Palm Beach County — The Pankauski Law Firm PLLC, a West Palm Beach probate law firm, was successful at a charging lien trial on Monday, May 12th, 2014 in the Palm Beach probate court.   The trial , or evidentiary hearing, was held in the Main Courthouse, in West Palm Beach, before the sitting probate judge. John Pankauski, the senior trial attorney and a probate litigator at the firm, gave testimony.   The firm was successful in perfecting a valid charging lien regarding fees owed.   For those involved in a charging lien case, you may want to consider the important bullet points below.

The West Palm Beach probate litigation law firm, the Pankauski Law Firm PLLC, is again a sponsor of the Probate Trivia Night to be held Thursday, May 22, 2014 in Boca Raton, Florida.   The Palm Beach probate event is attended by probate lawyers from Palm Beach Gardens to Boca Raton, as well as by the judges sitting in the probate division of the Delray Beach courthouse.   The event is coordinated by the South Palm Beach County Bar Association.

If you are involved in a Palm Beach damage lawsuit,  you may want to read the February 12, 2014 opinion of West Palm Beach’s appellate court, the 4th District Court of Appeal.   This was a real estate or slander of title case which was “a mess” at the trial level (judge’s words, not mine) and which was reversed on appeal.   And don’t forget the interest calculation when you are adding up damages and quantifying the amount owed if you win your Palm Beach lawsuit.

This is literally a BILLION dollar estate lawsuit from Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal.  It involves a lawsuit by the personal representative of a Florida estate against a nursing home and related entities over the purported wrongful death  of a resident.   The Florida estate brought this lawsuit and got a Billion Dollars in damages  including punitive damages.  If you are involved in estate litigation or estate trials, you may want to read this case issued February 14, 2014

West Palm Beach probate litigator John Pankauski will lead a national panel on trying an undue influence case on June 3, 2014.   This national e-CLE is a continuing legal education course sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section. Pankauski will discuss a host of the legal, evidentiary & procedure issues involved when he tries an undue influence case in Palm Beach probate court.  For more on this undue influence seminar, which is ideal for probate attorneys and those dealing with wills, trusts and estates, including lifetime gifts, click below, or check out the link to register for this seminar.

Can  you re open a Ft. Lauderdale lawsuit which is 6 years old?  A Palm Beach lawfirm wanted to re open a lawsuit regarding a Florida charging lien issue.  The Guardians objected and sought a write of prohibition–asking Palm Beach’s appellate court to prohibit the trial court in Ft. Lauderdale from taking action.  Although this is not a probate case, Palm Beach heirs and those involved in a Palm Beach probate may want to read this: considering that it is very common that Palm Beach estates get closed “administratively” and sometimes Palm Beach probate lawyers need to re-open estates.

There’s nothing like a second or third family to create trust litigation in Palm Beach.   When you put your second or third wife in charge of your revocable trust BUT your adult children from another marriage are beneficiaries…….. start calling Palm Beach trust litigation law firms in West Palm Beach.   If you are a Palm Beach trustee, you owe fiduciary duties to your trust beneficiaries.  If you are involved in a trust lawsuit with your trust beneficiaries, one thing which you don’t want to happen is to be found in CONTEMPT.

Working out — training,……. really training —  & probate litigation may have more in common than we think.    When I’m not in a Palm Beach courthouse or in my West Palm Beach probate lawfirm, I try to make some time for myself.  I’ve always exercised, but I’ve just recently (about 6 weeks ago) started to get serious about training in Palm Beach.   I realize as I perspire, work out hard, and push myself, that staying in shape can be a lot like a Palm Beach probate trial or lawsuit.

Actor Jason Patric is involved in “family litigation.” Check out this LA Times article about actor Jason Patric and his legal battle over a child who was conceived with sperm he donated.   Who does a child created by artificial insemination inherit from? This is what some probate and estate lawyers refer to as the “new biology.”

Some clients fire Palm Beach attorneys, and….. some attorneys fire clients.  If you are a client who hired a Palm Beach probate litigation lawyer and you are now parting ways, here are some important bullet points which you should know.   You should also know about an attorneys charging lien if you have a fee dispute or disagreement over the bill for legal services.   A recent case dealt with Florida attorneys charging liens, which is almost a subspeciality of Florida law. If you are a beneficiary of an estate or trust, or were involved in litigation and are now changing lawyers, you will want to read this.