Even Will Contests are Bigger in Texas

May 12, 2016

What Houstonian could ever forget the sight of Anna Nicole Smith going into court, paparazzi crowding around her courthouse entrance, in order to challenge the Last Will and related Trust established by her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II?  Read about the tangled web created when an 89 year old billionaire marries a Playmate of the Year, and dies a year later.  The litigation followed for 2 decades.

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Chaos and Disorder

May 9, 2016

Today we focus on the estate of the recently deceased musical artist Prince, who by all appearances has died without a Will. This creates tremendous uncertainty about who will inherit and manage his vast estate, including a possible vault of unreleased music. It has...

Nuggets to Nibble On

May 4, 2016

Below are some legal issues that we wish to highlight for you. Let us know if you have questions, or need further detail, about any of these nuggets. 1.   Income tax basis reporting:  All estates required to file Federal estate tax returns (as opposed to an estate...

Where There’s a Will, There’s a (Better) Way

May 4, 2016

Many of our clients innocently create accounts, and even hold real property, in ways that circumvent their Will plan. In the best case, this might mean more taxes or sacrifice non-tax trust protections. In the worst case (and the examples are legion), this results in...