Est. of Pounds v. Miller & Jacobs, P.A., No. 4D21-1362, 2022 WL 39211 (Fla. 4th DCA 2022). If a will does not specify who should serve as personal representative of an estate, parties can fight over this position through litigation. But what happens if one person obtains a settlement on…
In November 2021, after Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, was suspended as conservator of his daughter’s conservatorship, a judge finally ruled to end the conservatorship. This decision signaled the end for the restrictive supervision that had been in place since 2008. Back in June 2021, Britney Spears made headlines as…
DIY Estate Planning: Can I Make a Will Myself? While a steady drive towards technology has been growing for decades, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic tremendously increased our reliance on technology, effectively changing the the way we do nearly everything, including estate planning. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) online services offering legal…
How does Florida’s Elective Share Affect my Estate Plan? Part One. What is an “Elective Share”? In situations where the decedent’s will has left their surviving spouse very little, or nothing, Florida law protects surviving spouse’s in two major ways: The Elective Share and Homestead. While both of these laws…
Guardianship: Don’t Believe Everything You Watch on Netflix Netflix’s new sensationalist movie “I Care a Lot,” released this past February 19, 2021, might have you thinking that being a guardian may be the path to wealth and easy money. Although a scammer making a living by successfully requesting the courts…
Larry King’s Handwritten Will Ordeal The recent passing of the broadcasting legend, Larry King, has resulted in his family not only mourning him but also fighting amongst themselves over his true last wishes. Larry, together with his wife, Shawn Southwick King, had executed estate planning documents in 2015, where he…
I Made an Irrevocable Trust a Long Time Ago: Can I Change it Now? People make irrevocable trusts for many reasons, one major reason being tax planning. In order to make a completed gift for tax reasons, a donor has to part with control over the gifted asset, and making…
Needs Based Government Assistance and Special Needs Trusts It is never too early to start Medicaid planning. The goal is to focus on paying for long-term medical care and protecting your assets. By planning for Medicaid to pay for an amount of long-term care, it allows seniors to pass on…
Contracts to Create a Will A last will and testament must be the consequence of a person’s free will (which is why they are aptly referred to as “wills”). Nevertheless, a person may execute a contract during life to include certain terms and/or beneficiaries in their will in exchange for…
Over the past few weeks, the internet has rediscovered that Brittney Spears has not had legal control over her extensive assets for 12 years. Given Brittney Spears’ celebrity status, this news made considerable waves throughout popular culture, and the hashtag #FreeBritney started to trend. People began investigating social media posts…