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05.18.2020
N.Y. Lawyer Must Keep Over 500 Wills, Some Of Which Are 70 Years Old
Even though she searched for the Wills’ testators, a New York lawyer can’t dispose of the documents according to an ethics opinion by the New York State Bar Association. The Jan. 23 ethics opinion says the Wills are property, “and the lawyer must safeguard the Wills indefinitely” even though some of the wills were prepared more than […]
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05.18.2020
Will the Judiciary Re-Write the Rules for Retainers in Fee-Shifting Cases?
Balducci v. Cige, 240 N.J. 574 (2020) A former client filed an action against her former attorney for a declaratory judgment that the retainer agreement with him to represent her in a suit for damages under a Law Against Discrimination (LAD) lawsuit was unenforceable. The trial court declared the agreement unenforceable and dismissed the attorney’s […]
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05.18.2020
Under Doctrine of Probable Intent, Court Decides Beneficiary Designation
In re Estate of DeConca, A-1876-18T1, 2020 WL 1492556 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Mar. 27, 2020). This case highlights the need to ensure that charitable entities are correctly identified in estate planning documents. The co-executors of the estate filed a complaint seeking direction as to which charitable organization was the intended beneficiary of the […]
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05.18.2020
Steven K. Mignogna Quoted In CNBC Article
Archer Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Estates and Trusts Department, Steven K. Mignogna, was quoted in this CNBC article by financial reporter Sarah O’Brien, ‘This is What Happens to Unpaid Debts When a Person Passes Away.’
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