Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sumter County, Florida, Commissioners Defamation Lawsuit

I don’t usually discuss politics; and I’m not going to discuss politics in this post; but I do want to discuss just a tiny bit about the First Amendment. Judging by news reports: Sumter County commissioners to file defamation lawsuit … Continue reading

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Florida Do Not Resuscitate Orders or DNRs’

From time to time I get questions from potential clients about Do Not Resuscitate orders; typically they have cancer or heart disease or are on dialysis.  While I do draft both Health Care Surrogacies which allow someone else to make … Continue reading

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Advice to the New Law Student, or One L.

First, let me make clear this has absolutely nothing to do with my usual topics; estate planning, probate, or trust litigation.  And, this post is not directed at my usual markets; individuals seeking probates, wills, estate planning, I’m not going … Continue reading

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Florida does not recognize “No Contest” clauses in wills.

Florida does not recognize “No Contest” clauses in wills. Sometimes people want to put in a “no contest” or “in terrorem” clause in a Florida will. A no contest clause says that if someone who is a beneficiary under the … Continue reading

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Planning for a second (or later) marriage

Very frequently, retirees moving to Florida are either single, or at some point, wind up single, whether through divorce or widowhood. And then they meet someone new. And sometimes the other person is formerly married as well; having been through … Continue reading

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Selling the Collection

A recurring situation in probate is where the parent had some sort of “collection” and the children want to sell the items. A lot of times, the parent would talk about the collection and raise the children’s expectation of the … Continue reading

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Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards Man

We’ve got just over a week before Christmas and this is my annual Christmas thoughts post. Sometimes, just after the holidays, I get phone calls from potential clients who want to make changes in their wills. This is usually caused … Continue reading

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What can happen when you die without a will

Here’s a link to an article discussing a recently deceased New York real estate developer, Roman Blum, who (apparently) died without a will and without any relatives to inherit his estate: Holocaust Survivor left an estate worth almost $40 Million … Continue reading

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What is Undue Influence?

Frequently, you will have a case where one particular child looks after a parent during the parents’ lifetime, and the parent winds up favoring that child in a will, or in some cases, outside of a will, such as leaving … Continue reading

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Estate and inheritance taxes and revocable trusts in Florida

I’ve discussed elsewhere why I don’t think revocable trusts are a good vehicle for avoiding probate in Florida. Why Revocable Living Trusts usually won’t avoid Probate in Florida And, as I’ve noted, Florida does not have estate or inheritance taxes, … Continue reading

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