Posted Thursday, March 7, 2013 by John S. Palmer
The First Responder Will Clinic provides basic estate planning documents— wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives— for free to Washington police officers and firefighters (and their spouses or registered domestic partners). The next clinic… More >
Posted Friday, February 1, 2013 by John S. Palmer
QTIP Trusts are a popular way for a married person to set aside property for the support of a surviving spouse, and control disposition of the remainder after the surviving spouse’s death. In 1981, Congress made such trusts possible by deferring any… More >
Posted Monday, January 21, 2013 by John S. Palmer
A contract may be voidable if it was obtained by coercion, misrepresentation, undue influence or fraud, which means the wronged party has the right to rescind it. However, a party can lose the right to rescind a voidable contract through ratification… More >
Posted Friday, January 18, 2013 by John S. Palmer
The so-called “fiscal cliff” legislation enacted on January 1st contains important estate and gift tax provisions. For example, it establishes a unified gift and estate tax lifetime exclusion amount for 2013 of $5,250,000. To be more accurate, it keeps… More >
Posted Monday, January 7, 2013 by John S. Palmer
A noncustodial parent may claim a child as a dependent on his or her federal income tax return provided certain criteria are met. If parents are divorced, legally separated, have a written separation agreement, or have lived separate and apart for the… More >