Category Archives: Estate and Trust
Are Probate Records Public?
Probate is the legal process by which one’s assets are distributed and affairs are settled after their death. One of the commonly asked questions about probate is whether the records are public. In Florida, probate proceedings can be complex and time-consuming, and it is important to understand the probate process and how it impacts… Read More »
How Far Must the Personal Representative of an Estate Go to Find the Deceased Person’s Creditors?
Even though movies often cut straight from scenes of lawyers reading a will to scenes of the deceased person’s descendants reveling in their new-found fortune, the process is not quite so quick. Before the beneficiaries of the will can receive the assets that their deceased relative has bequeathed to them, the will must go… Read More »
Should You Name a Relative as Personal Representative of Your Estate?
It is comforting to think about the money that you have worked hard to earn becoming a source of stability for your children and grandchildren, but it is not always easy to have frank conversations with your family about what will happen when you pass away. It is important, though, to start the discussions… Read More »
How to Bequeath Money to a Non-Relative in Florida
If you are looking for a book to read on the beach this holiday season, one could do worse than For Bread Alone, Mohamed Choukri’s memoir of his early life, before he learned to write and before he made the acquaintance of the literary-minded expatriates of Tangier, such as Tennessee Williams. Choukri ran away… Read More »
Common Problems and Solutions for Talking to Your Family About Your Estate Plan
Issues related to inheritance can be a major source of family stress, and in the worst instances, can even lead to siblings becoming estranged for life. All those hurt feelings left over from childhood that fester throughout life, the ones about which sibling gets saddled with the most unwanted responsibilities and which one Mom… Read More »
How to Leave Money to Your Children When They Cannot Handle Financial Responsibility
If you are reading this post, it means that you have navigated to the website of an estate and probate law firm, which implies that you care about providing your children and their descendants with financial stability. Your desire to give them financial stability motivates you to continue in a stressful job that limits… Read More »
Who Inherits the Assets of a Person Who Dies Without a Will?
Yes, you should write a will, even if you are young and healthy. When you have a will, your property is distributed according to your wishes, rather than the State of Florida applying the default options. If you have questions about what to write in your will or about how to collect assets that… Read More »
What to Do When You Have Been Named the Personal Representative of an Estate
Being a personal representative of an estate, also known as an executor, can be a stressful job. “Personal Representative” is the term used in Florida law, but if you know someone in another state who was appointed to act as the executor of a relative’s will, that person has been in the same situation…. Read More »
Mark R. Manceri, P.A. is a boutique law firm that specializes in Estate, Trust and Guardianship litigation. These matters include Will and Trust contests involving lack of capacity, undue influence, forgery, improper execution and tortious interference...