Will Versus Living Will

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Hawkins Elder Law.

The attorneys at Hawkins Elder Law discuss the difference between a living will and a last will and testament.

Read More »

Covid-19 Raises Teachers’ Interest In Wills

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Hawkins Elder Law.

Throughout the United States, a growing number of teachers are taking Covid-19 related safety precautions for the upcoming school year. For now, K-12 schools in Indiana are slated to reopen this fall without state mandates on wearing masks. Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases continue to rise, which places teachers at greater risk if in-person classes resume. Although […]

Read More »

COVID-19 HAS TAUGHT US…

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Hawkins Elder Law.

COVID-19 has taught us many things about the world, our communities, and ourselves. We learned about distance as the pandemic followed the global economy’s connected pathways into our state capitals and hometowns. The spreading contagion revealed our interdependence as we sheltered in place. Shortages of household goods, high-speed Internet, and access to ailing family members laid bare our vulnerability and unpreparedness. This article reflects on some of those lessons and describes changes that we can expect in the future.

Read More »

MEDICAID & PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS – PART 2

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Hawkins Elder Law.

This conclusion of our two-part series about Medicaid and prenuptial agreements explains how Medicaid treats prenuptial agreements.

Read More »

Estate Plans Must Clarify “Right Things”

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Hawkins Elder Law.

When an estate plan depends on someone to “do the right thing,” someone will inevitably dispute

Read More »

Avoiding Probate is Easy – But Not Always Wise

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] We have heard people tell us for decades that they want to “avoid probate.” They say it as if they want to avoid cancer. Most people have no idea what it is that they think they should avoid. Fewer people know that the “probate” concept […]

Read More »

Costly Delay: Importance of Mental Capacity in Estate Planning

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Too people say about estate planning, “I’m not ready for that yet.” A person must be able to think clearly enough to make a will, trust, power of attorney, deed, health care directive or other estate plan document. As we wrote in our blog article, […]

Read More »

Estate Planning Is More Than Forms

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Several years ago, our daughter’s kindergarten teacher shared with us a simplistic job description that our daughter gave to the class about her lawyer parents. When asked what her parents did for a living, our daughter said, “They type and click.” Many people have a […]

Read More »

Signing Documents Is a Big Deal

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

Indiana is on the front line of a legal services technological revolution. LegalZoom is pushing a bill to allow electronic signatures of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documents, while the Indiana Secretary of State driving an electronic notarization bill. Indiana State Bar Association members are working to fix serious defects in […]

Read More »

What Are the Differences between Wills and Trusts?

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] People ask us to explain the difference between wills and trusts from time to time when we are speaking to groups about advance health care directives and other estate planning topics. We have tried many ways to answer the question over the years, but we […]

Read More »

Verified by MonsterInsights