The late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek made no provision for his wife Paulina Porizkova in his Last Will and Testament because, among other things, the two were in the midst of a divorce. His estate is governed by New York law, which might allow Ms. Porizkova to claim her elective share. Had they been New […]

Archer is pleased to announce that attorneys Melissa Osorio Dibble, Pete Jamison and Jonathan P. Rardin have been named partners of the firm, effective January 1, 2020. The new partners were previously associates with Archer, one of the region’s largest law firms. They represent a diverse base of clients in several practice areas, which include […]

A New Jersey estate is suing New York law firm Davidson, Dawson & Clark and attorney P. Gregory Hess in a civil suit. The decedent, a New Jersey resident had Hess, who is not licensed in New Jersey, draft her will which was successfully challenged by the decedent’s husband. In a new twist, the plaintiff […]

Two days before his jailhouse suicide, Jeffrey Epstein signed a will that placed more than $577 million in assets in a trust fund potentially making it more difficult for his accusers to collect damages. Read more at NY Post: https://nypost.com/2019/08/19/jeffrey-epstein-signed-will-two-days-before-suicide/

The “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019” (SECURE Act) passed through the House of Representatives without issue and presently awaits a vote in the Senate where it has stalled. If passed it will dramatically change withdrawals from decedent’s IRA’s for those other than spouses who roll the IRA over and certain […]

Archer is pleased to announce that attorney Melissa Osorio Dibble has been accepted into the inaugural class of the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Lawyers are nominated by an ACTEC Fellow and selected through a competitive application process. Ms. Dibble was one of 38 lawyers selected from […]

Tom Petty died of an accidental drug overdose at age 66, on October 2, 2017. Despite having an estate plan, his widow and his daughters from a previous marriage are now in a battle over the implementation of that plan. Petty established the Thomas Early Petty Living Trust, which appointed his wife Dana York Petty […]

The Daily Mail reported that a Los Angeles judge ruled that Steve Bing and Elizabeth Hurley’s son Damian Hurley, 17, and his half-sister Kira Kerkorian, the daughter of Steve and former tennis pro Lisa Bonder, are beneficiaries to their grandfather,  Dr. Peter Bing’s, trust.  The trust is set to terminate in October 2020. Dr. Bing […]

Archer Partner Anthony R. La Ratta was recently appointed Chair of the National Conference of Lawyers and Corporate Fiduciaries Committee of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. His term will begin September 1. As Chair, Mr. La Ratta has overall leadership responsibility for the Committee, which focuses on the bar’s […]

Archer attorney, Melissa Osorio Dibble, a member of the firm’s Estate and Trust Litigation Group, was reappointed Vice-Chair of the Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Committee of the Litigation, Ethics and Malpractice Group of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. Her new term will begin September 1. As Vice-Chair, Ms. Dibble is a member […]