their documents,…

Aug 11, 2011 4:03 PM CDT

Lawyer Forgot to Change IRA Beneficiary, So the Money Went to His Ex-Wife, Not His Widow

After a bitter divorce, Newman Trowbridge Jr. presumably didn’t intend to retain his ex-wife as his beneficiary on his Individual Retirement Account. But when he died unexpectedly in 2009, the beneficiary still hadn’t been changed. And it didn’t help his widow’s case, when she sued in an effort to collect…

Aug 2, 2011 10:34 PM CDT

Lesbian Spouse of Deceased Cozen Partner Sues Firm and Spouse’s Parents Over Benefits

Married in Canada to a Cozen O’Connor partner, the lesbian spouse of Sarah Ellyn Farley filed a counterclaim in federal court in Philadelphia yesterday staking a claim to benefits following Farley’s death. Naming the firm and Farley’s parents as defendants, Jennifer Tobits says she is entitled to her spouse’s profit-sharing…

Aug 2, 2011 8:27 PM CDT

John Doe Prisoner Is Identified, and He’s Not a Missing DA

A John Doe prisoner in Utah is not a missing Pennsylvania district attorney declared dead on Monday. Tipsters had alerted Utah police that the John Doe prisoner resembled missing Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar, who disappeared six years ago. But the mystery prisoner has since been identified as a…

Jul 27, 2011 1:44 PM CDT

After Missing DA Is Declared Dead, Some Note His Resemblance to a John Doe Prisoner

Detectives are investigating whether a missing Pennsylvania district attorney declared dead on Monday is alive and in jail in Provo, Utah. A judge declared Ray Gricar dead on Monday, six years after his disappearance, the Patriot-News reported. The Centre County DA was 59 when he vanished in April 2005, leaving…

Jul 26, 2011 4:21 PM CDT

Couple Sues Duane Morris, Claims Estate Plan Partner Pointed Them Toward Investing with Madoff

A couple who say they came to Duane Morris for estate planning advice and wound up investing in a feeder fund for Bernard Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme has sued the Philadelphia-based law firm for malpractice. Developer Daniel Keating III and his wife assert claims for breach of contract, professional liability…

Jul 25, 2011 11:31 PM CDT

Institute Claims Rosa Parks’ Estate Drained by Fees for Lawyers Who Also Got Licensing Rights

An institute co-founded by Rosa Parks alleges in a Michigan Supreme Court filing that two appointed lawyers who were “court cronies” were rewarded too well for their work on the estate. The biting document (PDF), seeking leave to appeal, claims the lawyers were paid $243,000 in legal fees, nearly two-thirds…

Jul 21, 2011 3:28 PM CDT

Man Gets Protective Order for Self and Puggle During Family Estate Dispute re Autographed Baseballs

During his lifetime, Chicago White Sox investor Larry Pogofsky was the proud owner of a collection of autographed baseballs worth as much as $25,000 each. His ambition was to collect one signed by every Hall of Famer, reports the Chicago Tribune. Now, after his death at age 64, the collection…

Jul 5, 2011 5:40 PM CDT

Heiress Huguette Clark’s Will Leaves $500K to Her Lawyer

A wealthy heiress who died last month in New York at age 104 left $500,000 of her estimated $400 million fortune to her attorney of 15 years in the will he drafted for her six years ago. Huguette Clark also left $500,000 to her accountant, Reuters reported. She had no…

Jun 23, 2011 6:32 PM CDT

Chief Justice Quotes Dickens in Ruling Against Anna Nicole Smith Heirs

The heirs of Anna Nicole Smith won’t be able to collect on a tort judgment won against the son of her late billionaire husband because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the authority of bankruptcy judges. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Smith’s estate in a 5-4 decision (PDF)…

Jun 23, 2011 4:18 PM CDT

Transgender Widow’s Marriage Questioned in Texas Court

A transgender woman who is the widow of a Texas fire captain killed in the line of duty is involved in a lawsuit over his death benefits, and at a hearing today, a judge questioned what her gender was when she married. Nikki Araguz married Thomas Araguz in 2008, according…

May 20, 2011 9:50 PM CDT