Recent Blog Posts
Probate for Foreign Nationals with Florida Assets
Estate planning often feels a little overwhelming at the best of times – but what about when you do not have your full U.S. citizenship? It’s understandable that resident aliens owning property in the State of Florida may not know where to start or what rules and regulations apply to them when creating an… Read More »
How to Close a Florida Probate Estate
As a personal representative tasked with administering a Florida estate, you’ve already been on quite the journey – gathering assets, paying creditors, and handling the myriad duties that come along with estate administration. Now, you’ve arrived at the final stage of your journey: officially closing out the probate estate. This last phase of estate… Read More »
Tips for Estate Planning in Blended Families
There are many ways to be a family – especially in modern times. A family might be a “traditional” nuclear family, but very often a family will include second (or subsequent) marriages, step-children, half siblings, and more. Ensuring that all of your loved ones are accounted for as you desire in your estate planning… Read More »
Atlanta Case Shines a Light on Probate Fraud
Probate litigation often revolves around loved ones or creditors fighting over the contents of an estate. However, litigation can also arise when the documents themselves are in question. Probate fraud and forgery can stop intended beneficiaries from receiving the inheritance that was always supposed to go to them. This was recently played out, unfortunately,… Read More »
Class Action Waivers and Florida Business Litigation: What You Need to Know
Class actions are generally large lawsuits where several plaintiffs act together to collectively bring the same claim against the same defendants. Class action lawsuits can arise under countless scenarios – including many that involve employer/employee dynamics. The case Calderone v. Scott, for example, involved employees who brought a class action lawsuit against their shared… Read More »
Does a Trustee Breach of Fiduciary Duty Warrant Punitive Damages?
It depends! In 2022 Florida’s Rules of Appellate Procedure changed in a way that allows district courts of appeal to review the decisions to grant or deny the ability to amend a claim in order to add a claim for punitive damages by interlocutory appeal. The change in the law led to new appellate… Read More »
Ancillary Probate Administration in Florida
Florida is one of the most popular places in the country to retire. The favorable tax laws and absence of harsh winters draw people from all walks of life, and many own properties in more than one state. Vacation homes and seasonal condos are amazing investment opportunities that many retirees take advantage of, while… Read More »
5 Must-Knows for Starting Your Business
Business litigation suits can sprout from any number of places. When you start your own business, you are faced with a host of different decisions, various forks in the road. Every decision you make leads to the next one, and the next. There are many complexities to navigate – least of all the complex… Read More »
What is Trust Accounting?
Trust accounting is a crucial aspect of managing a trust. This crucial accounting process ensures that the trust assets are reported, managed, and distributed transparently. The importance of this task cannot be understated, so it is critical that personal representatives understand the issue. In Florida, specific rules and regulations have been developed to govern… Read More »
Does the Losing Side Pay my Attorney’s Fees?
Broadly speaking, there are two approaches to the payment of the winning, or “prevailing,” party’s attorney’s fees at the conclusion of a civil litigation suit. The “English Rule” In some other countries outside of the U.S., courts recognize and apply the “English Rule” for determining responsibility for attorney’s fees: the losing party will usually… Read More »