The last blog post in this series on handwritten or holographic wills had this title: Entirely in TESTATOR’S handwriting. The point of that title was to emphasize the handwriting must be the testator’s. Whether out of noble motives, such as … more

Did Aretha Franklin leave a handwritten will? Or several handwritten Wills? That is what the Detroit Free Press is reporting. Previously Thought No Will It was previously reported by the same source and others that Aretha Franklin died without a … more

When the Settlor (i.e. creator) of a Trust dies, it is usually an important event in the life of the Trust.  Legal and other work becomes necessary.  This is especially true if the Trust holds real estate.  (See my prior … more

If you die without a will (or a trust or other estate planning) like Aretha Franklin, one main consequence is that you will not ultimately control who your property passes to at death. An estate plan consisting of a will … more

I really enjoyed speaking recently at the second day of National Business Institute’s (NBI) 2-day Practical Course on probate law in Oklahoma, titled Probate: Everything You Need to Know. My portion dealt with the topics of Creditor Claims and Insolvent Estates.  … more

In this series of posts, we are looking to clarify what an “estate” is – in a practical, real world way, not a legal dictionary way. Prior Illustration – Property Focus In the last post, I gave one practical illustration … more

In the last post, we set out to shed some light on what exactly “Estate” means. One way to define an estate is to think about property ownership. An estate will be necessary when someone dies owning property in their … more

“Estate” is one of those words that is often used in the law but not in everyday conversation.  I just spoke at a conference titled, “Estate Administration From Start To Finish.”  My office cups summarize my law practice in three … more

I had a great time presenting yesterday at National Business Institute’s (NBI) “Estate Administration From Start to Finish” continuing education seminar in Oklahoma City.  Thank you to NBI for putting on the conference.  And thank you to everyone who attended or … more

I will be presenting a couple of sessions at a Continuing Legal Education seminar titled “Estate Administration From Start to Finish” in Oklahoma City on June 13. This is a National Business Institute (NBI) event.  I have worked with them several … more