By statute, Georgia law provides that “No common-law marriage shall be entered into in this state on or after January 1, 1997. Otherwise valid common-law marriages entered into prior to January 1, 1997, shall not be affected by this Code section and shall continue to be recognized in this state.” See O.C.G.A. § 19-3-1.1. Still, […]
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In In re Estate of Cornett, 357 Ga. App. 310 (2020), Sarah Cornett was appointed successor Executor over the Will of her deceased husband, George Thomas Cornett, Jr. (“Tom”). Tom had five surviving adult children. Sarah appealed after she was removed as Executor and ordered to return certain estate assets and to pay certain funds […]
In addition to a health care advance directive, one way to create evidence regarding your health treatment wishes and end-of0life wishes is to complete a health values questionnaire. One of the issues in Cruzan and Schiavo was the absence of adequate evidence demonstrating what the patient would want if she could speak for herself. Wouldn’t […]
If you want someone to represent you in front of the IRS, you will need to execute Form 2848. The 2021 version is below. Updated versions are available at www.irs.gov.
In In re Estate of Burkhalter, 354 Ga. App. 231 (2020), William Burkhalter was executor of the estate of Louise Ray Burkhalter. George Burkhalter and Nancy Ward, beneficiaries of Louise’s estate, filed a petition for declaratory judgment seeking an accounting. William took the position that George and Nancy had violated the Will’s in terrorem clause […]
We’d like to know whether you have an estate plan?
An Ethical Will is a statement of values you want to pass along to those you leave behind. It is not a replacement for a Last Will & Testament, which distributes your property. However, money isn’t necessarily the most important thing you leave behind when you depart this world. You can use this form (or […]
One gift you can give your family is a guide to what you want (and don’t want) after you die. Many families are grieving when they make choices at the funeral home. Completing a planning guide can help them get it right so they don’t overcompensate when making funeral plans.
The key to successful special needs planning is preparing for the day when parents, grandparents, spouses or others are no longer available to assist the individual with special needs. There are many special needs planning guides out there, but the form below is an example you can use. We also recommend Hal Wright’s book, the […]