It has become increasingly common for family members to contest their inheritances. Such probate and estate disputes can alienate family members against each other, and cause irreparable harm to relationships among beneficiaries. An effective remedy is mediation, which is a type of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to reach a settlement between parties. The principal role […]

Legal terminology can sometimes seem confusing, even misleading, to the layman. The names of some legal documents can suggest one meaning while actually operating as something else. Within estate planning law, for example, living wills and powers of attorney are two well-known but often misunderstood staples. A living will is not actually a will at […]

The term probate may evoke foreboding thoughts among many who hear it, but essentially the word means the act of validating and recording the will of a deceased person with the court that has jurisdiction. In the case of the commonwealth of Virginia, that court is the Circuit Court, and it is the proper filing […]

By Lisa Lane McDevitt, Esquire on Monday, May 9, 2011 Let’s face it. No one wants to think about their death. As a result many people either procrastinate in drafting a will or they simply do not believe they need one. Everyone needs a will and here’s why. You need a will so property passes […]