Posted on Mon Jul 15, 2024, on Estate Planning
From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “My husband may have an illegitimate child from before he met me. Would this child inherit from my husband and take away from my other children’s inheritance? How can I protect my family from the possibility of a claim from an illegitimate child in […]
Klenk Law
Posted on Wed Nov 9, 2016, on Intestacy, Dying Without a Will
Our “Ask a Question” mailbag addresses what happens when a sibling dies without a Will in New Jersey.
“My sister died in New Jersey without a will. Our parents are dead, and she never married or had children. Our dad had a daughter out of wedlock when he was very young. It was something that the family didn’t speak of, and we only saw her once in our lives. If a sibling dies without a Will in New Jersey, does a half-sibling receive a share?”
Klenk Law
Posted on Fri Aug 21, 2015, on Probate and Estate Administration
From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My wife passed recently. We own a house together in Philadelphia in both names. She died with no other assets aside from our joint checking account. We have three children from our marriage and she has three children from her prior marriage. Does her half of the house go to my stepchildren?
First, Pennsylvania has no requirement that you leave your children any portion of your estate. So if your wife had a will, she could leave her entire estate to you and the children would have no claim. Assets can also be left at death by contract.
Klenk Law
Posted on Mon Aug 10, 2015, on Intestacy, Dying Without a Will
From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I am married to my second wife and live in Chester County, Pennsylvania. We have been married for many years and everything we own is in joint names. I don’t have a will. If I die first, don’t my children from my first marriage get part of my estate?
If everything you own is held jointly with your wife and she survives you, then she has the right to take all of your assets. Your children will get nothing. Your second wife has no obligation to give your children anything, so she could disinherit them at her death.
Klenk Law
Posted on Mon Jun 15, 2015, on Intestacy, Dying Without a Will
From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: Before he died, my dad lived with me in Camden County, New Jersey for several years. My wife and I took him to the doctor and cared for him when he became bedridden. He died without a will and all his assets are being divided between my brothers and I equally. They never helped with his care. This is not fair. Can I make the estate pay me for my time?
Under New Jersey rules, your father could have made a will and given you the entire estate. Alternately, he could have made a Will that said you would receive more of his estate to reflect the work you did. Because he did not make a Will at all, the New Jersey intestate rule divides his assets between all children, equally.
Klenk Law
Posted on Wed Nov 12, 2014, on Estate Planning
If you die without a will in New Jersey you are said to die “intestate”. If you die intestate, your probate assets are divided up under the New Jersey Intestate Rules. These rules can easily be avoided by writing a will, but if you do not have a will, the Intestacy Rules are in place to clearly state who inherits your probate property in order to avoid conflict.
Klenk Law
Posted on Fri Nov 7, 2014, on Estate Planning
If you die without a will in New Jersey you are said to die “intestate”. If you die intestate, your probate assets are divided up under the New Jersey Intestate Rules. These rules can easily be avoided by writing a will, but if you do not have a will, the Intestacy Rules are in place to clearly state who inherits your probate property in order to avoid conflict.
Klenk Law
Posted on Mon Nov 3, 2014, on Estate Planning
If you die without a will in Pennsylvania you are said to die “intestate”. If you die intestate, your probate assets are divided up under the Pennsylvania Intestate Rules. These rules can easily be avoided by writing a will, but if you do not have a will, the Intestacy Rules are in place to clearly state who inherits your probate property in order to avoid conflict.
Klenk Law
Posted on Mon Oct 27, 2014, on Intestacy, Dying Without a Will
If you die without a will in Pennsylvania you are said to die “intestate”. If you die intestate, your probate assets are divided up under the Pennsylvania Intestate Rules. These rules can easily be avoided by writing a will, but if you do not have a will, the Intestacy Rules are in place to clearly state who inherits your probate property in order to avoid conflict.
Klenk Law
Posted on Sat May 17, 2014, on Intestacy, Dying Without a Will
If you die in Camden County, New Jersey without a will, you are said to die “intestate”. Each state has developed its own rules about how the assets of intestate estates are divided among the living. These rules vary from state to state, but in general, your assets will be divided between your spouse and children. How your estate is divided between your spouse and child depends on your state of residence at the time of your death.
Klenk Law
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Peter Klenk is the founding member of Klenk Law, a seven attorney boutique estate planning law firm. We serve clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota and Florida. Peter Klenk received his Masters in Taxation LL.M. from NYU Law School and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. He served his country in the Navy JAGC during Desert Storm. Easy to talk to, feel free to call Peter for an appointment. We will make the process as easy as possible!
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"I worked for Peter Klenk for 4 wonderful years. I can’t speak highly enough of everyone at the firm. Everyone truly cares about their clients and has a strong sense of responsibility to get things done right. I would highly recommend Klenk Law!"
Flora Novick
I knew I needed to update my Estate Planning documents created 15 years ago, yet I kept putting it off. Peter, in his no pressure way nudged me to finally check it off my list. The admin staff of Klenk law were very respectful and responsive in working with me to set up dates and times that work for me to talk with Peter over the phone regarding what I wanted to update. Peter answered my questions and explained some things to me. This helped me on some of my estate decision. After our phone talk, I received a draft of the updated documents, and was allowed ample time to review them prior to a final review with Peter over the phone. This pre-signing reviews made the in-person signing time very short. I would highly recommend Klenk Law, because Peter and his staff were professional but friendly, and thorough in the estate planning work they did for me. Thank you, Peter!
Jackie was fantastic! She helped prepare our will, her professionalism and organization was top notch! We highly recommend Jackie and Klenk Law.
Very friendly and easy to work with - definitely a better experience than I've had with other lawyers! Peter is very detailed and thorough. I've worked on previous versions of my will with other lawyers, and he pointed out things they'd never mentioned. Fast turnaround and very responsive to emails and phone calls.
Peter Klenk was a joy to work with. He made sure I understood every element of the process of estate planning and his firm made the process seemless and uncomplicated. Very grateful!
Peter explains things in a practical way to help guide you through a rather daunting process. We have been using Klenk Law for years. Highly recommend.
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