Is Your Teen College-Bound? Make Sure You Have These Documents in Place
Talking to our kids about the importance of having certain legal documents to help plan for life's "what ifs" should be on every parent's to-do list.… Read more
Estate Planning: Preparing a Letter of Instruction
As the global pandemic stretches into its fourth month, many of you are turning your attention to your estate plan. While the primary focus is having in place an up-to-date Will, Power of Attorney, and Health Care Directive (in New Jersey) or Health Care Proxy and Living Will (in New York), part of your planning should include a detailed Letter of Instruction.… Read more
Imagining the Real Estate Markets Post-Pandemic
Endeavoring to detect patterns in real estate markets can be a risky and humbling experience. Some trends that seemed obviously self-sustaining can abruptly reverse course, while others take off exponentially.… Read more
Value of a Business for Equitable Distribution: COVID-19 and the 'Goldman' Rule
The extreme and unprecedented financial impact of the pandemic creates some uncertainty concerning how and when to value business assets for purposes of equitable distribution.… Read more
Ten Tips to Make Your Zoom Trial a Success
Virtual bench trials could become part of the "new normal," as they offer a practical tool for courts to convene parties, their attorneys and witnesses who are geographically dispersed or otherwise unable to travel.… Read more
Racial Healing Begins By Admitting Our Schools Are Segregated
Our state and nation have been devastated by the combined anguish caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the ruthless killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. Both have disproportionately affected Black Americans. But there is a profound difference between these two events. The pandemic is the first of its kind in over 100 years. The murder of George Floyd is only the latest in a mind-numbing sequence of unjustified killings of Black men and women in the custody of white police officers.… Read more
State Releases Name of Trooper Who Engaged in "Racially Offensive Behavior;" Modifies Internal Affairs Policy
In 2017, CJ Griffin of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden filed an OPRA lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police on behalf of Libertarians for Transparent Government, seeking the identity of a state trooper who had been "required to separate from employment" for "engaging in racially offensive behavior."… Read more
Flexibility is Key – Disclaimer Trust Planning
In planning for your estate, as in planning for life, the thing to remember is that change is inevitable. The change may be to your family circumstances or to the gift and estate tax regime, but, one thing is for certain, change will come! While we may not be able to see the future, we can implement planning with an eye on flexibility in case circumstances look different when your planning needs to be implemented from when your estate plan was created.… Read more
Judge Rules IA Report of Former Police Director Who Used "Racist and Misogynistic Slurs" is Subject to OPRA; City & Prosecutor's Office Appeal
Readers may recall from numerous news articles that in April 2019, the Union County Prosecutor's Office (UCPO) concluded that former City of Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove used "racist and misogynistic" language in the workplace.… Read more