by Boyd Johnson on May 4, 2011
Many clients delay estate planning because they lack liquid funds to pay for it. Yet, right now, millions of Americans are receiving their tax refunds. There is a marketing opportunity here for the savvy estate planning attorney.
Consider this:
- 78% of Americans expect a tax refund.
- The average tax refund is over $3,000 (much more than the average cost of a new estate plan).
Call a marketing meeting this afternoon and figure out a way to reach new clients to create new estate plans and old clients to update their estate plans. They have cash. Convince them to spend it on your services.
Categorized in Practice Tips
by Boyd Johnson on August 9, 2010
Hennepin County has announced the addition of two part-time probate referees to replace Bruce Kruger, who has retired. Rumors of these appointments have circulated for a while now, but the official announcement came last week (see text below).
I’m not familiar with George Borer, but I do have experience with Dean Maus. Maus has been a long-time referee in Ramsey County and will presumably split duties between the two locations. All my experiences with Referee Maus have been good and he will be an excellent addition to Hennepin County. I’ve had a few non-contested, but sensitive, guardianship cases in Ramsey County and found Referee Maus to have a good “beside manner”, so to speak, with my clients in the appointment process.
The announcement circulated last week is as follows:
On behalf of the Fourth Judicial District I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Maus and George Borer to serve as part-time referees in Probate/Mental Health Court. Dean and George will fill the position left open by the retirement of long-time Referee Bruce Kruger.
Dean and George bring a wealth of experience to the Bench. Dean has more than 20 years of legal experience working with Probate Law and has been a Referee in the Second Judicial District for more than 10 years. George has more than 30 years in private practice working with probate, guardianship, elder law, and estate planning practice, and has been an instructor for Continuing Legal Education regarding Guardian and Conservatorships.
George began his duties on August 2, 2010, and Dean will begin on August 18, 2010. Given their exemplary backgrounds and proven ability to work with the wide range of people who come into the Probate and Mental Health Courts, we are confident that Dean and George will excel in their new positions. They are a great addition to the Fourth Judicial District.
Categorized in In the News and tagged as Hennepin, probate, Ramsey, Referees
What you need to know about Minnesota’s new estate law legislation
June 15, 2010Minnesota attorneys should be aware of new probate and trust law legislation recently signed into law. I have listed the highlights of the new laws on a guest post over at the Practice Law Blawg. Additionally, in the post, I’ve listed 5 ways you can prepare for the most important (and potentially controversial) provisions of [...]