By Tim Barkley. July 2021. “Do I need a living trust? I’ve heard a lot about them, and my brother said I need to get one. He has one, and he says it helps avoid probate. What is probate, anyway?” A living trust is a useful tool for many situations, but is not needed...
By Tim Barkley. September 2020. “If I don’t have a will, the State will get everything when I die!” “I don’t need a will, because everything is going to my spouse!” “If I have a will, my estate doesn’t go through probate!” “I need a living trust, so I can avoid...
By Tim Barkley. December 2019. Billy and Joan had lived across town. He was her only child, and as she grew older, helped with her care. Joan, a widow, had just been admitted to a nursing home with dementia. Immediately after her admission to the home, Billy suddenly...
By Tim Barkley. June 2019. The lawyer greeted Susan as she entered the office. She waved a large maroon notebook. “I think we might have found the trust. Is that what this is? It’s about a million pages long. We were going through some boxes in the basement...
By Tim Barkley. May 2019. Susan sounded uncharacteristically jubilant on the phone: “Big news! Mary was picked up for a DUI and has disappeared! I don’t think she’ll be causing any more trouble.” “That’s a relief,” replied the lawyer. “We’ll...
