FEBRUARY 1, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 5 A recent series in the New York Times chronicled the increasingly common practice of including arbitration agreements in all sorts of consumer contracts. The series noted that such provisions are often buried in the fine print of everything from job applications to car rentals to nursing home admission…
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JANUARY 25, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 4 Like a lot of Americans, Fred Brown (though that’s not his real name) had a complicated family life. He had been married twice, and had two daughters — Martha and Sally — from his first marriage. He was still married to Barbara, and she had two children from…
JANUARY 18, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3 It might seem odd that interstate problems in probate proceedings arise. After all, we have had 50 states and a handful of other jurisdictions gathered together in the United States for a half-century, and nearly that many for most of the two centuries before that. Shouldn’t differences in…
JANUARY 11, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2 Jane Murray (not her real name) died in 2003. She had created a number of trusts, including two for the benefit of her daughter Dana. Jane was very worried about Dana’s future, partly because of a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. She included some strong language…
JANUARY 4, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 1 Note the “Volume” number above. Is it even possible that we’ve been doing this for 23 years? In that time, a number of topics have been perennially popular. We see a lot of internet traffic, and get a lot of questions or comments, when we write about: EINs…
DECEMBER 28, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 48 When our clients establish revocable living trusts, we help them transfer assets to the trust’s name. That’s not unique — most law firms help clients through the process. This is often referred to as “funding” the trust, and it can be more complicated than it seems like it…
DECEMBER 21, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 47 We’ve written before about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act and the possibility that Arizona might get its own version adopted in the next legislative session. Now comes a pleasant surprise from Washington: Arizonans with disabilities won’t have to wait for our legislature to act. Last…
DECEMBER 14, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 46 Imagine: you have just been named as guardian for your aging father. You are responsible for his medical care and decisions, his comfort and his placement. You were appointed, in part, because of your concern about his safety at home — you are thinking perhaps he needs to…
DECEMBER 7, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 45 ‘Tis the season — the season of uncertainty about what gift to get for your grandparents, older parents or Aunt Myrtle. You want to be festive, you want to be thoughtful, and you know that another two-pound box of chocolates might not be the best idea. But what…
NOVEMBER 30, 2015 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 44 When Mary Lansing (not her real name) gave birth to a daughter in August, 2013, her boyfriend (and the father of her daughter) was already in prison. Four months later, she filed a paternity action naming her boyfriend, and sought a court order granting her sole legal decision…