On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that individual states could not prohibit same-sex couples from marrying and must recognize their unions. According to a Gallup poll, the decision reflects the public opinion, with 60% of Americans supporting extending the same rights to same-sex... »

Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer's close call with an oncoming truck made them realize they needed to provide for each other, and their children. But their trip to a Detroit lawyer's office to draw up their wills and assign custody of their children brought grave news. The lawyer told the couple that... »

My partner died without a will and his blood relatives are contesting my right to inherit from his estate. What should I do? Unfortunately, when a person dies without a will, the State writes one for them. This is called intestacy. The intestate scheme in New York provides for a "spouse"... »

What are some of the issues that same-sex couples must consider when it comes to life insurance? Unmarried couples have additional concerns to consider when evaluating life insurance policies: income replacement, tax liabilities, and above all, the titling of policies, which can result in tax liabilities for the inheritor. However,... »

What is Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS) and how can it help us in our joint ownership? JWTROS is a specific type of joint ownership that ensures the surviving partner will be named sole owner of remaining funds upon the death of the first partner. Due to several... »

There has been a rapid flurry of activity in the same-sex marriage equality front, bringing the total to 19 states that allow same-sex marriage to occur in their borders. In Oregon, a federal trial judge ruled that Oregon must allow same-sex couples to marry.  He rested his conclusion on the Constitution. Couples began... »

When Rohn Neugebauer, an otherwise-healthy 48-year-old man, died suddenly of a heart attack on March 16, his family knew he wanted to donate his tissue and organs to someone in need. Just a few months earlier, he had co-hosted a fundraiser for a local organ donation organization, the Center... »