Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas

Litigation involving intestacy issues involve those who should be appointed the administrator as well as the legitimate heirs of the decedent.

There are many problems that can arise as a result of not having a will. The following are examples of problems of not having a will:

1. A family member will need to apply for administration, which increases the cost to the estate because the administrator will have to pay the premium on a surety bond. The premium is based on the size of the estate.
2. The beneficiaries will be determined by statute as opposed to going to the people who you would want. The following are examples of what would happen by statute if you did not have a will:

a. You are survived by your spouse and parent(s), but no children: Your spouse gets the first 25 percent (but not less than $50,000 nor more than $200,000), plus 75 percent of the balance of your estate. Your parents get the remaining estate assets.
b. You are survived by your spouse and children, all of whom are also children of your spouse (and spouse has no other children by any other relationship): Your spouse receives 100 percent of your estate.
c. You are survived by your spouse and children, some of whom are not children of your spouse: Your spouse gets the first 25 percent (but not less than $50,000 nor more than $200,000), plus 50 percent of the balance of your estate. Your children get the remaining estate assets.
d. You are survived by your spouse and step-children (children of spouse who are not your children): Your spouse gets the first 25% (but not less than $50,000 nor more than $200,000), plus 50 percent of the balance of your estate. Your more remote heirs (siblings, nieces, nephews, etc.) get the remaining estate assets. Your step-children receive nothing.
e. You are survived by children of your deceased spouse (step-children), but no descendants, parents, descendants of parents or grandparents: Your step children get 100 percent of your estate.

Regardless of your age or your wealth, it is very important to prepare a will. Please refer to the section entitled "Estate Planning" regarding the benefits of having a will.

At Hoagland Longo, we believe that a commitment to diversity is the foundation to long term success. We believe that nurturing and cultivating diversity of thought, action and background enhances our ability to serve our clients, our employees and our community.

We are actively committed to advancing diversity at the Firm by striving to ensure that fairness, respect and expansion of professional opportunity for all employees remains integral to our recruiting, education, retention and promotion initiatives. The Firm does not discriminate on account of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, marital status, gender, sexual preference, disability, or obligation for service in the Armed Forces of the U.S. We are committed to the expansion of opportunities for minorities and women within the legal profession and strive to create an inclusive environment where all of our employees can develop professionally and succeed in the practice of law. The Firm is committed to increasing diversity in significant ways consistent with the overall objective of the Firm simply because it is the right thing to do.

We firmly believe that a commitment to diversity not only enriches our work environment, but also leads to a higher work quality and empowers us to bring a broad perspective to the problems facing our clients. To this end, our goal continues to be the fostering of diversity as part of the Firm's culture. However, we recognize that a commitment to diversity requires consistent attention and effort.

As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, we have established a standing Diversity Committee, which seeks to educate, recruit and retain a diverse workforce that respects and values differences among people. The Diversity Committee is comprised of some of the Firm's leading practitioners with diverse backgrounds, including partners, associates, and administrators; men and women; and racial and ethnic minorities as well as non-minorities. These individuals share a strong commitment to increasing the Firm's diversity and using their unique experiences and backgrounds to support and further this goal.