Losing a spouse may be one of the most difficult life events that any of us have to deal with. A spouse is a parenting partner, a co-CFO, a best friend and a beloved soul mate. Losing the person who supports you in so many ways can create an emptiness which can be almost paralyzing.
This is why it’s so important after the death of a loved one to have the support you need to get through the detail-oriented and often emotionally draining probate process, which includes tasks such as sorting through a financial history, submitting legal documents to the probate court, contacting creditors and family members, and more. Some people have family or friends to help with these time-consuming tasks, others enlist the help of an estate planning or probate attorney, but one thing is clear: no one should do it alone.

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Among the most vexing problems in the real estate arena are those involving property lines. Though these disputes frequently involve relatively small dollar amounts, they can fester into personal vendettas, especially when the principals are residential neighbors.

A common scenario involves a property owner constructing a fence. The neighbor does not object. Later it comes to light-often when the property is sold-that the fence is on the wrong side of the property line. In the meantime, the encroaching property owner has made use of the area by building a shed or some other improvement.

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