Trenton Legal Issues Blog

Why it's imperative for everyone to have wills

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in estate planning and probate on Friday, April 20, 2018.

When many hear about wills, they automatically think two things. First, they think that they're a document that you only draft when you're of an advanced age. Second, many believe that they're only necessary for the wealthy. Neither is a correct assumption though.

While wills are critical for anyone of means to draft, wealth doesn't discriminate based on age. Additionally, what is of value to one person may not be of value to another. Thus, when it comes to how much wealth a person needs to have accumulated to pass it on to someone else, that's completely relative.

Some injured workers may qualify for SSDI and workers' comp

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in social security disability insurance on Sunday, April 15, 2018.

Each year, countless workers are forced to take time off of work in order to battle an illness or to recuperate from injuries they've suffered. Fortunately, there are two different types of compensation claims that individuals can file to either cover their medical bills or lost wages. Which one you qualify for greatly depends on whether your injury is work-related or not.

In most cases, if you suffered a work-related injury, then you'll likely qualify for workers' compensation (WC) benefits that your employer is legally mandated to provide. If you're suffering from either an illness or injury that either didn't happen at or wasn't caused by your job, then you may be eligible to file a claim for Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) instead.

A mental illness could be grounds for disability benefits

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in blog on Friday, April 13, 2018.

When a medical condition or serious physical injury prevents a Michigan resident from working, that individual could be eligible for benefits through the Social Security Administration. You may not know that disability benefits are also available to individuals who have certain types of mental conditions.

In the event that a person is unable to work, he or she could experience various financial struggles. Without an income, a person cannot pay bills, take care of personal needs and maintain a normal lifestyle. If you are in this situation, you have the right to seek either Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability insurance. You have no time to lose in seeking the financial support you deserve.

Millennial divorces decline, are contested less often

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in family law and divorce on Friday, April 6, 2018.

A recent analysis of data among those ages 25 to 39 shows that divorce rates among this population have been swiftly declining since 1990. It's believed that this reduction in divorce has to do with this population getting married later in life. A Pew Research Center study conducted in 2016 showed that women were getting married, on average, at 27.4 years of age and men at 29.5 years old that year.

Legal experts contend that Millennials often have it a lot easier than their older counterparts when they go to divorce. While the marriage drawing to a close may still be difficult for both parties emotionally, it's often times easier to resolve from a financial standpoint. This can be attributed to a stronger likelihood of Millennial couples having prenups in place than earlier generations.

Alternatives exist if you're struggling to pay your mortgage

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in real estate transactions on Friday, March 30, 2018.

There are a number of different reasons people fall behind in making monthly mortgage payments. You may lose your job or have your hours reduced. You might become ill and be without disability insurance. Or perhaps your spouse, who's responsible for paying the mortgage, becomes incapacitated.

If you've experienced one of these setbacks, it's important for you to locate your mortgage lender's phone number on your monthly statement and to call them right away.

What is the probate process and how does it work?

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in estate planning and probate on Friday, March 23, 2018.

When someone dies, their will has to be authenticated before any distributions to beneficiaries can be made. This probate process is presided over by a judge. He or she ensures that necessary steps are taken in settling an estate through probate and that, if no will exists, state intestate succession laws are upheld.

One of the first tasks that a probate judge must handle when a new case comes before him or her is authenticating the will. The judge must determine whether the will filed is indeed the last known one written by the decedent. The signature on it must be confirmed to be his or hers as well.

What do supervised and unsupervised visitation entail?

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in family law and divorce on Friday, March 16, 2018.

Judges in recent years have aired on the side of awarding parents joint physical custody of their child whenever possible largely because scientific research shows that doing so is often in the best interest of the child.

There are some situations, though, in which a parent has not yet proven him or herself to have an appropriate influence on their impressionable child.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and your ability to work

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in blog on Monday, March 12, 2018.

Michigan readers know there are various medical conditions that could prevent them from working and holding gainful employment. In many cases, individuals who are unable to work because of a medical condition could be eligible for certain types of support through the Social Security Administration.

One of the medical conditions that could keep you from working is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a condition that affects a person's respiratory function, and in severe cases, it can rob you of your ability to do certain activities and meet the demands of your job. If you have COPD and you cannot work, you may be eligible for a certain type of disability benefits.

What does it take to receive SSDI benefits?

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in social security disability insurance on Friday, March 9, 2018.

Let's face it. Most of us don't have a emergency fund to cover our everyday expenses if we were to be hurt on the job. Even if we did, it would only carry us for or so long.

If any of us were to suffer a particularly debilitating injury making it impossible for us to work, then we'd likely have to hope that our illness or injury were serious enough to warrant receiving Social Security disability insurance (SSDI). This would be particularly important if we didn't have private short- or long-term coverage.

Young or old, rich or poor: Why everyone needs a will

On behalf of Robert D. Paulbeck, Attorney at Law posted in estate planning and probate on Friday, March 2, 2018.

When it comes to wills, there are two common misconceptions about them. One is that many think that they're only important for older people or the rich and famous to have. Another is that you write it once and you never need to look at it again. Neither one of these is correct though.

Wills should be drafted by all individuals, even if all you have to your name is a checking account or a car. If you don't draft a will, then the state has rules of intestate succession in place by which it will divvy up what you leave behind.