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owners manual power of attorney

Powers of Attorney – where is the owner’s manual?

Usually, lawyers who draft wills for their clients also prepare a power of attorney for property and personal care. These documents allow the client to choose who makes financial decisions or personal care decisions should the client become incapable. The person whose property is being managed and who signs the power of attorney is called the grantor. The person who is appointed to manage the property or make decisions about personal care (referred to, respectively, as the attorney for property or attorney for personal care) sometimes only sees the document after the grantor becomes incapable. Problems often arise because the attorney does not know what the responsibilities and duties are. If only the document came with an instruction booklet.
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mistake in calculation

Can a trustee recover funds from a beneficiary where the trustee makes an overpayment by mistake?

The administration of the estate can take time and often the assets and liabilities will be known and the amount available for distribution can be estimated. Accordingly, personal representatives will oftentimes make an interim distribution from the estate to the beneficiaries leaving a holdback amount to cover any anticipated liabilities and expenses. In some cases, the personal representative’s estimates can be incorrect or there’s a liability that the personal representative failed to take into account. Meaning, the personal representative may have mistakenly made an overpayment to the beneficiaries.
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renunciation of trustee

Can a Named Estate Trustee Renounce Their Position Prior to The Death of the Testator?

An application to remove an estate trustee is often brought when there is significant acrimony in the administration of an estate stemming from the actions, perceived or real, of the trustee. However, if the named trustee is willing to give up the position on consent, simply substituting a different trustee can often reduce tensions and avoid costly litigation. Renunciation is “[t]he formal act whereby an executor entitled to a grant of probate (or person having the right to a grant of administration) renounces such right”.
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who gets fees

The Executor’s Fee – Payment to the Lawyer or the Law Firm?

Imagine this scenario: Larry the Lawyer works for a large law firm. For ease of reference let’s call the law firm LLF. The clients love Larry. One such client - let’s call him Clint the Client - was so impressed with him that he appointed Larry the Lawyer as his sole executor. Clint the Client is worth about $200,000,000. Using the tariff as a guide, the executor fees might be as much as $10 million. So does Larry the Lawyer or his firm LLF become entitled to the executor fees?
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special items in estate law

A $50 million painting of Shakespeare – the administration of estates involving one of a kind assets

The main asset of the estate of Mary Sullivan is the Sanders Portrait, a 400 year old portrait purportedly of William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been painted during Shakespeare’s lifetime and has been appraised at $50 million USD. Ms. Sullivan died on April 6, 2020. Her last will and testament named her husband as the executor of her estate and in the event he predeceased her - which he did - her cousin. Ms. Sullivan’s cousin renounced, which left the second alternate, her long-time accountant Mr. Taylor, to administer the estate. Mr. Taylor accepted the appointment and five months later was met with an application brought by Mr. Meuse (a beneficiary) who sought to remove him.
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order of estate distribution

Does an estate have to pay a creditor or a dependant first?

How do dependants rank in terms of priority over others with a claim or interest in an estate’s assets? Let’s get a running start with a quick review of the law. During their lifetime people often borrow money. Sometimes the loan is to buy a house or car, or even to invest in a business. When a person dies, one of the jobs of the executor is to pay off all the debts before dividing the estate amongst the beneficiaries. But, what about those people who relied on the deceased for support? Who gets paid first - the creditors or the dependants?
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younger wife

Seduction, Marriage and Elder Abuse

In this case, the children were fortunate that the judge found that the father’s residence was really held in trust for the children so it did not form part of the estate. Muna did not get much money. This time the children were lucky. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
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record keeping trustee

Can a Trustee be Disentitled From Receiving Compensation?

Individuals who act as a trustee or an attorney for property are statutorily entitled to compensation for the time and effort they have expended in their respective roles. Notwithstanding the entitlement to compensation, courts will not reward individuals who fall below their common law or statutory obligations. The question then, is what actions or omissions must an individual do in order to disentitle themselves from their statutory entitlements to compensation.
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