Elder Law Report

A single estate planning detail can decide whether a family tragedy becomes a legal loophole. We start with a disturbing real-world style scenario that forces an uncomfortable question: if someone intentionally causes another person’s death, can they still collect money that was meant for them, especially when those assets are held in a trust? We break down the difference between probate and trusts in plain English. Slayer statutes are designed to stop a person from benefiting from wrongdoin...

Someone can write “my spouse gets nothing” into a will, but North Carolina law may have the final say. We sit down to unpack the North Carolina elective share, the statute that helps protect surviving spouses from being disinherited unless they have signed a valid written waiver. If you are dealing with estate planning, probate, or a tough family situation after a death, this conversation clarifies what rights may exist even when the paperwork looks final. We walk through how the elect...

When siblings inherit a house, the hardest part is not the paperwork, it’s the stalemate. One person wants to keep the property, another wants to sell, and someone ends up paying the taxes and mortgage while the argument drags on. We sit down with attorney Anthony Rabreno to explain the North Carolina partition process that can finally move an inherited property dispute toward a clear outcome. We walk through the two types of partition you’ll hear in court: partition in kind, where the prope...

A child can spend a lifetime loving their dad and still be told they have no inheritance rights when he dies without a will. That’s the reality North Carolina probate lawyers have faced for years when legitimation was never completed through a formal court process. We sit down for a quick elder law update on a new North Carolina statute that changes the conversation about heirship, legitimation, and intestate succession, especially for children born outside marriage. We explain what’s ...

A long-term care crisis can erase decades of savings in a shockingly short time, and most families do not realize it until they are already in the middle of it. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Anthony Robreno, a new attorney in our Charlotte office, and talk about what proactive elder law and estate planning actually look like when you’re trying to protect a home, property, and the future you built. Anthony shares his path from South Florida and his Cuban heritage to Wake Forest Univer...