The Probate Process
March, 2017
Most people encounter probate for the first time after a close family member dies. Probate is simply the legal name for wrapping up the affairs of the deceased so that title to his or her wealth is validly changed over to the beneficiaries of the estate. This brief list of questions and answers is an effort to provide a perspective on the probate process.
Client Alert: The Importance of Promptly Denying Medical Bills Upon Receipt of the Form CMS-1500
February, 2017 | By Michael S. Fox
Recently, I had an opportunity to assist with the handling of a case wherein a medical provider was seeking payment of medical bills which we contend were properly denied; however, the provider was relying upon a narrow interpretation of the COMAR regulations to argue that we waived the right to contest the bills. Specifically, in…
Off-label Drug and Device Promotion in the Wake of Amarin
February, 2017
Recent cases involving promotion to doctors have challenged off-label promotion enforcement actions based on due process and First Amendment grounds, as well as physicians’ need for scientific information. By Marisa A. Trasatti and Marie Claire Langlois
The Internet of Things and its Impact of Data Retention, E-Discovery, Products Liability, and Cybersecurity
January, 2017
The exponential rise of the IoT implicates several important areas of law. Pertinent to this analysis are the areas of Data Retention, E-Discovery, Products Liability, and Cybersecurity. By Marisa A. Trasatti and Matthew S. Sarna
Here Is Your Will – Do You Want Tax Planning To Go With That?
May, 2016 | By Carl E. Eastwick
These days only a few wealthy families will pay the federal estate tax. But for residents of Maryland, the state estate tax may perplex people planning to pass on more modest wealth. Since the federal and Maryland estate tax systems will be out of phase until 2019, estate planners should contemplate crafting special Maryland-only provisions into plans until the tax laws are again in synch.
For most people, the federal estate tax is dead! If you die this year, 2016, your family and friends will not have to deal with the IRS’s “Death Tax” unless you have more than $5,450,000 to leave to them. Only a handful of the U.S. citizens dying each year have taxable estates larger.
Where There’s a Will There’s a Way
February, 2016
Imagine if the state of Maryland planned your funeral. Your loved ones could gather in a state-run funeral chapel under the hum of florescent lights. Amid plastic chrysanthemums and piped-in organ music, you would be eulogized by a state employee who had never met you. With little to go on, he could speak favorably of your diligence in paying your taxes and avoiding incarceration. Then your remains would be conveyed to a public cemetery and interred beneath a marker bearing the identifier by which the state knows you best—your Social Security number.
How does that sound? Like a Las Vegas wedding, this scenario may have a certain kitsch appeal, but most of us would prefer something a bit more personal. Fortunately, the state won’t plan your funeral, even if you fail to do so. But if you die without a Will, it will plan your estate, and the results can be just as regrettable.