Copen Estate Lawyer, West Virginia

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Gale E. Carroll

Lawsuit & Dispute, Estate, Criminal, Business
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  32 Years

Matthew Bryan Hansberry

Real Estate, Litigation, Immigration, Wills & Probate, Sexual Harassment
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  19 Years

Sherri S. Whalen

Litigation, Trusts, Elder Law, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  34 Years

Robert L. Greer

Lawsuit & Dispute, Estate Planning, Estate, Business
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  33 Years

Erin Post Dyer

International, Estate, Business, Bankruptcy & Debt
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  39 Years

Terry D. Reed

Banking & Finance, Estate Planning, Commercial Real Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  49 Years

Daya Masada Wright

Estate, Divorce, Divorce & Family Law, Accident & Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  24 Years

Roy D. Law

Wills & Probate, Sexual Harassment, Divorce & Family Law, DUI-DWI, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  52 Years

James E. Hawkins

Motor Vehicle, Wills & Probate, DUI-DWI, Criminal, Workers' Compensation
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  33 Years

Thomas Joseph O'Neill

Real Estate, Corporate, Government, Estate Planning, Wrongful Death
Status:  In Good Standing           

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LEGAL TERMS

SURVIVING SPOUSE'S TRUST

If a couple has created an AB trust, the revocable living trust (Trust B) of the surviving spouse, after the first spouse has died.

FAMILY POT TRUST

See pot trust.

PER STIRPES

Under a will, a method of determining who inherits property when a joint beneficiary has died before the willmaker, leaving living children of his or her own. F... (more...)
Under a will, a method of determining who inherits property when a joint beneficiary has died before the willmaker, leaving living children of his or her own. For example, Fred leaves his house jointly to his son Alan and his daughter Julie. But Alan dies before Fred, leaving two young children. If Fred's will states that heirs of a deceased beneficiary are to receive the property 'per stirpes,' Julie will receive one-half of the property, and Alan's two children will share his half in equal shares (through Alan by right of representation). If, on the other hand, Fred's will states that the property is to be divided per capita, Julie and the two grandchildren will each take a third.

CREDIT SHELTER TRUST

See AB trust.

AB TRUST

A trust that allows couples to reduce or avoid estate taxes. Each spouse puts his or her property in an AB trust. When the first spouse dies, his or her half of... (more...)
A trust that allows couples to reduce or avoid estate taxes. Each spouse puts his or her property in an AB trust. When the first spouse dies, his or her half of the property goes to the beneficiaries named in the trust -- commonly, the grown children of the couple -- with the crucial condition that the surviving spouse has the right to use the property for life and is entitled to any income it generates. The surviving spouse may even be allowed to spend principal in certain circumstances. When the surviving spouse dies, the property passes to the trust beneficiaries. It is not considered part of the second spouse's estate for estate tax purposes. Using this kind of trust keeps the second spouse's taxable estate half the size it would be if the property were left directly to the spouse. This type of trust is also known as a bypass or credit shelter trust.

BEQUEATH

A legal term sometimes used in wills that means 'leave' -- for example, 'I bequeath my garden tools to my brother-in-law, Buster Jenkins.'

DISCHARGE (OF PROBATE ADMINISTRATOR)

A court order releasing the administrator or executor from any further duties connected with the probate of an estate. This typically occurs when the duties hav... (more...)
A court order releasing the administrator or executor from any further duties connected with the probate of an estate. This typically occurs when the duties have been completed but may happen sooner if the executor or administrator wishes to withdraw or is dismissed.

COUNTERCLAIM

A defendant's court papers that seek to reverse the thrust of the lawsuit by claiming that it was the plaintiff -- not the defendant -- who committed legal wron... (more...)
A defendant's court papers that seek to reverse the thrust of the lawsuit by claiming that it was the plaintiff -- not the defendant -- who committed legal wrongs, and that as a result it is the defendant who is entitled to money damages or other relief. Usually filed as part of the defendant's answer -- which also denies plaintiff's claims -- a counterclaim is commonly but not always based on the same events that form the basis of the plaintiff's complaint. For example, a defendant in an auto accident lawsuit might file a counterclaim alleging that it was really the plaintiff who caused the accident. In some states, the counterclaim has been replaced by a similar legal pleading called a cross-complaint. In other states and in federal court, where counterclaims are still used, a defendant must file any counterclaim that stems from the same events covered by the plaintiff's complaint or forever lose the right to do so. In still other states where counterclaims are used, they are not mandatory, meaning a defendant is free to raise a claim that it was really the plaintiff who was at fault either in a counterclaim or later as part of a separate lawsuit.

SUMMARY PROBATE

A relatively simple probate proceeding available for 'small estates,' as that term is defined by state law. Every state's definition is different, and many are ... (more...)
A relatively simple probate proceeding available for 'small estates,' as that term is defined by state law. Every state's definition is different, and many are complicated, but a few examples include estates worth up to $100,000 in California; New York estates where property, excluding real estate and amounts that must be set aside for surviving family members, is worth $20,000 or less; and Texas estates where the value of property doesn't exceed what is needed to pay a family allowance and certain creditors.