Legal Guide for the Seriously Ill

The American Bar Association (in conjunction with several other organizations) recently published a free on-line guide addressing the legal issues related to a serious illness. This tool can be a good starting point for families addressing this type of situation. We are all going to deal with the issue of serious illness at some point in our lives. Oftentimes it is more efficient to address these issues and have a plan in place before a sudden illness strikes.

The guide is available at http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/PDFs/AdvanceCarePlanningLegalIssues/Legal_Guide_for_Seriously_Ill.pdf.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. I was fortunate enough to spend a great day with my family.

The Loss of Someone We Know

Death is such a common part of life. It is something that we will all have to cope with and even experience. As an estate planning attorney, it is certainly an event that I discuss on a daily basis. Nonetheless, when death occurs in our close personal circle of friends and family, it is always a shock.

I recently learned about the sudden death of an attorney colleague and friend. The news was shocking and sad. As always, it forces me to put my own life in perspective and face my own mortality. The only comfort that I have is that I can pray for my friend and her family.

I am also meeting with a client today to discuss a Will. She has been talking to me about preparing a Will for years. She admitted that the reason she finally made the appointment is that she learned of the sudden death of a close friend of hers.

I hope that I will always address the important issues in my life (such as keeping my own personal estate planning updated) on a regular basis without the impetus of a tragedy. Nonetheless, it is often those sudden tragedies that finally make us ignore the unimportant noise in our lives and focus on those things that matter most. Perhaps that is why we are asked to endure these types of tragedies in life.