A recent news article at CNN reports on a Nashville Border Collie who is the subject of a $5 million trust. That’s a lot of balls, frisbees, sheep, and treats for the lucky BC. It turns out that when Bill Dorris, a successful businessman, died last year, he left a provision in his will to create a trust that ensures his Border Collie, Lulu, is taken care of for the rest of her life. He chose a friend, Martha Burton, who often took care of Lulu when Mr. Dorris went on trips, to take care of Lulu and to receive Read More
Category: estate planning
COVID19 Legal Issues for the Horse Community
Click HERE for the free e-book. Are you concerned about the legal issues surrounding COVID19 and your horse business or personal horses? I have written an e-book entitled “Horse People, Don’t Panic: COVID19 Legal Issues for the Horse Community.” It’s a free PDF download, and you are encouraged to share it in its entirety and let others know they can download it here. You will learn about legal issues concerning liability, horse care if you get sick, equine estate planning, and contracts during these difficult times. This is an educational service of Windhorse Legal, PLLC, and does not constitute legal Read More
Incapacity Documents in Other States
As winter approaches, I’ve been asked by clients who are going to warmer climates whether they should have additional incapacity documents drafted in the state where they will stay most of the winter. The first thing I tell them is to make sure their Massachusetts incapacity documents are current. They may want to change their health care proxy or perhaps the contact information for people listed in those documents has changed. Once we address the Massachusetts documents and make sure they are current and properly executed, then I talk about the issue of other jurisdictions. If you are just going Read More
Contesting a Will
I often get asked why I favor a trust over a will when drafting estate plans. Sometimes a will works well for someone, particularly if the estate is very small and simple. One of the big reasons I don’t favor wills is that they are easier to challenge in court than a trust. Challenging or contesting a will can just add more chaos and pain to an already difficult time when someone dies. A will, unlike a trust, has to go through probate. That means the will is filed in the court and becomes a part of the public record. Read More
Will vs. Living Will
When I talk to my clients, they often ask if they will get a living will with their documents and how a living will is different from, well, a plain, old regular will. They are actually very different documents. A will is a legal document that allows you to leave property to certain individuals and organizations when you die. It lists a representative who will oversee the process and make sure your wishes are followed. A will must go through probate, which means it must be submitted to a court for approval. The probate process can take at least 9 Read More