Blog
Do It Yourself – Gone Wrong
Another article in this newsletter addresses how to complete a home improvement project and provides tips involving whom you should never hire, that the project will cost 20% more than you anticipate, and that you should know your strengths and...
The Impact of the DOMA Decision
The Defense of Marriage Act provides, in part, that “marriage” is a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife. The word “spouse” is defined as a person of the opposite sex which is a husband or a wife. Section 3 of the Act prevents...
What about Dementia?
Dementia results in the inability to process thought. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. and affects about 8 million people. There is no way to predict whom it will affect, when it will attack or how long it will last. The devastation caused...
The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act
Congress finally passed the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act and the President signed it into law on December 13, 2016. The most important part of the bill is that it allows individuals with disabilities, who have capacity, to create their own Special...
Keeping Your Advance Directive for Health Care Handy
An essential part of your estate plan is an Advance Directive for Health Care (Advance Directive) yet clients rarely have them available when needed – like going to the emergency room (ER). As elder law and estate planning attorneys, we advise clients to...
DO YOU OWN PROPERTY WITH OTHERS IN ALABAMA?
A relatively new Alabama law prevents the involuntary loss of real property inherited with other family members. In order for the law to apply at least 20% of the owners must be relatives or must have acquired the land through a relative. Typically, if someone dies...
WARNING: Gifting to a Special Needs Person Can Have Negative Consequences
YOU DO NOT MAKE GIFTS TO A SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND AND THIS IS WHY: Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and friends often want to help provide for a special needs family member or friend and often revise their Wills to provide...
Alabama’s New Limited Liability Company Act of 2014
On January 1, 2015, the new Alabama Limited Liability Company Act of 2014 (the“2014 Act”) will go into effect. Some of the more important changes we can expect to see fromthe 2014 Act are as follows: Oral Operating Agreements. What has been known as Operating...
The STAR ID Program
What Is It? STAR ID is a program approved by Congress geared to help fight terrorism and reduce fraud throughout the country by improving the security of state-issued driver licenses and identification cards through their authentication and issuance...