In the past year, several new statutes and appellate opinions have altered or clarified the practice of estate planning, trust, and probate law, as well as the legal representation of elderly clients in general. For example, courts have issued new rulings on: the ethical duties of an attorney in pursuing any engagement with an elderly or impaired client; the timing for filing a demurrer or other objections in the probate court; and the availability of a lis pendens in disputed trust matters. Further, significant statutory changes have eliminated the need to probate many more estates, clarified rules regarding handling of digital estate assets, and also allow for a virtual representative to receive notice and to consent to trustee actions and trust modifications. This panel will cover these developments in detail, as well as other new or amended laws that may impact estate planners, trust and estate litigators, financial elder abuse attorneys, and more.
Speaker:
- Matt Owens, Partner, Sheppard