Key Items in an Author Illustrator Contract
Author-Illustrator Contracts Most people who write a book that requires illustrations (such as children’s or botanical books) aren’t artists. When self-publishing their book, these authors will need to hire someone themselves to create the necessary artwork. They may hire the artist just to design the cover, or they may ask for illustrations for every page. Either way, it’s...
Estate Planning Consultation Checklist: Three things to do before you meet with an attorney
Many of my prospective clients ask me what they need to do or bring before their estate planning consultation. While it’s certainly acceptable to simply walk into an attorney’s office without any advance preparation (for me anyway; I can’t speak for other attorneys), it can be very helpful to think about the following: Determine your financial worth. The...
Dealing with Foreign Assets – What Do I Do With My Non-U.S. Property?
Now and again, I get a client who owns property in a foreign country. Unsurprisingly, they want to know how to incorporate this property into their estate plan successfully. Since every country has a different set of laws, and some countries may not recognize a U.S. will or trust, this is a tricky situation to deal with. If...
Seven Things to Know About the Copyright Small Claims Court
The Copyright Small Claims Court is Now Open! It’s been a long time coming, but the Copyright Claims Board is finally up and running, and copyright owners with small claims can now file them for consideration. For those who missed my previous article on the subject, Congress passed a law in 2020 allowing the Copyright Office to create...
What Should I Put in My Trust?
One of the most frequent questions I hear at the trust signing is “What should I put in my trust?” It’s an excellent question, and the answer is a bit more complicated than “Everything.” The house is a given. For many people it’s their highest-value asset, and if it’s not in the trust at the time of death...