Estates and Trusts Commons^™

Keeping Current - Probate [Notes], Julia Koert, Paula Moore, William P. Lapiana, Jake W. Villanueva

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

“I’Ll Give You My Trust Assets, When You Pry Them From My Cold, Dead Hands”: The Supreme Court Of Georgia Clarifies That A Mere Challenge To A Trust’S Formation Will Not Trigger An In Terrorem Clause, Kiana Johnson

Mercer Law Review

Imagine a television infomercial wakes you up from your sleep. While refocusing your vision, you faintly hear the television say: “Are you a disgruntled beneficiary?” You think to yourself, “I’m not disgruntled, but I sure wish I could have more money.” You are slightly intrigued, so you crank up the volume on the television, and the infomercial emphatically states, “Do you believe you are entitled to ‘ill-gotten gains’?” You think to yourself, “I have no idea what ill-gotten gains are.” I just want ownership over the assets I —.”

Giller v. Slosberg, 359 Ga. App. 867, 858 S.E.2d 747 …

Until The Cows Come Home: Ancillary Probate Reform Is Needed Across The Country To Better Serve Farmers And Ranchers, Emily K. Daniel

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

Property law has long established a difference between real and personal property. When an individual dies, if they owned real property in another state, they may be subject to the other state’s probate or estates code. This means that the decedent’s beneficiaries may have to probate the estate again in the secondary state’s courts if the statutes state that is a requirement. This secondary probate proceeding is called ancillary probate. This Article aims to show the negative effects that ancillary probate has on certain people and industries. Specifically, ancillary probate is a problem that negatively affects farmers and ranchers across …

Keeping Current - Probate [Notes], Julia Koert, Paula Moore, William P. Lapiana, Jake W. Villanueva

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Party Autonomy In Trust Law, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

The article critiques the current approach to party autonomy in trust law, particularly the freedom granted by the Second Restatement of Conflict of Laws for settlors to choose the governing law for their trusts. The author argues that this freedom, rooted in historically uniform trust laws, is now outdated due to the diversification of state trust laws, especially regarding issues like perpetual trusts and asset protection. The analysis advocates for a more restrictive approach to party autonomy, prioritizing the settlor's domicile and home state policies to prevent manipulation and ensure fairness, particularly for third parties affected by trust arrangements.

When The Dog Bites (Reviewing Richard C. Ausness, These Are A Few Of My Least Favorite Things, 34 Quinnipiac Prob. L. J. 231 (2021)), Katheleen Guzman

Other Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Professor Sterk & Cardozo Trust & Estates Law Society Invite You To: Surrogates And Sushi, Cardozo Trusts And Estates Law Society, Cardozo Family Law Society, Cardozo Criminal Law Society

2022–2023 Flyers

No abstract provided.

Perpetuities In An Unequal Age, Jack H.L. Whiteley

Northwestern University Law Review

For centuries, the common law limited aristocratic wealth. In the last three decades, that has changed. One by one, state legislatures have eliminated the rule against perpetuities (the Rule), and now “dynasty trusts” can make carefully controlled payments to a settlor’s descendants for hundreds of years. This change occurred soon before a large and ongoing intergenerational wealth transfer in the United States. Trusts scholars have roundly criticized the Rule’s removal, and some have described it as charting a path to a new Gilded Age.

This Article draws a theoretical lesson from the Rule’s demise. I argue that part of the …

Anti Trusts: Reforming An Excessively Flexible Legal Tool, Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Trusts are one of the most flexible legal tools in lawyers’ arsenals, deployed for socially desirable uses ranging from supporting orphans to structuring complex investments. Trusts, however, are also used for a host of socially undesirable purposes, including restraint of trade, cheating creditors, establishing family dynasties akin to feudalism, and avoiding taxes. This negative litany shows that flexibility has a dark side, and these undesirable trust uses have accelerated in the last few decades. Creative lawyers continuously find novel uses for moldable tools like the trust. This Article argues that long experience and recent developments teach us that dark eclipses …

