Estate can’t sue lawyer for negligent tax planning 
Published: March 13, 2013
Tags: estate planning, legal malpractice, taxation
The administrator of a client’s estate could not maintain a legal malpractice action for alleged negligent estate planning that resulted in increased tax liability, the Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in affirming judgment.
Higher tax rates on trust income mean more work for lawyers
By:
Sylvia Hsieh
Published: February 28, 2013
Tags: estate planning, fiscal cliff, taxation, trust income, trusts and estates
In the aftermath of the fiscal cliff deal, trusts now face much higher taxes on income.
New landscape for estate planning attorneys
By:
Sylvia Hsieh
Published: January 10, 2013
Tags: estate planning, estate tax, estate tax exemption, fiscal cliff, gift tax, taxation, trusts and estates
The new law that averted the “fiscal cliff” contains major changes for estate and gift tax rules that will affect not only the advice lawyers give to their clients, but the future landscape of estate planning law for years to come.
Ownership of digital assets concern for estate planners
By:
Correy Stephenson
Published: January 3, 2013
Tags: digital assets, estate planning, Facebook
So much of an individual’s life now appears online, including bills, Facebook accounts and photo-sharing websites. But what happens to those assets when a person dies?
Trust beneficiaries have standing to sue trustee
Published: December 26, 2012
Tags: breach of fiduciary duty, estate planning, revocable trust, trusts and estates
The beneficiaries of a revocable trust had standing to sue the trustee for breach of fiduciary duty allegedly committed while the settlor was alive, the California Supreme Court has ruled in reversing judgment.
New Year brings more uncertainty over estate tax
Published: December 18, 2012
Tags: estate planning, estate tax, real estate, taxation
WASHINGTON – As the budgetary wrangling between the White House and Congress continues, the only thing that is clear is that an agreement on long-term estate tax reform is unlikely. That means federal estate tax rate hikes and the loss of certain planning tools are looming for January.
Lawyer didn’t forfeit malpractice coverage
Published: November 15, 2012
Tags: estate planning, ethics, legal malpractice, malpractice insurance
A lawyer didn’t violate a condition of his malpractice insurance coverage by admitting that he had made a mistake in drafting a will, the Illinois Appellate Court has ruled in affirming judgment.
Annuity didn’t render patient ineligible for Medicaid
Published: October 4, 2012
Tags: annuity, estate planning, Medicaid planning, trusts and estates
A non-assignable annuity contract that provided income to the spouse of a nursing home patient did not count as an excess resource that needed to be spent down for the patient’s Medicaid eligibility, the 2nd Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.
State AGs weigh in against DOMA
Published: September 18, 2012
Tags: Defense of Marriage Act, DOMA, equal protection, estate planning, estate tax, same-sex marriage, sex discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination
The 2nd Circuit should strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection rights of same-sex couples, a trio of state Attorneys General argues in a new brief.
Estate planning app launches
Published: August 30, 2012
Tags: estate planning, legal marketing
There really is an app for everything – even estate planning.
A tech company has released an estate planning app which allows attorneys to customize an application that clients can use to manage their estates.
