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Kelley Way has been creating blog posts across many topics of Estate Planning, Copyright and Trademark law. If you have a topic or question you’d like covered, reach out to Kelley Way here.
3 Myths About Publishing Contracts
Getting a contract from a publisher is exciting, especially for an unpublished author. However, some misconceptions about how these contracts work can lead to bitterness or regret later on. Here are some common myths people have about publishing contracts. You can't...
Estate Planning Gone Wrong: 3 Ways You Can End Up in Probate With A Trust
Last month, I discussed why probate is bad and how to avoid it in California. And just in time for Halloween, even though terms like probate and trusts can be scary, we will face our fears and discuss what happens when estate planning goes wrong. Let’s talk about how...
When Should I Register My Trademark?
I'm often asked the question: When should I register my trademark? Timing your trademark registration is always tricky. On the one hand, you want to get as much protection for your brand as possible as quickly as possible. On the other hand, trademark registration is...
How Do I Avoid Probate?
Probate is one of those estate plan terms that everyone has heard of, but no one knows exactly what it is. They know it’s bad and want to avoid it, but they’re unsure exactly why. Here’s a rundown of what it is, why it’s bad, and how you can avoid probate. Probate is...
5 Clauses to Look for in a Publishing Contract
You have a contract from a publisher – congratulations! It’s extremely tempting to just sign your name and send it back immediately, but before you do that, it’s essential to read the contract and know what you’re signing first. Many of my author clients have come to...
Recording Guest Speakers
Online presentations have become much more popular in the last few years. (Gee, I wonder why…) One of the advantages of presenting online is that the presentation can be recorded for posterity. However, some legal issues regarding recording guest speakers must be...
How to Dissolve a Trust
While most issues with a trust can be solved with an amendment, sometimes the only way forward is to dissolve the trust entirely. The most common reason to dissolve a trust is divorce, though there can be other reasons, such as creating a trust for a purpose that no...
What is a Literary Executor?
A client recently asked me about literary executors and whether she needed one for her estate. Let’s review what a literary executor is and when appointing one would be a good idea. First, let’s talk about executors generally. “Executor” is the person you put in...
How Many Trustees Should I Have?
I recently had a client meeting where the client asked about naming all three sons as co-trustees on her trust. I strongly discouraged this, and since several other clients have asked about naming multiple children as co-trustees, I’ll explain why. First, no one can...