Ithaca Estate Planning Lawyer, New York

Sponsored Law Firm


Includes: Gift Taxation

J. Anthony Gaenslen

Social Security -- Disability, Estate Planning, Workers' Compensation, Medical Malpractice
Status:  In Good Standing           

Liam G.B. Murphy

Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Criminal, Business Organization
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  36 Years

Anna K. Holmberg

Litigation, Wills & Probate, Estate Planning, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  45 Years

Elizabeth Bixler

Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, Estate Administration
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  52 Years

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-620-0900

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-943-8690

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.

TIPS

Easily find Ithaca Estate Planning Lawyers and Ithaca Estate Planning Law Firms. For more attorneys, search all Estate areas including Trusts, Wills & Probate and Power of Attorney attorneys.

LEGAL TERMS

CONTINGENT BENEFICIARY

1) An alternate beneficiary named in a will, trust or other document. 2) Any person entitled to property under a will if one or more prior conditions are satisf... (more...)
1) An alternate beneficiary named in a will, trust or other document. 2) Any person entitled to property under a will if one or more prior conditions are satisfied. For example, if Fred is entitled to take property under a will only if he's married at the time of the will maker's death, Fred is a contingent beneficiary. Similarly, if Ellen is named to receive a house only in the event her mother, who has been named to live in the house, moves out of it, Ellen is a contingent beneficiary.

FUNDING A TRUST

Transferring ownership of property to a trust.

QDOT TRUST

A trust used to postpone estate tax when more than the amount of the personal federal estate tax exemption is left to a non-U.S. citizen spouse by the other spo... (more...)
A trust used to postpone estate tax when more than the amount of the personal federal estate tax exemption is left to a non-U.S. citizen spouse by the other spouse. QDOT stands for qualified domestic trust.

SPENDTHRIFT TRUST

A trust created for a beneficiary the grantor considers irresponsible about money. The trustee keeps control of the trust income, doling out money to the benefi... (more...)
A trust created for a beneficiary the grantor considers irresponsible about money. The trustee keeps control of the trust income, doling out money to the beneficiary as needed, and sometimes paying third parties (creditors, for example) on the beneficiary's behalf, bypassing the beneficiary completely. Spendthrift trusts typically contain a provision prohibiting creditors from seizing the trust fund to satisfy the beneficiary's debts. These trusts are legal in most states, even though creditors hate them.

NONPROBATE

The distribution of a deceased person's property by any means other than probate. Many types of property pass free of probate, including property left to a surv... (more...)
The distribution of a deceased person's property by any means other than probate. Many types of property pass free of probate, including property left to a surviving spouse and property left outside of a will through probate-avoidance methods such as pay-on-death designations, joint tenancy ownership, living trusts and life insurance. Property that avoids probate is sometimes described as the 'nonprobate estate.' Nonprobate distribution may also occur if the deceased person leaves an invalid will. In that case, property will pass according to the particular state's laws of intestate succession.

HOLOGRAPHIC WILL

A will that is completely handwritten, dated and signed by the person making it. Holographic wills are generally not witnessed. Although it's legal in many stat... (more...)
A will that is completely handwritten, dated and signed by the person making it. Holographic wills are generally not witnessed. Although it's legal in many states, making a holographic will is never advised except as a last resort.

CURATOR

See conservator.

INVESTOR

A person who makes investments. An investor may act either for herself or on behalf of others. A stock broker or mutual fund manager, for instance, makes invest... (more...)
A person who makes investments. An investor may act either for herself or on behalf of others. A stock broker or mutual fund manager, for instance, makes investments for others who have entrusted her with their money.

PROBATE

The court process following a person's death that includes proving the authenticity of the deceased person's will appointing someone to handle the deceased pers... (more...)
The court process following a person's death that includes proving the authenticity of the deceased person's will appointing someone to handle the deceased person's affairs identifying and inventorying the deceased person's property paying debts and taxes identifying heirs, and distributing the deceased person's property according to the will or, if there is no will, according to state law. Formal court-supervised probate is a costly, time-consuming process -- a windfall for lawyers -- which is best avoided if possible.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Schneider v. Finmann

... maintain an action for legal malpractice. We now reverse and reinstate plaintiff's claim. Strict privity, as applied in the context of estate planning malpractice actions, is a minority rule in the United States. [1] In New York, a third ...

Fielding v. Kupferman

... The documents at issue in Bishop were estate planning instruments executed by the plaintiff who believed that he was giving his wife a life estate and was not limiting his access to his life savings (Bishop, 33 AD3d 497, 501 [2006], affd 9 NY3d 910 [2007]). ...

Kram Knarf, LLC v. Djonovic

... The client's malpractice complaint was silent as to how the attorneys misled him, what they failed to explain to him concerning the estate planning documents he executed, and which of his instructions those documents did not reflect (33 AD3d at 498-499). ...