New York Estate Planning, Probate, and Real Estate Lawyer

Do You Qualify to File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? Not everybody can, do you? In 2005, the Republican Congress and President Bush passed sweeping new changes in the US. Bankruptcy Laws. Under the old rules, just about anyone who wanted to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in New York could do so no matter what their income…

Last September without much fanfare, Governor Cuomo signed a law allowing owners to be interred with their favorite pet. The legislation making it legal for the cremated remains of pets to be interred with their owners at any of the approximately 1,900 not-for-profit cemeteries in the state as long as the cemetery agrees to it.…

In order for a Will or Codicil to be valid, the testator must sign the Will in the presence of two disinterested witnesses. There are cases wherein New York courts have described the procedure that must be followed for the testator’s signature to be deemed admissible. It is not sufficient that the witnesses know the…

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan against New Jersey based RD Legal Funding Company. The company allegedly defrauded 9/11 first responders suffering from cancer and other Ground Zero-related illnesses out of millions of dollars by luring them into costly advances on compensation…

In this blog, we discuss the difficulties that may arise for children in inheritance matters when their mother has been estranged from her husband and does not get a divorce. We take the example of a couple, that was living separately without getting a divorce. They had been living separately and apart for the last…

In the case Estate of Torleiv Larsen, 2016 NYLJ (Richmond County Surrogate Court) Alexander James Larsen, decedent’s grandson and sole distributee, sought to admit a document purporting to be decedent’s will. The document had sustained water damage and the signatures of decedent and attesting witnesses were wiped away. The question before the court was whether…

Each year, it is increasingly common to see claims filed against an estate. This is because many people write their wills and trusts without a knowledgeable estate planning attorney present to help. It may also be due to increasing financial struggles and changing family dynamics. If someone is making a claim against an estate that…

On 9th October 2016, District Attorney of Brooklyn Ken Thompson lost his fight with cancer, leaving behind his mother, wife Lu-Shawn and two children. According to an article in the New York Post on January 11, 2017, Thompson’s mother has claimed that her deceased son’s wife destroyed his first Will- in which he had conveyed…

This one is a bit old, but it came across our digital transom and we thought it was interesting enough to blog about. Ohioan Donald E. Miller Jr wanted to get a new driver’s license and re-activate his Social Security number, but there was one minor issue that prevented him from doing it. He was…

Everybody loves to save money. This is especially true if saving is easy. Here are 10 simple tips to save without giving up your comfortable lifestyle. Better Budgeting. If you track your day to day spending, you will be surprised to discover how easy it will be to control your spending. There are two FREE…