R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

The death of Aretha Franklin was a tremendous loss to the music industry and her loved ones. To make matters worse, Aretha, as you probably have heard via news outlets, died without a valid Will. Now, her four sons are battling it out over her estate. While some of her children are on the same page and presenting a united front to the court, others are asking for a greater share than the ¼ given to them through intestacy, the process of distributing your estate without a Will.

Aretha’s passing without a Will has brought the issues that can arise when you die without estate planning documents to the forefront of American news. Aretha had every opportunity and the means to draft proper estate planning documents, but chose to create her own, invalid Wills instead. Had Aretha realized the time, financial expense, and emotional weight passing without a will would leave on her family, she likely would have taken the time to create a valid estate planning document through a competent attorney.

For more information, please see our December 10, 2018 blog post, entitled, “Dying Without a Will.”

Here at Clair Law, we encourage our clients to plan for the future early on and take care of their estate planning needs. We specialize in all areas of estate planning, ranging from drafting a Will to the creation of a trust. Please contact us to make sure your children, other loved ones, and/or charitable causes are taken care of.