DECEMBER 21 , 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 65 Washington State resident Shirley Crawford, then age 80, had a difficult problem to deal with. She had fallen in 2001 and was hospitalized. Her only child, Anne, was severely mentally disabled and lived in Ms. Crawford’s home. Ms. Crawford needed someone to help her with management of…
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DECEMBER 14 , 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 64 Preparation of an estate plan is more than the individual documents. A good attorney considers the client’s circumstances and wishes, and analyzes the best course of action. The process requires the attorney and the client to communicate, and to work together. Too often, however, problems arise after…
NOVEMBER 30, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 63 Obviously, the death of a family member or close friend will be an emotionally charged moment. Most of us only have to endure the process a handful of times in our entire lives. That means we may be ill-prepared for what needs to be addressed, and extremely distracted…
NOVEMBER 23, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 62 Being appointed as guardian for another person can be a daunting challenge. The responsibility is enormous, and most guardians get little or no training other than the “on-the-job” type. The stakes — a human life — are enormous. What is the proper goal for a guardian? Is it…
NOVEMBER 16, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 61 Do you wonder what will happen if you are no longer able to live independently? Will you have to “go into a home?” Is a nursing home the only way to go, or are there other living situations that might allow more independence? What will happen to your…
NOVEMBER 2, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 60 Michigan Attorney William R. Ford represented Preshus Graves, who had been appointed as conservator of her son Calvin Graves. Calvin Graves, then not quite three years old, had been injured in an automobile accident, and his mother had pursued a personal injury action against the driver of the…
OCTOBER 26, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 59 The Medicare program has announced its 2010 premium and coinsurance rates. As predicted, an anticipated increase in medical costs will mean a steep rise in Medicare-related premiums, but federal law protects most recipients from having to pay the new rates. One effect of changes in Medicare rate-setting over…
OCTOBER 19, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 58 More than a decade ago we told you about a Utah case involving a widower’s remarriage (see Surviving Spouse Revokes Trust–Children Disinherited from February 2, 1998) . Although the children of the deceased woman and her surviving husband were supposed to receive everything on his later death, the widower…
OCTOBER 12, 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 57 A reader writes: Can a conservator get a waiver from the requirement of bonding, which costs my mother’s estate over $900 per year? This, along with the $300 court fee to evaluate accountings, is a tremendous amount of money. Can I get my sister to agree that this…
OCTOBER 5 , 2009 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 56 Legal issues confronted by celebrities are, of course, often fodder for tabloids, late-night television and casual gossip. They also often reveal unusual legal problems, since celebrities tend to lead lives that are more complex than those of their fans. Comedian Richard Pryor’s death in 2005 is a case…