If a person is married, there are certain circumstances under which a car, boat or RV can be distributed to a surviving spouse without probate. How can married couples who are covered under the same insurance policy avoid probate exposure...
Read moreTHE DANGERS OF TITLING PROPERTY WITH ANOTHER PERSON
When clients first come in for an initial consultation, they will sometimes ask about the idea of titling their real property or other assets jointly with their adult child or another person (known hereafter as co-tenant). Although joint...
Read moreSPOUSAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ACQUIRED UPON MARRIAGE
When a person marries or remarries, each partner assumes legal rights and responsibilities. Among those is one found in the Florida Constitution, which protects each spouse’s homestead right, so that spouses will not be left without a home. ...
Read moreAVOIDING FAMILY RIFTS WITH A CAREFULLY DRAFTED ESTATE PLAN
It is a scene all too often included in television and movies: in the years preceding the death of an elderly person, a relative or friend in close physical proximity exercises manipulation – from undue flattery and adulation to...
Read moreMEDIATION: RESOLVING CONTESTED ISSUES
What is Mediation and What Family Issues Can Mediation Help Resolve? Mediation is a process where an impartial third party called a mediator, attempts to help the parties reach a mutually beneficial agreement but the mediator cannot...
Read moreTHE WILL: A LIMITED TESTAMENTARY DOCUMENT
The majority of adults in the United States have not made any plans for leaving their property to their friends and relatives upon their deaths. For the few that have taken this step, the time-tested Last Will and Testament is the...
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