Finding a Better Way to Manage Estate Conflicts Continued

Paul Fisher (attorney, Los Angeles, California) has published his article entitled The Power Tools of Estate Conflict Management:  Recharging the Culture of Estate Conflicts, Part 2,Prob. & Prop., July-August 2010, at 42.   

An excerpt from the beginning of the article is below:

This is the second of a two-part article that discusses the alternative methods and tools to address and manage conflicts that may surface during the estate planning process or after the testator’s death. The article provides the practitioner with opportunities to discuss these concepts with clients and colleagues and encourages the reader to move several steps forward toward changing the culture of how these conflicts are resolved.

Part one, in the March/April 2010 issue, discussed the need for change in how conflicts can be addressed during the estate planning process and/or postmortem in a way that avoids the extraordinary financial and emotional cost of estate litigation. The benefits and disadvantages to the testator, heirs, trustee, contesting parties, and attorneys also are examined.