Can one remove the executor or the administrator of the estate? The process is not easy, but it has been done multiple times. Below are several common grounds for removal:

•     Self-dealing. This means that the Executor of the Estate acts in the best interests of himself, instead of the interests of the creditors and the beneficiaries of the estate. It may include purchasing a house owned by the Estate at an artificially low price. Or it may include paying themself a high salary from the estate, without prior court approval.

Continue Reading Removing the Executor of the Estate

Every individual of adult years and sound mind has a right to choose what shall be done with his own body and to control the course of his medical treatment. Patient autonomy and self-determination are a firmly ensconced principle in New York State Law.

But what happens with patients who have lost decision making capacity? A Health Care Proxy is a powerful tool. Patients may choose a health care agent who will make all health care decisions for them in the future. These decisions include both life-sustaining treatment and on-going medications.

Continue Reading Psychiatric Advance Directives (PAD) – are they different from a regular health care proxy?

My answer to this question is always the same: 18! Before you turn 18, your parents are legally responsible for you and can make legal decisions on your behalf. After you turn 18, NO ONE can do that. It comes as a huge shock to most of my clients, but in the event of incapacity –  neither your parents, nor your spouse nor your children can sign for you in banks, speak on your behalf to government agencies or initiate a lawsuit on your behalf. Unless, of course, they have a Power of Attorney or they went to court to seek a guardianship order.

Continue Reading What is the right age to get a Power of Attorney?

Mr. Redstone’s fortune is estimated at $5 billion. He could afford the best legal plan in the world. Yet, despite the assets and despite the multitude of involved lawyers, his estate planning and his last years are turning out to be a mess.

Mr.

Continue Reading Rich and Famous Planning: Sumner Redstone – an estate plan that is embarrassment for the man, the family and the company?