Like many professions, lawyers tend to concentrate their practices on certain areas. There are lawyers who practice in almost every imaginable topic. One popular lawyer website lists over 235 areas of the law in which lawyers concentrate their practice. This is in...
Complex Legal Challenges
Elder Law
Will Medicare Pay for Nursing Home Care for Elderly Parents?
Many people mistakenly think that Medicare will pay for nursing home care for their elderly parents or loved ones. Unfortunately, except under limited circumstances, they are mistaken and that mistake can be a costly one. Families of elders should seek advice when...
Where Can You Turn When Seeking Help for Aging Parents?
The population of the United States is aging rapidly. The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase dramatically from 46 million today to over 70 million by 2030. Known as the "baby boomers", the 65-and-older age group's share of the total...
Do you have a Living Will?
If you've ever been a patient at a hospital or any other medical facility, you've probably been asked this question: "Do you have a Living Will?" So what is this document? A Living Will is a document which allows you to declare your desires in the event of an...
Ready or Not? Semper Paratus or Non Paratus?
The motto of the United States Coast Guard is "Semper Paratus" which is Latin for "always ready" or "always prepared." When it comes to being prepared for life's challenges, including illness, incapacity, and death, it is wise to be "always prepared." Unfortunately,...
The Out-of-Luck Beneficiary: When Gifted Property is Gone
What happens when an item gifted under a Will or Trust is no longer owned at the time of death? Sometimes when estates are being probated or a Trust is being administered, a problem arises because a beneficiary is supposed to receive a specific item of property but...
Emergencies don’t happen on banker’s hours: So where should you keep your estate planning documents?
As an estate planning lawyer, I'm often asked by clients where they should keep their original estate planning documents. Do they need to keep them in a bank safe-deposit box? Generally speaking, my advice is to keep them somewhere safe and accessible but a...
In an estate, what is the residue?
Many times, the term "residue" will be used in a person's Will or Trust. So what is the residue of an estate and what is covered by the term? In the administration of a Will or Trust after a person dies, there are certain things that are paid out or...
Do you have per stirpes?
As an estate planning lawyer, one of my principal objectives in drafting a client's Will or Trust is to name the beneficiaries which the client wants to receive their estate. Often this will be a spouse or children and in some cases, other family members. What happens...
Can you name two people to act as co-agents under your Florida Power of Attorney?
As an estate planning lawyer, I always recommend that clients have both a Power of Attorney for Healthcare and a Durable Power of Attorney for non-medical matters. In each of those documents, the client is authorizing a person or persons to make decisions and act on...