When a loved one such as a parent passes away, it is a difficult time. Once the funeral is over and the death certificates have been collected, the children are often overwhelmed with the details and wondering—now what?

Owning property jointly, or making gifts immediately prior to death, only work for people who do not have federal estate tax problems. Owning property jointly with another individual inhibits and prevents certain federal estate tax avoidance techniques.

The word “probate” is derived from a Latin word meaning “to prove.”  The idea behind the Probate Courts is that all expenditures and actions taken with respect to a decedent’s property should be carefully supervised and approved by the court.

It is possible throughout this Estate Planning Q&A Series that one or more of the following questions and answers will help you understand a deceptively complicated area of the law, i.e., Estate Planning. Why should you try to understand the dense, boring, and complicated information in this portion of our firm’s website?

A “Living Will” is sometimes referred to as a “Medical Directive.” This document was prompted by some well publicized cases involving parents or spouses keeping comatose persons alive only in a technical sense and long after all brain activity had ceased.

The Columbia Board of Adjustment denied an appeal from Hawthorn Bank requesting a wall sign on the western side of the building facing the Boone County Courthouse during its meeting Tuesday night.

If anyone is interested in purchasing land on which a business is operating or purchasing land on which they intend to develop a business or land on which a significant commercial or residential exists, they need a real estate attorney. There are many common mistakes made during the purchasing process that can cost the buyer all or a portion of the value of their investment.

The Van Matre Law Firm, P.C., is proud to announce it has been ranked as the Columbia, Missouri, first-tier Real Estate Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers® in their 2013 Best Law Firms report.