Wisconsin courts oversee probate because it is not just a private transfer of property—it is a legal process for settling a deceased person’s affairs, including creditors, taxes, and competing claims to property. The court’s role is to ensure the process is lawful, orderly, and fair to everyone with an interest in the...
Category: Court
Wisconsin Probates: What are Common Reasons for Litigation in a Wisconsin Probate?
Litigation in Wisconsin probate most often arises when family members, beneficiaries, creditors, or fiduciaries disagree about the decedent’s assets, intentions, or how the estate is being administered. The most common categories include will contests, trust contests, fiduciary‑misconduct claims, disputes over family farms or closely held businesses, real estate and cabin conflicts, creditor...
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs in Madison, Wisconsin
The bad news: When a person dies owning property in their sole name without a beneficiary, their loved ones will have to go through a court-supervised process called probate to transfer the property out of the deceased person’s name and into the name of intended beneficiaries or heirs at law. Going through...
Michael Jackson’s Estate Sells Music to Sony for $600M
Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, but the settling of his estate continues more than 15 years after his death due to a lingering tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other legal challenges, including a lawsuit brought by his mother over a deal to sell part of his music...
How Do You Define the Beneficiaries of Your Dynasty Trust?
Many estate plans incorporate irrevocable dynasty trusts, which can offer benefits such as tax minimization and asset protection. The benefits of these types of trusts continue for a surviving spouse’s lifetime and several future generations. The actual duration of the trust can be affected by such factors as state law and how...
What You Can Learn from the Leno Conservatorship Proceedings
When most people think about creating an estate plan, they usually focus on what will happen when they die. They typically do not consider what their wishes would be if they were alive but unable to manage their own affairs (in other words, if they are alive but incapacitated). In many cases,...
What You Can Learn from the Leno Conservatorship Proceedings
When most people think about creating an estate plan, they usually focus on what will happen when they die. They typically do not consider what their wishes would be if they were alive but unable to manage their own affairs (in other words, if they are alive but incapacitated). In many cases,...
Estate Administration Details that TV and Movies Get Wrong
While television and movies provide great entertainment, they are not always factual. Even shows based on real events are not entirely accurate. Creators of television programs and movies will often alter details of a story or situation to provide an enjoyable experience. Because of these widespread embellishments, people often develop misconceptions about...