Sometimes proper estate plans involve transferring real estate while reserving life estates, gifting, Totten Trusts, powers of attorney, various types of guardianships, and other devices.
Most everybody who drives a car gets a traffic ticket sooner or later. Some traffic tickets are crimes with criminal penalties, such as driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving with a suspended license (AUO), leaving the scene of an accident, or reckless driving. If you have one of these traffic criminal charges, the criminal law hyperlink will tell you about that aspect of the offense. But most traffic tickets are violations resulting in fines for things like speeding, running red lights, equipment violations, and illegal passing. As a practical matter, few people ever go to jail for those offenses. So why bother hire an attorney for traffic infractions?
DUI/DWI
Traffic Violations
If you get a traffic ticket and you plead guilty, the department of motor vehicles (DMV) will assign you a certain number of “ points ” which go on your driving record. The table shows how many points you get for various offenses. Too many points and DMV will revoke your license, whether or not the judge gives you a break. It is always good to have as few points as possible on your driving record. If you live outside of New York State and get a ticket in New York, all other states and Canadian provinces have access to your New York ticket conviction information and will assess you points. Whenever you get a ticket, it is advisable to see if you can get the charge reduced or dismissed so you don’t accumulate points.
Attorneys Raymond J. Dague and Karen K. Martin have over 50 years of combined experience dealing with legal problems across New York State. If you need legal advice, call us, or send us an e-mail. We can help you. We have a broad general practice, and can handle most legal matters including family law, criminal cases, traffic tickets across the entire state, church law, bankruptcy, business law, wills and estates, and much more. And if we can’t do it, we will refer you to someone who can.
Raymond Dague has his office in Syracuse, New York at 4874 Onondaga Road, Syracuse, New York 13215. He has practiced law continuously in Syracuse since his admission to the New York bar in 1979, and has had his own law office since 1981 in a general practice covering many areas of law which individuals, families, churches, and small businesses encounter in our society. His practice includes church law, not-for-profit corporations, business law, real estate closings, litigation, bankruptcy, trusts, estates and wills, elder law, guardianships, adoptions, personal injury, criminal defense, traffic violations, and religious freedom defense. He has tried jury and non-jury cases in all of the city, state and federal courts in Syracuse and the surrounding area, and has filed and argued appeals in the supreme court appellate division. He has served as a special criminal prosecutor by appointment of the chief county court judge of Onondaga County.
Auto Accidents
Medicaid Planning
Sometimes a will is not the best way to go. Some clients need trusts either standing alone or in addition to a will. Trusts can be included in a will, or can be drafted for all sorts of specialized purposes, such as avoiding probate, privacy, eliminating will contests, tax planning, Medicaid planning, educational gifts, and for many other purposes. After we review your estate needs, we can advise you what sort of trust you need, or whether you should forego the separate trust.
A will allows you to make decisions, rather than forcing state law or a judge to make the decisions for you after your death. You can direct certain items of value or accounts to go to designated persons, including your church or favorite mission society or charity. The government cannot do this without your specific instructions in a properly executed will. You can designate your executor rather than leaving that choice to your heirs and the surrogate court judge. You can minimize fees and taxes with proper estate planning. You can designate a guardian for your children who will raise them in accordance with your beliefs, rather than having the judge make the decision. And you can set up a trust and name your choice of a trustee in your will to distribute your money to your children over many years and under your choice of conditions, rather than giving your kids all of their inheritance at age 18 as New York law would provide absent a will.
Wills
Attorneys Raymond J. Dague and Karen K. Martin have over 50 years of combined experience dealing with legal problems across New York State. If you need legal advice, call us, or send us an e-mail. We can help you. We have a broad general practice, and can handle most legal matters including family law, criminal cases, traffic tickets across the entire state, church law, bankruptcy, business law, wills and estates, and much more. And if we can’t do it, we will refer you to someone who can.
Trusts
Karen Martin has worked at the law office of Raymond Dague, PLLC, since before her admission to the New York bar. Her practice focuses on transactional matters together with related litigation. Her practice areas include real estate, church law, contracts and business law, tax exemptions for churches and not-for-profits, bankruptcy, wills, trusts and estates, adoption, family law, misdemeanor criminal cases, and traffic violations.
Any estate in excess of $5 million requires detailed and complex estate and tax planning, or the federal and state governments will pocket large taxes upon your death. We can avoid this, but if you die without a will or with an improperly planned will, the chances are that the government will get their tax rather than your heirs getting all that they should get.