As we prepare to welcome the new year, it is an ideal opportunity to reflect on your estate planning practice. Take a moment to evaluate the successes and challenges of the past year and identify any goals you did not meet. Now is the time to set new goals for your practice and yourself. The close of the year often sparks anticipation for the possibilities ahead, including the chance to engage with new clients. Many individuals set a New Year’s resolution to initiate or revise their estate plans, and they are looking forward to connecting with an estate planning attorney. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic made everything topsy-turvy. Businesses shut down, supplies were sometimes scarce, and families were distanced. It seemed like the coronavirus could be a legitimate excuse for the failure to get almost anything done in a timely manner. But what if this were the cited reason for causing planning delays in a Medicaid eligibility case? Was this a valid argument? An Ohio appeals court says no but only because of a technicality.

Divorce is usually a lengthy process of reaching agreements pertaining to assets and family time. Once a divorce case is filed with the court, a temporary injunction is put in place, where neither party can dispose of marital assets. The court will eventually issue its ruling about how assets are divided. But what happens if one party to the divorce changes beneficiary designations to assets while the divorce case is pending but dies before the divorce decree is issued? Do the new designations stand?