Legal Services

Special needs trusts are important estate planning tools for families with relatives who have disabilities. Also called a “supplemental needs trust,” a special needs trust allows someone to leave money to a trustee who holds property for the benefit of a disabled individual. This kind of trust can also be included in the Will of a person wishing to leave money to a disabled relative. Special needs trusts are important because they...

After a a person dies, dealing with his or her assets and finances is often the last thing on friends’ and family members’ minds. However, someone must handle those issues, and in Pennsylvania, either an executor (if there is a Will) or an administrator (if there is no Will) must be appointed by the Register of Wills in the county where the deceased person last lived to deal with their assets. If the deceased person left a Will, the...

Clients often ask me how they can leave specific items of jewelry, art, furniture, or other valuable personal belongings to family members and friends. Although these items can be given to specific individuals in your Will, you would probably need an attorney’s assistance to make changes to those bequests, since a Will and any changes to Wills (also known as codicils) should be witnessed and signed in front of a notary.  A...

Many people wonder if it is really necessary to make a Will. Married couples often assume that if they die intestate (without a Will), whatever assets they own will go to their spouse. This is true for most property that is jointly owned with a spouse and any property that passes by beneficiary designation (typically retirement accounts and life insurance) where the spouse is named as beneficiary. However, all other assets—usually...

Most people think that once they get their Wills done, they don’t have to worry about their estate plan anymore.  But so much of estate planning depends on coordinating the titling and beneficiary designations of individual assets with your Will and other estate planning documents.  A recent New York Times article does an excellent job of summarizing some issues that can arise: A Will only controls how your “probate” assets are...

I attended a very informative pro bono training course this morning for the SeniorLaw Center’s SeniorLaw helpline and wanted to share some information about this very valuable resource. This helpline is available to all Pennsylvania Seniors (defined as anyone over the age of 60), and allows individuals to consult with an attorney over the telephone and receive brief legal advice or a referral to another organization that can...