Edward George & Associates, lawyers in Malden, MA, Massachusetts

Coverage of Healthcare Directives

By appointing a medical proxy, you can ensure that there will be someone to lobby on your behalf to get your wishes enforced, to make sure medical personnel know of your wishes, and to enforce your healthcare directives in court, if necessary.More...

Guardianship or Conservatorship, Generally

Most people have legal control over themselves and their property. They are able to act on their own behalf. But when a living person is unable to protect or care for himself or herself, or for his or her property, because of old age, illness, or other disability, the law of guardianship (or conservatorship) permits the appointment of a competent person to protect and care for the incompetent person and/or manage the incompetent person's property.More...

Constructive Trusts

Trusts are sometimes classified by the intent, if any, of the settlor to create a trust. This article discusses the kind of trust for which the settlor's intent is irrelevant: the constructive trust.More...

Inheritance Issues -- Spouses

When the deceased leaves a will disinheriting a spouse, most states allow the surviving spouse to ignore (or waive) the will and take what is called a forced share. The laws of those states that allow a surviving spouse to take a forced share are very specific in the amount that the spouse may take, but this does not mean that questions do not arise.More...

Probate -- Closing the Estate

After all tax matters for the estate are settled and all bills and expenses paid or amounts set aside, the executor may then prepare to distribute what is left to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the deceased's will, or according to the laws of the state if the deceased left no will. If there was a contest and a negotiated settlement, the executor would prepare to make the full distributions required under the settlement. (If there are lawsuits still outstanding against the estate, it is unlikely that distributions will be made until these are settled.)More...