The Essence of Judicial Duty

Today we look back at John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.  Dominating the Court for over three decades (1801-1835), Marshall helped lay the basis for US Constitutional law.  Among his insights: “It is emphatically the province and duty of...

Texas “King of Torts”

The brilliant legal mind we focus on today is renowned Houston attorney Joe Jamail, who died last December.  Although he barely passed the bar exam, Jamail became a masterful litigator and was known as the “King of Torts.” In his five decades of law practice, he...

Putting the Prudence in Jurisprudence

Follow us this month as we explore some of our country’s brilliant legal minds.  Today we focus on Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away this February.  Agree or disagree with the man, one thing is undeniable – he was a “brilliant legal mind with an energetic style,...

Looks Like “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” of Hangers-on

As the Godfather of Soul once sang, “Give it up, or turn it loose.”  If only his family would take his advice and turn his Estate loose.  Instead, the Estate of the late James Brown is a mess, even though he had an estate plan in place when he died.  It appears some people want a piece of his pie, at the expense of Mr. Brown’s wishes, as reflected in his Last Will and Testament.

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The Infamous Recluse and his Multitude of “Laughing” Heirs

Similar to the debacle we saw play out with respect to Prince’s estate, Howard Hughes’ death without a Last Will also engendered wild claims to his fortune and extensive litigation, the last of which is finally nearing resolution 34 years later.  So what happened to all of Hughes’ money?  Aside from the lawyers, various cousins and other relatives (now numbering about 475) inherited his vast estate.  It was well-known that he didn’t want his estate falling into the hands of any distant relatives but without a Will, the distant cousins were his heirs under Texas law.  

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