New Jersey courts have adopted the doctrine of writings intended as wills, admitting to probate non-traditional Wills like DVDs and post-it notes.   Throughout the country there is a movement away from strict compliance to will formalities.  A recent decision out of Australia, illustrates this shift taking place throughout the world.   The Supreme Court of Queensland […]

On September 13, 2017, Governor Chris Christie signed legislation recognizing a fiduciary heir’s right to obtain control of a decedent’s digital assets.  The “Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act” authorizes an executor, agent, guardian, or trustee, under certain circumstances, to manage electronic records of decedent, principal, incapacitated person, or trust creator.

Callas v. Callas, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 127547 (D.N.J. Aug. 11, 2017). Plaintiff William Dean Callas (“William”) brought an action against his siblings, the executors of his mother’s estate, to settle a dispute over the value of their mother’s ownership in a real estate holding company in which he held a 60% interest. The Operating […]

On August 7, 2017, our State Legislature signed into law amendments to N.J.S.A. § 3B:14-18 “Discharge from office of fiduciary; account; allowances” and N.J.S.A. 3B:14-19 “Discharge from particular trust; effect”. The attached document sets forth the current version of the text as amended by the legislature.  The newly enacted language is underlined and the omitted language […]

Anthony R. La Ratta, a Partner in Archer’s Haddonfield office, has been appointed Chair of the Litigation, Ethics and Malpractice Group of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. For the past two terms, he has been serving as the Vice Chair of the Group. As Chair, Mr. La Ratta has […]

Melissa Osorio Dibble, an Associate and member of the firm’s Litigation Department, was recently appointed Vice-Chair of the Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. Her one-year term will start on September 1.

Final assets have been revealed for the Estate of Carrie Fisher.  Fisher’s assets include several bank accounts, a 2016 Tesla S, full ownership of several LLCs and a life insurance policy, according to court documents.  Fisher’s family compound is also on the market for $18 million, the proceeds of which will likely be incorporated into […]

Steven K. Mignogna, a Partner in Archer’s Haddonfield office, has been reappointed to a second term as Chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee in the Litigation, Ethics and Malpractice Group of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. His new term will start on September 1. As Chair, Mr. […]

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) recently appointed Steven K. Mignogna, a Partner in the firm’s Haddonfield office, to its Joint ACTEC/NCPJ Task Force. The task force is a joint initiative between ACTEC and the National College of Probate Judges (NCPJ), and was created to coordinate projects between ACTEC and the NCPJ. […]

Only 1% of China’s 220 million seniors have an estate plan, which has led to a recent spike in inheritance disputes in China. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/02/chinese-dont-have-wills–now-its-a-big-problem.html