On March 19, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued an executive order that permits remote notarization. Today, April 7, he took that executive order one step further, allowing acts of witnessing estate planning documents required under New York State laws to be performed remotely. The Goetz Fitzpatrick Trusts & Estates group... »
April 7, 2020
On March 19, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a temporary modification of law that authorizes any notarial act that is required under New York State law to be performed utilizing audio-video technology, subject to the following conditions:
The person seeking the Notary's services, if not personally known to the Notary,... »
March 20, 2020
Estate planning takes a whole different twist when there is a second marriage, particularly if there are children of a previous marriage involved, and even more so if there are children from the second marriage as... »
January 16, 2020
Poor estate planning is responsible for its fair share of family drama, so it's not surprising that Hollywood has glommed on to it in their pursuit of the next blockbuster. Here are six TV series and movies that illustrate quite clearly (in case we haven't been successful in doing... »
January 8, 2020
In order for a will to be valid, it needs to be in writing, be signed by the testator, and be witnessed by at least two people. (Having it notarized is strongly advised.) Up until recently, however, no matter how a will was drawn up, it needed to be... »
October 29, 2019
As a parent, you want your children to get along. Ideally be close. You want them to be able to rely on and support each other. This doesn't always happen in the childhood years, but more often than not, sibling rivalry and conflict dissipates after kids leave home, and... »
October 25, 2019
Shortly after Gloria Vanderbilt's death in June, news sources speculated her net worth to be around $200 million, but the "massive fortune" turned out to be a fraction of that. Vanderbilt's will stated that her son from her second marriage, Stan Stokowski, would inherit her co-op in Manhattan, valued... »
August 16, 2019
Some may avoid end-of-life planning due to fear of death, but for the majority of Americans, it's pure, old-fashioned procrastination, like failing to floss. Well-put by estate planning attorney Michael Hackard, “Most Americans will admit that fast food is bad for your health, but according to the Centers for... »
August 7, 2019
Your documents are no good if your beneficiaries can't find them. It's important that you leave behind instructions for your fiduciary to find your documents, and advisable to keep one set with your... »
July 8, 2019
Formerly reported to have left no will for her $80 million estate, upon cleaning out the Queen of Soul's house, not one but three wills were found, and all were almost undeciferably handwritten. One will dated June 21, 2010 and another dated October 20, 2010 were found in a... »
June 18, 2019