You need find yourself named in a lawsuit only once to experience how attorney fees can escalate quickly and exponentially.  For many working people, it can be a jolt to the psyche and can sometimes make pursuit of civil justice out of reach.  Why is it so costly?  Consider all that is required of an...Read More

Years ago, I had the privilege of representing a young mother trying to care for two children alone.  Her husband had abandoned her.  Worse yet, he’d been living off credit cards and left his wife (we’ll call her Vickie) saddled with a $50,000 debt consolidation mortgage that, as a Wal-Mart cashier, she had little way...Read More

Those who have spent time in South Walton County, Florida, know it to be a beautiful venue. Along our county’s twenty-six miles of beaches, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are as turquoise blue and full of sea life as they are anywhere. Just inland, Choctawhatchee Bay stretches for thirty miles and is home...Read More

If you can’t trust a trust, what can you trust?  The answer, it turns out, is plenty.  Before exploring that, a brief word about the title of this piece.  It’s inspired by the words of former Mississippi governor Ross Barnett and a story that comes to mind whenever the subject of trusts and trustees comes...Read More

Many will remember Hal Holbrook, whose death the media reported this past week.  He was wonderful as the embodiment and voice of conscience in Wall Street, as the corrupt senior partner in The Firm, in All the President’s Men and in so many other movie roles.  I remember Holbrook most for his one man show,...Read More

It’s voting season here in Florida, a period that by statute must start not later than ten days before the election and end on the third day before the election.  (Here in Walton County, early voting runs from October 24 to October 31.)  I voted this week, becoming one of over 51 percent of Walton...Read More

According to the Administration on Aging, the number of Americans over 65 years of age will more than double over the next fifty years. The number of Americans 65 or older, which numbered around 52 million in 2018, will exceed 98 million by 2060.  It behooves lawyers and clients alike to be aware of the...Read More

Part of the work of this office involves assisting estate representatives with the probate and administration of wills and estates.  Such tasks are usually easier when the decedent has planned appropriately.  A number of free estate planning toolkits are available online to help with that.  The AARP Foundation offers one of the more comprehensive products. ...Read More

Chances are, you will never be sued.  According to U.S. News and World Report, “[t]here were 278,442 civil case filings in the U.S. in 2012, according to the latest government data.”  Though civil litigation is not exactly a rite of passage for most, still the time may come when you need to know how to...Read More

Between 2020 and 2060, the number of adults 65 and over is projected to increase by 69 percent, from 56.0 million to 94.7 million. As the population ages, so will the workforce.  With that, prospects for age discrimination grow.  A recent AARP study of adults age 45 and older found that more than 60% said...Read More