Firm partner Jack Facey has recently been answering questions for New England Condominium Magazine readers, a magazine published for owners, board members, lawyers and businesses working for condominium associations. The column is called “Ask a Lawyer.” The questions and answers posed to Mr. Facey follow.
By John C. Newman, Esq. & Matthew D. Getty, Esq. There has been a recent change in Vermont's homestead filing law. Read on to see how this affects the creation of life estates and/or transfers to trusts.
By Matthew D. Getty, Esq. One of the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn is a decrease in the size of institutional endowments just at the time when reliance on those funds may increase.
As has been widely reported in the press, a U.S. citizen or resident individual must file a Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) to disclose foreign bank and securities accounts.
By Matthew D. Getty, Esq. Anyone planning to transfer real estate into any kind of business entity needs to be aware of the provisions of the Vermont property transfer tax.
Many of our clients purchase or sell condominiums in and around Vermont's ski areas. A troublesome issue has surfaced recently.
By A. Jay Kenlan, Esq. The Debate Surrounding Vermont Statute Amendments
The first case in which the superior court has ruled on trust administration issues following the adoption of the Vermont Trust Code.
Attorney John Newman highlights some legal issues when preparing Wills and Trusts for non-US citizens.
Attorneys John Newman, Jack Facey and Ron Morgan discuss various tax implications on U.S. real property owned by a non-resident, non-US citizen.
Attorney John Newman gives insight into common questions people have about simple wills, probate disbutes and estate planning.
Granted, in this strangest of winters we’re all more than ready for the arrival of a little snow and ice. But attorneys in Vermont may also want to think about preparing their clients for the arrival of ICE of a different sort – the federal agency of Immigration & Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
Judging from the interest generated by our 2004 CLE offering and by telephone calls and emails we have received since then, our article on the tax and Medicaid planning aspects of what we tongue-in-cheek termed the “standard Vermont estate plan” has led attorneys to explore alternatives to the rather common recommendation of a joint tenancy with a family member to pass a Vermont elder’s home to the next generation. Since the article was published (VBA Bar Journal, Summer 2003), the US Congress passed legislation that radically changes the Medicaid planning aspects of our article. In addition, the Vermont Supreme Court has issued three recent decisions that also must be considered in using the survivorship or remainder features in deeds to pass a home to surviving children.
The following handout on the pitfalls of preparing LBJ deeds was presented at the 2008 Winter VBA Program in Burlington. It has been updated with information from the Vermont Department of Taxes on the PTR tax imposed on certain of such transfers. We have also added model language for joint representation, an issue raised during the two-hour program.
During our seminar at the March 2008 Bar Meeting, we had a lively exchange on the potential ethical pitfalls of joint representation. To further this discussion, we would like to offer some language that you might consider for your estate planning joint engagement letters.
A little history is helpful in understanding the imposition of an exit tax on US citizens and long-term residents who commit a taxable act of expatriation on or after June 17, 2008. Since 1966, the Internal Revenue Code has contained anti-abuse rules attempting to tax individuals who renounce their US citizenship for tax avoidance.
Reading a state’s statutes to try to figure out how they might apply to an international transaction can be difficult. US state legislatures do not often consider international commerce, even though US trade and worker immigration flows with a contiguous country, like Canada can be substantial. One of the issues that has just arisen in our immigration practice is whether workers’ compensation coverage needs to be secured here in Vermont when an individual employed by a Canadian employer enters Vermont to perform services here.
In our immigration practice, we receive the occasional call from a Canadian who wishes to enter the United States but cannot due to a criminal conviction. For example, we recently advised on the case of an individual who had been barred from entering the United States because of a conviction for the possession of one marijuana cigarette in the United States 10 or 20 years ago (at a time when President Clinton was admitting that he had smoked marijuana, but “did not inhale”).
As a result of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, a person receiving rental income from real estate is treated as engaged in the trade or business of renting property (amended IRC §6041(h), effective for payments made after 31 December 2010).
Facing legal matters after the death of a spouse is one of the more daunting and emotionally draining tasks a surviving spouse is required to address.
