Husband and wife probate attorney team, Andrew and Danielle Mayores, recently published a new book on famous estates, cleverly titled “Trial and Heirs.”  The book reviews estate cases of celebrities like Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and Ray Charles. In addition to pure entertainment value, the book is supposed to educate readers about estate planning from cautionary tales of the rich and famous. The authors give advice on various strategies such as when to update a will and how to set up a living trust.  The book, however, fails to adequately portray all the facts regarding the estate of J. Howard Marshall II, the late husband of Anna Nicole Smith.  Marshall took all the necessary legal steps to protect his assets and further his testimonial intentions. He never intended to leave Smith a portion of his estate, and instead, provided her with over $8 million dollars in gifts during their brief marriage.  Smith claimed to a Texas probate court she was owed a sizable portion of the estate based on a verbal promise from J. Howard. While the issue was pending in Texas, Smith filed another unrelated bankruptcy claim in a California court. Smith’s attorneys engaged in a practice known as Read More …

The grand old city of New Orleans needed a shot of adrenaline, and yesterday’s stunning victory of its Saints over the Indianapolis Colts during Super Bowl XLIV might have done the trick. The newly acquired Lombardi Trophy and next week’s Mardis Gras will hopefully be harbingers of good tidings for the Bayou country.