Geoff R Casavant, PC

The good news is, while the courthouse is closed to the public a lot of cases are still able to proceed via remote tele-meetings. I just finished one a few moments ago, and with a bit of patience and grace we all got through it just fine.

The bad news is, this will not apply to the probate of wills, because probating a will necessarily requires a person to be physically present in the courtroom to identify the filed document as the original will.

This is going to inconvenience a lot of people. Folks may wish to explore various non-testamentary transfer options to get around this temporary hiccup.

I really enjoyed my time as a speaker at the monthly meeting of the HAR 290 Networking Group yesterday. I gave a presentation on probate issues in the sale of real estate, followed by a question and answer session.

I am available to give talks on probate and estate issues for any organization, just drop me a line.

I don't believe I would be boasting to say I have had many clients who were satisfied with my representation. But it is a first for me to have a client who wanted to commemorate the representation in a photo. Thanks to Austin Smith for permission to share.

This is an important development in same-sex rights. For the first time -- anywhere, as far as I know -- a court has ruled that same-sex couples have the same right to common law marriage as different-sex couples.

I expect if this ruling stands -- and even if the Supreme Court rules, as it is expected to due in June, that state bans of same-sex marriages are unconstitutional, the common law aspects might still need some shaking out and may encounter significant pushback -- then same-sex people living together will need to take extra care to clarify precisely what relationship they want between themselves, and act accordingly, including any documentation of such an agreement.

As always, feel free to share this post among your friends. You never know who might need it.

Texas Judge Rules State Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional A Texas probate judge ruled Tuesday that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling, by Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman, was part of an estate battle, according to the Austin-American Statesman. An Austin woman so...

Wishing all of my friends, colleagues, and clients a happy and safe Independence Day weekend. Please do not drink and drive -- given the choice, there are some clients I prefer not to have,