A recent Mississippi Court of Appeals case illustrates the importance of good record keeping and evidence from neutral third parties where lifetime gifts are made to a caregiver child.  Mississippi law presumes that a lifetime gift (called an inter vivos gift by lawyers) made to a person with influence over the giver, such as a  […]

The Mississippi Court of Appeals, in In re Est. of High v. Cobb, has ruled that a copy of a Missouri resident’s will that was executed in Missouri, may be probated in Mississippi as a lost will, despite the inability to present the original.  The decedent had property in both Missouri and Mississippi. The decedent […]

Wednesday is Veterans Day, and in honor of our Veterans, the Morton Law Firm is hosting an open house for our clients and their friends and families.  We will also present a brief course on VA Pension benefits.  Many of our Veterans are unaware that they qualify for up to $2,000 in additional compensation to […]

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article today on the frequency, and moral dilemma, of extra-marital relations of caregiver spouses caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease.  Sadly, as our population ages, and incidents of Alzheimer's increases, we will no doubt see this issue wrestled with by theologians and families with greater frequency. 

Wal-Mart plans to offer coffins for sale to its customers.  Steel coffins will run $895, bronze cost $2,899.  Customers can plan ahead by paying for the caskets over 12 months with no interest. The retailer is offering caskets at prices that undercut most funeral homes.  Funeral home are required to accept caskets provided by third […]

There is a good article that summarizes some of the proposals for covering about 11 million of the nation's uninsured using the existing Medicaid programs operated by the States.  A proposal our governor has called the mother of all unfunded mandates.  

The Illinois Supreme Court recently ruled that a clause in a trust that provided an inheritance be divided among grandchildren, but disinherited any that married outside of the Jewish faith, was enforceable.  In the suit, only 1 of the grandchildren had married a Jew, with the rest being married to Gentiles.  The disinherited grandchildren sued […]

The recently revealed putative heir of Steve McNair's isn't his after all.  The results of paternity tests released yesterday reveal that Clover Lee's 17 year old daughter is not the former Titan's daughter. 

Co-authors Andrew Mayoras and Danielle Mayoras, who publish the Probate Lawyer Blog,  have published a new book, "Trial & Heirs."  The book uses real stories of the rich and famous to illustrate estate planning errors to help readers steer clear of these same erros as they plan for their own "heirs." The stories cover well […]

The other day I received a phone call from a former client's child whose mother's condition had changed from the time we did planning for her mother.  Through the conversation I was able to point out opportunities for saving a significant portion of the mother's assets, about $200,000, and qualify her immediately for about $1,000 […]