Recently, I have been helping an Executrix settle her uncle’s estate. She was his “favorite niece” and his Will provided that she would receive his entire residuary estate. The Will also provided that any inheritance taxes to paid as a Read More …
Author: Steven R. Blair
Spousal Election Against the Will
An issue has come up in my practice recently involving a spouse’s election against her husband’s will. I prepared the will, which named his three children by previous marriage and second wife as co-equal beneficiaries. In addition, the will permitted Read More …
Gifting Under Powers of Attorney
After eight years of litigation, I recently settled a case, In Re: Betty J. Fiedler, Nos. 2264 MDA 2013 and 35 MDA 2014 (Pa. Super.), involving gifting by an agent under a durable power of attorney. The case is illustrative Read More …
Legal Pitfalls of Investing
A significant part of my legal practice over the years has involved representing defrauded investors and occasionally representing financial representatives accused of wrongdoing. I got my initial training in this area of the law in law school when I worked as a Read More …
Legal Aspects of Starting a Business
There are many important legal factors for an entrepreneur to consider before starting a business. First and foremost is the type of legal entity to be formed. Options include a sole proprietorship, legal partnership or state created legal entity. The types of Read More …
Advantages of Using a Solo Practitioner
I am bullish in recommending a solo practitioner for your legal needs. I have been a solo practitioner for most of my 27 year law practice career. There are some distinct advantages in working with a solo practitioner. In my case, in particular, Read More …
Gifting as Part of Estate Planning
Often times I get inquiries about the ramifications of making gifts as part of the estate planning process. There are a number of issues to consider before gifting should be done, including tax, Medicaid eligibility, control of assets and the nature of the assets Read More …
Powers of Attorney
Powers of attorney can be an especially tricky legal documents. They are subject to profound financial abuse if the agent selected by the principal to handle his or her financial affairs proves to be incompetent or unscrupulous. Accordingly, even though by Read More …
Postmarital Agreements
In my last blog I wrote about premarital agreements. This blog will address postmarital agreements. To be sure, postmarital agreements are essential to resolving economic issues incident to the dissolution of a marriage, particularly when there is length to the marriage, significant Read More …
Premarital Agreements
For those individuals who are looking to remarry or to marry for the first time and have a substantially higher net worth and earning capacity than his or her prospective spouse it is imperative that a premarital agreement be entered Read More …