In their article for The Recorder, Shareholders Andrew Verriere & Ryan Szczepanik discuss how California courts remain beleaguered by budgetary constraints. The courts lack the resources to process the large volume of trust and estate related matters. Even uncontested matters are being filed at rates exponentially higher than just a few years ago. Litigants have an alternative when facing these unavoidable delays: their right to refer matters to a private judge for resolution.
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At his presentation to the Sacramento Bar Association, Principal Ryan Szczepanik identifies a variety of tax pitfalls attorneys can fall into when resolving a dispute.
High property values in California highlight the need for careful property tax planning. If you have owned your property for many years, it is likely that your property's assessed value for property tax purposes is significantly lower than today's fair market value. If your property should be reassessed, you or your family members could be faced with a significant increase in the annual property tax.
Principal Ryan Szczepanik presented on “What We Learned from COVID Period” at the April 2021 UCLA Estate Planning Advisory Program. Topics discussed included practicing law after COVID-19, new technologies and the challenges they bring, confidentiality risks, and the future of trials and estate planning.