Do I Need a Waiver to Post Photos or Videos of Other People?
I was recently approached by someone who was starting a literary open mic night at her local Starbucks, to give writers an opportunity to share their works with an audience. She wanted to take pictures, and possibly video, to use in promoting the event. However, she was concerned about the logistics of getting a waiver from everyone in...
I’m Moving; Should I Update My Trust?
One of the most frequent questions I get from former clients is “I’m moving to [insert location of choice]; should I update my trust?” I typically dodge the classic “It depends” answer and tell them that they don’t necessarily have to update, but there are circumstances where they might want to. If the client is moving within California,...
What is a Small Estate Affidavit?
Before I answer this question, I need to give some background information. If your estate (everything you own in your name) is worth more than $150,000, California requires the estate to go through probate. Probate is the process where the government oversees the distribution of the estate. Like most things done by the government, this is not ideal....
Can I Copyright a Title?
The short answer: No. The longer answer: Most titles are simply not long enough to meet the creativity requirement for a copyright. While it’s theoretically possible, a title long enough to be deemed sufficiently creative would probably be too long to easily fit in your marketing materials. And then there’s the problem of getting your audience to actually...
What is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)?
I was asked to present on this topic this past month, and I thought I’d share the results of my research. An irrevocable life insurance trust (otherwise known as an ILIT) is a resource that can be used to avoid estate taxes, and/or to provide a means to pay for them. Here’s how it works: Normally, when the...