A New York Estate Planning Lawyer is aware that it is of utmost importance to review a person’s assets when formulating an estate plan. Initially, it may seem that determining the value of assets is a primary concern so that estate taxes can be estimated and planned for and appropriate…
New York Probate Lawyer Blog
New York Guardianship Can Be Contested or Based Upon Consent
New York Guardianship proceedings are controlled by Article 81 of the New York Mental Hygiene Law (“MHL”). The New York Probate Lawyer Blog has provided numerous posts regarding issues concerning this type of court proceeding. The essence of a Guardianship proceeding is to determine whether the appointment is needed to…
New York Courts Prefer to Appoint Executors Selected by the Testator
Previous posts in the New York Probate Lawyer Blog discussed various issues concerning the qualifications of person to serve as an Executor or other fiduciary. Reference was made to New York Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act Section 707 which is entitled “Eligibility to receive letters.” Notwithstanding the basic statutory qualifications, many…
New York Executors Must Be Eligible To Be Appointed by the Court
The selection or nomination of an Executor or Trustee is one of the most important decisions made by the creator of a Last Will or Trust. No matter how precise and formulated an Estate Plan may be, the selection of a person as Executor who makes poor decisions or fails…
New York Issues Regarding Kinship and Domicile Are Always Important
The New York Probate Lawyer Blog has provided a number of posts regarding the importance of determining kinship in estate proceedings. Other posts have discussed the necessity of determining a person’s domicile in estate matters. This blog contains same basic points as a reminder of the necessity to properly consider…
New York Wills May Contain Trusts That Require a Trustee’s Use of Discretionary Powers
New York Estate Planning can involve many different issues and considerations. The New York Probate Lawyer Blog contains many posts discussing the need for Estate Planning papers such as a Last Will, Living Will, Health Care Proxy and Living Trust. Each of these documents should be prepared so that it…
New York Wills Need to Be Signed According to Statutory Formalities
A Last Will in New York must be created in accordance with the New York statutes. The Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (“EPTL”) contains numerous provisions concerning the fundamental aspects of and requirements for a valid Will. For instance, EPTL 3-1.1 states that anyone over 18 years old having sound…
New York Wills and Trusts May Be Modified to Reflect the Creator’s Intent
The New York Probate Lawyer Blog has had many posts discussing the importance of a person’s intent as reflected in their Estate Planning and Advance Directive documents. A primary purpose of preparing and executing a Last Will, Living Trust, Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy or Living Will is to…
A Good New York Estate Plan is Important to Prevent Contests of a Will That May Occur in Unusual Ways
New York Estate Planning Lawyers are familiar with the fundamentals that form a good estate plan. Preparing and executing a Last Will and Testament provides a written declaration as to the disposition of a person’s probate estate. A Will can be made up of various provisions some of which can…
A New York Estate Can Be Distributed Where a Parent is Found to be Disqualified to Inherit
The Administration of a New York Estate where a decedent dies intestate is determined by the laws of descent and distribution. As the New York Probate Lawyer Blog has discussed in previous posts, New York Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (“EPTL”) Section 4-1.1 provides the list of priority of distributees…