When lawyers draft estate-planning documents they are made with current laws in mind. However, estate-planning laws have changed in some key ways over the last few decades. Here are 4 key dates that have changed estate-planning. If your documents created before these dates it may be time to update them.…
Getting your first driver’s license can be one of the biggest milestones in a young person’s life. However, what was once a cherished rite of passage has now turned into a potential liability for parents. Under Florida law, a parent can be held legally responsible for the negligent actions of…
In 2011, Florida passed the Power of Attorney Act that has had a significant impact on the then existing law in an attempt to achieve greater consistency and uniformity throughout Florida. One big change the act brought about was the codification of laws regarding a third party’s ability to…
In Florida, courts are now permitted to judicially modify an irrevocable trust even when a trust is unambiguous. Historically, courts held the belief that the intent of the settlor, the person who creates a trust, should only be determined from the actual language of the trust document. This belief led…
In Florida, estate planning is used to ensure that a person’s estate is left to his or her loved ones in the way they intended through a will or trust. However, if a person dies without a will, his or her estate will be passed according to intestate succession,…
In St. Louis County, a jury awarded Barbara Morriss $77 million for mismanaging her family’s trust. The court agreed the bank breached its fiduciary duty, the duty to act in the beneficiary’s best interest, by failing to fully disclose significant financial transactions that allowed the trusts to lose millions of…
What documents do young adults need? It’s hard to believe that when your child turns 18 years old, he or she is legally an adult. When a child reaches this milestone, the mother and father’s parental rights have terminated. This means that if the child experiences a medical emergency, the…
In Florida, a personal representative is required to administer the estate of the deceased. Usually, this person is named in the estate owner’s will, and is someone the estate owner trusts to transfer his or her assets to friends and loved ones. If the person does not have a…
BB King’s heirs have alleged the blues legend’s business manager has misappropriated millions of dollars and unduly influenced his estate. A lawyer representing BB King’s heirs told the press the heirs would seek to challenge the will and the actions of the manager as undue influence. The law allows the…
In Florida, the Florida Probate Code and the Florida Trust code govern the administration of estates and trusts. These codes establish the rules and procedures for all probate matters such as the administration of a will. The Florida Legislature has recently amended the Florida Probate Codes. Attorneys Fees and Costs…
