Ways to Ensure Adequate Financial Protection After your Divorce By Elizabeth Sopinski Not only is divorce a test of your emotional and psychological strength, it makes each spouse realize that he/she will not have the other to lean on for financial support. Finances are stressors in just about every marriage, but it may seem to be an insurmountable task to get your finances in order after a divorce. Some tips that you might consider following while your divorce is pending to lessen the [...]

We would like to introduce the first of our summer associates - Chelsea Aiosa! A Vestal native, Chelsea just finished her first year of law school at Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She started as a legal secretary with the Firm last summer and is excited to be back! When asked what drew her to the law she said it was "the idea that I could make a difference, and using my legal education I could help others feel secure in their decisions. I also really like learning/ going [...]

If you own property -- whether houses, bank accounts, or vehicles -- in more than one state, do you need estate planning documents for each state? The answer is probably no, but you need to do some planning if you want to avoid going through probate in each of the states. A lawyer can generally draft a will that is generic enough to be probated in any state except Louisiana, which has very specific rules. However, real property in another state is subject to probate in that state even if you [...]

On April 27th, Hannah Shankman received a prestigious Honorable Mention for the Provost's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research at BU. Hannah was a Matrimonial Intern last year at Levene Gouldin & Thompson, and on her second summer here as an employee. We are proud to have such hard working and impressive people on our team! Here is what the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald G. Nieman said about Hannah: "Hannah is a Dec 2017 graduate [...]

Choosing Retirement Account Beneficiaries Requires Some Thought While the execution of Wills requires formalities like proper witnessing and the need for a notarized witness affidavit, the reality is that most property passes to heirs through other, less formal means. Many bank and investments accounts, as well as real estate, have joint owners who take ownership automatically at the death of the primary owner. Other banks and investment companies offer payable on death accounts that permit [...]