Tina, tears running down her face, sat next to her mother in my office. Earlier that week her husband Frank had transferred their joint checking accounts into his name alone, blocked her use of the credit cards and locked her out of the family home. Then the day before, Frank took their two young...

You have probably heard the term “living trust.” Perhaps you have some vague notion of what it means. But could you explain it to the person sitting next to you? A living trust is an estate planning tool. In essence, it is an alternative to a will. Like a will, its main function is to...

We love our pets. We groom them, bathe them, feed them, make sure they have plenty of exercise, recreation, and relaxation (as if that’s necessary). Last year alone $60 billion was spent on pet care in the United States. In modern America, Fluffy and Fido are part of the family. But when it...

Imagine this situation: Your adult child has a long-term disability. Maybe it’s a severe mental illness; maybe it’s a serious physical disability. Maybe it’s both. You have significant assets – a house, some successful investments. You are concerned about your disabled child...

The American legal system is a useful vehicle for righting people’s wrongs: If your dog bites me and I am seriously injured, I can sue you for medical bills, pain and suffering, etc. That is fair and just. But, our legal system is also overused and abused. Frivolous lawsuits are filed frequently,...

You just got served with divorce papers. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, you feel like you’ve been slapped across the face. When you finally muster the strength to sit down and read the papers, you are in no better shape. The stack of court pleadings spewing out legal citations and “wherefores”...