sections update
Estate Planning & Probate section
is a Marriage Performed by a Wizard Legal and other interesting
Questions Presented this Year at the Estate Planning and Probate
section Meetings
O
By Mary B. Galardi
Galardi Law
ver the past year, the Estate Planning and Probate Section
speakers have asked and answered some very interesting
questions. Additionally, the Section members were active
in answering questions at the Fulton County Probate Information
Center.
In May, the Honorable Jeryl Rosh and her law clerk, Caroline
Freeman, answered questions from our section regarding probate
and Judge Rosh talked about issues that come before her court. We
are awaiting their answer on whether a wizard (Oz or Hogwarts?)
can perform a legal marriage.
Hugh Kendall, The Kendall Law Firm in Chattanooga, answered
questions on engagement agreements and the recent development
that all estate planning lawyers have a responsibility to ask clients
whether they want asset protection or charitable gifting strategies,
among other estate planning techniques.
[email protected]
2.
Do I have to open up an estate for my daughter to get the
tuition money that I gave to her refunded from the school?
The Section also sponsored a reception at the Fiduciary Law
Institute in St. Simons last summer (and will again this summer
on July 13 at 5:00). Last summer we answered the question of
how many shrimp can be eaten in 30 minutes by a group of hungry
lawyers and we hope this summer to answer the question of how
many shrimp does it take not to run out in a 30 minute period of
time.
Please join us this bar year to find out the answers to questions
presented in 2011 and 2012! ■
Professor Mary Radford, Georgia State College of Law, answered
questions about recent Georgia law cases at our luncheon in April.
She also confirmed that if there is money in an estate, the family
will fight over it (and sometimes even when there is no money in
the estate). Professor Jeff Pennell, Emory School of Law, answered
questions about ethics at the Estate Planning Forum held in the
fall. He also presented the question (as he always does) of whether
every lawyer in the room should really quit practicing in the area
of estate planning (or at least raise our malpractice coverage).
Al Smith, Levine & Smith, answered questions on how divorce
affects the carefully crafted estate plans we have all prepared and
whether we really should have made that recommendation that the
house be put in the wife’s name only (maybe not).
Board Member, Katrenia Collins, came up with the brilliant
idea of forming a Trust Code Study Group to study the Revised
2010 Trust Code and then she promptly organized, publicized and
chaired the group. The group answered questions such as the
difference between a modification and a reformation of a trust.
Of course, the section continued to provide volunteers for the
Fulton County Probate Information Center. Questions presented
and answered included:
1.
How can I find out who inherited my grandmother’s house
if I’m not sure if she died?
the official news publication of the atlanta bar association
June/July 2011
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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