Amicus Curiae Brief State Of Utah Et. Al. V Walsh Et. Al., Ethan Halman Gonzalez

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In accordance with Rule 29 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, this amicus curiae is submitted in the defense of Walsh and the Department of Labor in releasing the prudence and loyalty in selecting plan investments and exercising shareholder rights rule in November of 2022. These brief mainly focuses on the arbitrary and capricious standard, the major questions doctrine, and the legal standing the Department of Labor has to issue rules that apply to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

The Kinder, Gentler Irs? Where?, Harvey Gilmore

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Advance Care Planning Is Critical To Overall Wellbeing, Barbara Zabawa

Faculty Works

Wellness is growing market in the United States. McKinsey and Company estimates the spend on wellness products and services to exceed $450 billion in the United States and to grow at more than five percent annually.1 Despite this impressive growth, wellness products and services are falling short of meeting many consumers’ wellness needs.2 Those who feel least satisfied with what wellness has to offer yearn for a more holistic approach to wellness, with a need for more products and services that address sleep and mindfulness concerns.3 Arguably at the heart of these more holistic approaches, particularly those …

Conditional Purging Of Wills, Mark Glover

University of Richmond Law Review

The laws of most states unconditionally purge a testamentary gift to an individual who serves as an attesting witness to the will. Under this approach, the will is valid despite the presence of an interested witness, but the witness forfeits all, some, or none of her gift, depending on the particularities of state law. While the outcome of the interested witness’s gift varies amongst the states that adhere to this majority approach, the determination of what the interested witnesses can retain is the same. The only consideration is whether the beneficiary is also a witness; whether her gift is purged …

Keeping Current - Probate [Notes], Claire Hargrove, Paula Moore, William P. Lapiana, Jake W. Villanueva

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Wealth Disparities In Estate Planning, Cardozo Trusts And Estates Law Society

2022–2023 Flyers

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Chapter 11: How Corporate Restructuring Has Evolved And Its Important Role In The Recovery Of A Struggling Economy, Eduardo Cervantes

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Vs. Constitution; Limited Government's Unlimited Response, John A. Losurdo

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The "No License, No Chips" Policy: When A Refusal To Deal Becomes Reasonable, Sheng Tong

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Dark Triad: Private Benefits Of Control, Voting Caps And The Mandatory Takeover Rule, Jorge Brito Pereira

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Strange Statutory Foundations And Terribly Tricky Treasures In Trust, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes two distinct topics: statutory foundations and a varied collection of unique and potentially troubling kinds of assets that might be held by fiduciaries such as trustees. Statutory foundations have recently been legislative approved in two states; Wyoming and New Hampshire and they represent new and interesting planning opportunities for estate planners. Tricky assets can range from the difficult-to-inventory (such as comic books and baseball cards) to outright contraband.

Pregnancy Advance Directives, Joan H. Krause

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Resolving Unfairness In A Fair Way: How The Grantor Trust Rules Should Be Reformed, Aaron T. Anderson

BYU Law Review

Affluent taxpayers often create one or more grantor trusts to achieve significant tax savings. By leveraging mismatches in the rules between the income and estate tax systems, these taxpayers avoid the compressed income tax brackets of trusts while minimizing the property that is included in their estates for estate tax purposes. Some commentators have argued that reform is needed to remove such mismatches. Yet, trusts that rely on the current grantor trust rules abound.

