Estate Planning & Litigation

OVERVIEW

When a loved one dies, heirs, family members, and friends may question the validity of a will, have doubts as to whether the administrator is acting appropriately, believe their loved one was subject to undue influence or lacked capacity, or have other grievances ranging from accounting disputes to disagreements over the sale of assets. These concerns are complex and emotionally charged, and often cannot be resolved without the assistance of a litigation attorney.

At the Law Office of Faye Riva Cohen we provide personalized, comprehensive Estate Planning & Litigation services.  We do not handle estate matters with cookie-cutter approaches or send clients elsewhere when disputes arise regarding powers of attorney, guardianships, estate administration, and other estate planning and elder law concerns.

Decades of Litigation Experience

Faye Riva Cohen has over four decades of experience in civil litigation which provides her with a broad perspective from which to view estate litigation issues. These issues frequently involve other practice areas such as family law, real estate law, and contract law. She often combines forces with Adam Bernick, who has more than 20 years of experience in estate planning and administration, and elder law.

Faye and Adam will fully research and explain the pros and cons of your case. Moreover, they have an excellent history of negotiating settlements in complex estate cases and resolving difficult problems of all types. But if your matter cannot be settled, rest assured that Faye and Adam are part of a knowledgeable and aggressive litigation team that gets results.

The Firm handles a full range of estate planning and litigation issues including:

• Misuse of powers of attorney– remedying financial abuse, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties
• Theft by executors and administrators– protecting heirs from inheritance theft
• Will contests– challenging the validity of wills due to fraud, lack of capacity, or undue influence
• Register of Wills and Orphan’s Court litigation– representing clients in proceedings before the Register of Wills and Orphan’s Court, should litigation become necessary, including litigation to remove executors/administrators for malfeasance and failure to account
• Real estate– resolving issues arising from problematic title histories involving estates
• Removal of persons from property– removing persons from estate property under circumstances that require ejectment, partition, or quiet title
• Guardianship– petitioning for the appointment of guardians, removing guardians, and holding guardians responsible for a formal accounting of assets

Estate Planning & Elder Law Services

We provide a full range of customized Estate Planning and Elder Law services for every stage in the life cycle by ensuring that:

• People receive sound, honest estate planning and elder law advice so that they can make decisions based upon a full understanding of their situation and options
• Seniors plan for entry into long-term care or apply for Medicaid/medical assistance
• Young parents receive legal documentation to ensure that their children will be properly cared for and financially protected if they should untimely die
• Parents of disabled adult children make the necessary legal arrangements to ensure that their children will be taken care of if they should become incapacitated or die
• Children avoid unforeseen legal responsibility for the costs of a parent’s medical care because they took or were gifted assets
• Small-business owners, executives, and others who have spent their lifetimes accumulating wealth preserve their assets to the fullest extent possible when they or their family members become disabled or elderly
• Small-business owners pass on their business to the next generation, when most of their assets were tied up in the business, while addressing the financial needs and concerns of their families

Personalized Attention

The Firm treats each client as unique and ensures that their concerns are fully addressed. When necessary, this includes home visits or hospital visits for physically or mentally impaired individuals. We provide customized research and attention to detail. Then we explain all options and the consequences of each alternative. Our team is on your side from the inception of your legal matter through litigation, should it become necessary.

Let us help you with your Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, and Elder Law needs so that you will have peace of mind in knowing that your loved one’s final wishes, and your own, will be carried out as intended.