Welcome to the Arkansas Estate, Trust & Probate Litigation Blog. My name is Matt House and I am a lawyer with James, Fink & House, P.A. in Little Rock, Arkansas. I intend to regularly update this Blog with commentary, analysis and general items of interest relating to estate litigation, trust litigation, and probate litigation, especially within the State of Arkansas. Perhaps I should get out of the office more or take on a new hobby, but I am fascinated by this area of law, enjoy the challenges and issues associated with these civil lawsuits, and have simply decided to write about the topic from time to time. I hope that you find this Blog interesting and helpful.
With the Baby Boomers starting to retire in greater numbers, Arkansas’s older population demographic, and the slow but steadily increasing concentration of wealth in the United States, we anticipate a substantial increase in “wars over wealth” in the coming years. Indeed, the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in human history has already begun and will continue for many years.* These wealth wars will most commonly take the form of estate and trust conflicts, inheritance battles, will contests, accounting actions, claims by or against fiduciaries, proceedings requiring the interpretation of wills and trusts, fights over trust expenditures and money management, disputes over missing assets and property ownership, accusations of self-dealing, family business litigation and “corporate divorces,” claims of fraud and undue influence, abuse of elders and questions of competency, and actions to determine the rights of beneficiaries and creditors.
Feel free to contact me with respect to these legal issues at 501-372-6555 or mhouse@jamesandhouse.com. Thanks for stopping by, and please visit often.
Matt House
*One of the most cited figures is a low-growth minimum estimate of $41 trillion (in 1998 dollars) in intergenerational transfers during the 55-year period from 1998 through 2052. See John J. Havens and Paul G. Schervish, Why The $41 Trillion Wealth Transfer Estimate Is Still Valid: A Review Of Challenges And Questions, Boston College Social Welfare Research Institute, January 6, 2003 Newsletter (also published in The Journal of Gift Planning, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2003, pp. 11-15, 47-50) (internal citation omitted).
DISCLAIMER: This Blog is for informational purposes only and may not be relied upon for legal advice. Absent a written and signed representation agreement, Mr. House and his law firm are not your attorney and neither this Blog, nor any telephone call, letter, fax, or e-mail inquiry, creates an attorney-client relationship.