This Note (1) provides a background and history of the rules and use of grantor trusts, (2) argues that harmonizing the estate and income tax systems …

Without A Will, There Is Still A Way: A Statutory Solution To Increase The Value Of A Small Estate And Aid In Reducing The Racial Equity Gap In Wisconsin, Isabella V. Avila Perez

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

For generations, communities of color have struggled to increase their generational wealth. Lack of access to estate planning tools leaves minority groups and low-income families compromised and more likely to die intestate. While the current probate system creates a safety net for those that die intestate, this comment aims to address the need for a statutory solution to aid in combatting Wisconsin's racial equity gap. More specifically, this Comment suggests how increasing and indexing Wisconsin's summary settlement and summary assignment small estate values to include estates of $100,000 or less will allow for more minority and low-income families to qualify …

When Congress Passes The Buck: How Russia’S Invasion Of Ukraine Exposed Flaws In Granting The President Sanctioning Powers, Artem M. Joukov, Samantha M. Caspar

Seattle University Law Review

The United States (U.S.) Constitution provides few limitations on endowing the Executive Branch with powers to govern foreign trade, which was initially granted to the Legislature. In a world where global trade dominates, the power over foreign trade can be more important than the power over domestic matters. Leaving unrestrained trade authority to the Executive Branch may cause hazards for Americans and foreigners alike. Russia’s war in Ukraine demonstrates the flaws in permitting the Executive Branch to unilaterally sanction foreign states. This Article demonstrates how reactive Executive Branch policies infringed on the welfare and safety of American citizens and foreigners …

Pedaling Backwards: Examining The King County Board Of Health’S Choice To Repeal Its Bicycle Helmet Law, Schuyler M. Peters

Seattle University Law Review

In Part I, this Comment will explain the Helmet Law itself and the timeline that ultimately led to its repeal. Part II will focus on the positive impact of the Helmet Law, the dangers associated with the repeal, why the repeal should not have occurred in the manner it did, and what societal costs stem from the BOH’s decision. Part III will address the actions that must be taken to revoke this repeal and the reasons behind these alternative pathways, including an Equity Impact Review study specifically on the consequences of repeal, a collaborative outreach program to bring helmets to …

Proposing A Model Antilapse Clause, Raymond C. O'Brien

Scholarly Articles

The complexity of state antilapse statutes exacerbates the task of many estate planners seeking to give prudent expression to the postmortem wishes of a client. These statutes vary as to which predeceasing beneficiaries they should apply, who should be the substitute takers to benefit instead of these lapsed beneficiaries, and how to treat beneficiaries who are treated as predeceasing because of renunciation agreements, final decrees of divorce, or, when the beneficiary kills, exploits, or abuses the one from whom the beneficiary would take. Within the modern statutory framework, there exists an abundant array of testamentary devices by which a transferor …

Digital Purgatory And The Rights Of The Dead: Protecting Against Digital Disinterment In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Greyson Cohen

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Note will attempt to show that the existing patchwork of rights of publicity statutes and case law are inadequate to protect citizens from online harms in the age of synthetic media. Particularly, this Note will focus on postmortem right of publicity interests and protections because a robust market for the likenesses of deceased personalities exists and will likely grow in the age of synthetic media.

Part I will explain how synthetic media may contribute to an increase in the harms associated with rights of publicity violations, particularly after death. Part II will begin by outlining the legal landscape of …

Private Caregiver Presumption For Elder Caregivers, Raymond C. O’Brien

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The percentage of older Americans increases each year, with a corresponding percentage increase of those considered the older old. Many older persons will develop chronic conditions, decreasing their ability to manage the activities of daily living and requiring many to move into assisted living facilities or group homes. When surveyed, a majority of people expressed that they wish to age in their own homes, and government programs are increasingly supportive of this option. This is a viable option for many if they have the assistance of private caregivers—who provide a vast array of support services—and essential person-to-person human contact during …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

Beyond The Business Case: Moving From Transactional To Transformational Inclusion, Jamillah Bowman Williams

Seattle University Law Review

While workplace diversity is a hot topic, the extent to which the diversity management movement has effectively improved intergroup relations and reduced racial inequality remains unclear.1 Despite large investments in diversity and inclusion training and other company wide initiatives, historically excluded groups remain vastly underrepresented in leadership and the most lucrative careers, such as finance, law, and technology. This calls the efficacy of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts into question, particularly with respect to reducing racial inequality in the workplace.

This Article explains why it is time for organizational leaders to move beyond the transactional case for diversity and …