Lately, we’ve been flooded with mail from readers with legal problems and questions. I thought it would be appropriate to use the Kiley Blog to post some of the better ones. A desperate housewife posed question about divorce law: Dear Blogger, My husband doesn’t seem to understand me and won’t communicate. I try to …
Have Some Tricky Questions? We’ll Treat You to Some Answers. Read More »
In the 3rd Millennium, prehistoric man picked up his hunting and gathering tools and moved to Mesopotamia to live with his fellow former cavemen. Thus, began civilization. The dawn of the next day witnessed the first dispute between adjacent landowners. It probably started over something minor. Perhaps Uruku’s camel too frequently fertilized Ebarbar’s front lawn. …
It’s been a memorable August on Long Island punctuated by two rare natural disasters – an earthquake and a hurricane. The earthquake did little more that shake our buildings and our nerves. But Hurricane Irene’s unleashed fury caused billions of dollars in property damage. Yesterday’s Newsday headline pronounced that the LIPA bill to restore power …
Personal injury plaintiffs are routinely derided by the general public as phonies. Certainly, there are unscrupulous plaintiffs and lawyers who bring smear-job lawsuits. But too few people are cognizant of the dark side of the defendant’s defense. If you bring a lawsuit for personal injuries, §3121 of the Civil Practice Laws and Rules of the …
Tomorrow my wife Maria and I will bring our daughter, Ally, (and loads of our money) to Harvard where she will begin her freshman year. She has been packing for two weeks and I will need to rent a small semi to get all her things to Boston. I remember my parents sent me to …
Taking Your Child to College or (How to Give Away All Your Money BEFORE You Die) Read More »
It’s one of the lessons they don’t teach in law school or in any of the scholarly tomes on legal jurisprudence. Until you learn it, you are doomed to fail: there are three parties to every lawsuit: the plaintiff, the defendant and the judge. And the man* in the black dress trumps the other two …
“If you want it, here it is, come and get it, but you better worry ’cause it’s costs some cash.” I was a first year law student attending my first day of class at the College of William and Mary and espoused with a thirst to for knowledge – to learn “the law.” Socrates would …
In New York State, parents are legally obligated to support their children until they become emancipated at age twenty-one (or sooner, under certain circumstances). The child support laws are codified as Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b), commonly known as the Child Support Standards Act. DRL §240(1-b) requires each parent to pay support based upon a …
The Easter Bunny and New York’s Child Support Law Read More »
A will has no force nor effect until it is probated and the Surrogate determines that it is genuine, that the testator had testamentary capacity, that he was not unduly influenced by another person, and that he published the will before signing it. When a proposed executor submits a probate petition, he must notify …
It’s a dilemma that every estate planner faces. Mrs. Martinez’ grandniece, once removed, (GNOR) makes an appointment for her to make a will. At the appointed time, they arrive together . . . alone. Mrs. M. is a lovely lady somewhere between 80 and 120 years old, has a strong accent and doesn’t hear well. …
Estate Planning for the Elderly (With Apologies to Dr. Suess) Read More »
