Matthew T. McDavitt—Senior Attorney
Under U.S. law, a testator drafting a Last Will and Testament must possess testamentary capacity for the document to be legally valid. Testamentary capacity generally requires that the testator understands the nature of
Lawletter Vol. 49 No. 4
ESTATES: Enactments of the Uniform Electronic Wills Act
Matt McDavitt—Senior Attorney
Traditionally, to be valid, a last will and testament had to be executed on paper with the requisite will execution
Matt McDavitt, Senior Attorney
A common issue to be resolved in any administration of a decedent estate is the determination of the rightful value of the compensation due to the serving personal representative. While the will of the
Brad Pettit—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
In a very recent Chief Counsel Advisory, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) clarified prior advisories and rulings regarding both the federal income and employment tax implications of payments made to and
Matthew McDavitt—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
It is not uncommon for the estates of individuals at death to possess one or more souvenirs, pieces of jewelry, trophies, collectibles, or artworks made from animal parts, such
Brad Pettit—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
Although most states now have statutes that address the scope of powers of an agent under a durable or general power of attorney, it is safe to say, as a general
Matthew McDavitt—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
In some wills, testators expressly condition the beneficiaries’ receipt of legacies upon their survival to the date of actual distribution of the gift during the estate administration. In such circumstances,
Jim Witt—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
In addition to the direct health issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, given the economic disruption the pandemic has caused, it is obvious that the pandemic will indirectly be giving rise
D. Bradley Pettit, Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
According to a treatise on revocable trusts,
[t]he number of individuals who own animals is staggering. As many as 56.7 million households in the United States own dogs and
Matt McDavitt—Senior Attorney, National Legal Research Group
It is well-settled that in most states, completed inter vivos gifts are deemed irrevocable, even in circumstances where the donor’s relationship with the donee later deteriorates or the purpose of the
