An increasing number of adult children are taking care of their parents at home. When adult children take on significant caregiver roles, often limiting their own employment opportunities, some families choose to enter into a Caregiver Agreement. This can be…
How parentage is recognized is determined by each state. Just because the Federal Government recognizes same-sex marriage, it does not follow that your state does as well. Having legalized same-sex marriage last August, Minnesota has this situation fairly well in…
I was recently reading an intriguing article in Family Law Quarterly, (Vol. 47, Number 3, Fall 2013) by Sol Rappaport that asked “What if divorce is not the main culprit in why some children have difficulty post-divorce?” I was intrigued…
Bench and Bar, the publication of the Minnesota Bar Association, offered in their most recent January 14, 2014 issue a great article that summarizes some of the legal ramifications for same-sex marriage since the convergence of United States v. Windsor,…
Pat and Chris get divorced. As part of their divorce decree, Chris’ life insurance policy will continue to benefit Pat. Chris then remarries and changes the beneficiary to Kim, his second spouse. Chris dies. Both Pat and Kim claim they…
The short answer is “no.” You’re not personally responsible for your Mom’s nursing home bill as long as you don’t misapply your Mom’s funds as her legal representative (Power of Attorney). ‘Filial Responsibility’ Laws – What Are They and Do…
Many people gather friends and family over the holidays. Everybody we care about is in the room! It’s a great time to have conversations that may feel uncomfortable but are extremely important in a health care crisis – Health Care…
First of all, if you already have a SSFPOA, which you validly executed before January 1, 2014, yours is still effective and you are not required to get a new one. But, if you execute a SSFPOA after January 1,…
Christopher Pham and Michael Boulette wrote a very insightful article in a recent publication of Bench and Bar of Minnesota (link below) that outlines the limitations on Marital Liens when a volatile market destroys home equity, as is the case…
I enjoyed an excellent article by Peter Brynickzka in the American Bar Association’s Family Advocate publication. (See link below) http://sgcfamlaw.com/pdf/1sum13_bryniczka.pdf Blended families are common, and stepparents often bond very deeply with their stepchildren. But, life can always throw us a…