Free Confidential Consultation. Call Now! 410-299-4959

sreichert@reichertlegal.com

What Should I Do with My Estate Plan If One of My Children Provides Most of the Caregiving?

In many instances, most of the caregiving may fall to one of your children. This could be due to several circumstances, most often proximity. If you are in this situation, you may have asked yourself how to fairly acknowledge the caregiving load one child has carried over another.   Here are some strategies to consider […]

Read More

Best Ways to Preemptively Avoid a Will Contest

While anyone can contest your will after you have passed away, there are several things you can do to prevent them from succeeding.   The first and best way to avoid a will contest is to establish a trust. This is the most common way to avoid probate and to make contesting a will difficult. […]

Read More

What is the Role of a Personal Representative?

A Personal Representative (aka executor) is a person appointed in an estate plan, or, when there is no will, appointed as a matter of law or by the court. This role involves ensuring that the decedent’s wishes are fulfilled when distributing assets, as well as managing the decedent’s affairs, including paying taxes and other bills. […]

Read More

Maryland Estate Planning Terms Defined

If you’re new to estate planning, you might feel overwhelmed. Any legal process can feel intimidating. In this post we will briefly define several key terms to give you a broader understanding of the subject so that, when you do decide to put an estate plan in place, you will have a better foundation.   […]

Read More

What is Common Law Marriage and Does it Exist in Maryland?

Common Law Marriage is a framework for individuals who are legally married in certain states without actually being formally recognized as married by the state. Typically these laws refer to couples who have cohabitated, or lived together for a certain amount of years. The requirements to achieve this threshold is different from state to state. […]

Read More

Maryland Estate Planning: How Do I Obtain Power of Attorney?

Post Image

In order to obtain power of attorney you must have the Principle decide the amount of power they wish to give. There are different types of power that falls into broad categories of Financial and Healthcare. For each of these powers to be granted, separate documents must be created. The General and Limited Power of […]

Read More

Can a Personal Representative Designated in a Will Act Before the Principal’s Death?

Post Image

A Personal Representative has no power to do anything before death. Only a Power of Attorney or court appointed guardian can act during the principal’s lifetime. As such, it is important to meet with a lawyer and execute the proper Power of Attorney documents before such an individual is needed, rather than later when issues […]

Read More

Maryland Estate Planning for Pets: Pet Trusts

Post Image

I occasionally have clients inquire about making estate planning provisions for their pets. Under Maryland law this can be accomplished with the right estate plan. You can make provisions for your pet within your Maryland Last Will and Testament. Another approach is to create a Maryland Pet Trust. This type of trust is created specifically […]

Read More

How to Revoke a Maryland Will

Post Image

Before deciding to revoke a Will you should discuss the pros and cons with an experienced estate planning attorney. There are many good reasons to revoke a Will but this should almost always include replacing the Will with a new updated Will. Creating a new Will is an excellent way to revoke a prior Will. […]

Read More

Maryland Estate Planning: Creating Estate Planning Documents such as Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney & Advance Directives

Post Image

Here are some good questions to ask an attorney when you are considering hiring that attorney to create an estate plan for you. These are questions that are sometimes asked of me and I have included my answers after each question. “How do you draft your estate planning documents?” I begin by learning what you […]

Read More