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

The Daily Oklahoman is reporting that Clean Line Energy Partners’ plan to build a transmission line and related equipment that would take wind energy from the Oklahoma Panhandle to the Eastern and Southeastern parts of the US is “sidetracked, for now.”  The company … more

In a recent Avvo legal guide, I addressed common issues regarding marriage and sales of real property in Oklahoma.  That guide laid out three general rules.  The deed must: 1) show the grantor/seller as single, 2) be between spouses with that … more

“Quiet Title” and “Partition” are not common words, except perhaps to a small group of attorneys that practice in areas such as property and estates.  Yet Mark Zuckerberg is making them headlines with recent legal action in Hawaii, according to … more

Today I published my second Legal Guide on the website www.avvo.com titled “Deeds and Marriage in Oklahoma.”  This new Legal Guide discusses issues that frequently comes up in real estate transactions and closings regarding marital status: Do both spouses have to … more

As discussed in the last post, a Court may appoint a Special Administrator instantly upon application.  One of the main reasons this is done is that there are urgent matters to take care of in the estate.  The law tries … more

One key aspect of the Special Administrator is that a Court may appoint them instantly upon application – without the other persons involved in the estate receiving notice of the appointment and having an opportunity to be heard about the … more

In the last blog post in this series, we looked at how Okla. Stat. tit. 58 § 211 lays out the basic role of a Special Administrator of an estate in the probate process: “to collect and take charge of the … more

In this series of blog posts on ancillary probate, we laid out three foundational requirements for an ancillary estate in Oklahoma.  These can be restated in 3 helpful summary questions to ask when trying to determine whether an ancillary probate … more

As stated in my prior post: “In an ancillary administration, the Oklahoma court will follow the distribution pattern laid out by the home state and apply it to the Oklahoma property.”  This post asks the question: why? Why does Oklahoma … more