When you decide that adding a trust makes the most sense for your estate planning strategy, one of the next steps is to choose between a revocable or irrevocable trust. It’s understandable for clients to have questions about the differences between revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts. The attorneys at Christman | Daniell Attorneys realize that while…
When many people hear the word “estate,” they think of an individual or family with more money than they know what to do with. They have visions of the older, high-net-worth businessman or businesswoman with a mansion in Los Angeles, a summer home in Italy, and five sports cars. So naturally, conversations about estate planning…
When faced with a legal issue for the first time, it’s understandable if you don’t immediately know which area of law it falls under. Take family law — many people assume family courts only do divorces. So even if they have a closely-related issue, they may waste precious time chasing resources that won’t help. Or…
Many people think of marriage in the traditional sense. In other words, they fall in love, there’s a heartfelt proposal, and they get a marriage license. There’s even a beautiful wedding ceremony. But what about couples who’ve been together and lived under the same roof for years? They don’t have a marriage license, nor have…
You and your former spouse got divorced five years ago. And since that day, you’ve been obligated to pay spousal maintenance in the form of periodic payments to your ex. You have no problem continuing doing so for however long the court requires it, except that now your former spouse is planning to get remarried.…
After years of having a marriage on the rocks and never seeing eye to eye, you and your spouse have decided to get a divorce. You have both visited with attorneys, and you’ve even been living apart. So why is your spouse suddenly delaying the divorce process? There are several ways a spouse can delay…
As we’ve written about before, a living will, also largely referred to in estate planning terms as advanced healthcare directives, allows you to name the person(s) who can make medical decisions should you become incapacitated and can no longer do so for yourself. Think of them as a list of instructions related to life-sustaining or…
Family members having to navigate the probate process after the death of a loved one often worry that they’re on their own with whatever to-do list and responsibilities are involved. This can be overwhelming when you consider 1) they aren’t legal pros, and 2) they’ve heard there aren’t many legal processes more confusing, complicated, drawn-out,…
It’s a safe bet many people don’t think about having their estate plan reviewed after a divorce. Rather, their minds are fixated on meetings with lawyers, impending custody disputes, concerns over how all the assets will be divided, etc. We get it; there’s a lot to think about when you are in the thick of…
Divorce is a confusing and tumultuous time for you and your family. And when you’ve never gone through it before, it’s easy to believe pretty much everything you hear or see on television. Even the people around you who think they know all the ins and outs rarely do — which inevitably breathes new life…