Our small but growing law firm is looking for a poised and capable Paralegal to stay on top of our bustling estate planning and probate practice. Sure, we need someone who rocks the basics: accurately preparing legal documents, happily communicating with clients by phone and email, tracking major deadlines, filing documents with courts and county recorders – typical paralegal duties. But we also need a systematic detail-master, who can keep probate accountings balanced to the penny, make certain legal descriptions in deeds are perfect, and do it all independently and confidently.  We abso ..read more

Clients often tell us they’ve put their child “on” their bank account. In our experience, that can mean several different things about the way the bank account is set up. And each of those different set ups has dramatically different ramifications for ownership and inheritance of the property. Parents are usually trying to make sure their kid can access the money if the parent becomes incapacitated. That way, the child can pay the parent’s bills right away. It’s a good idea, but you have to be careful to tell the bank exactly what you are trying to accomplish. So, which method do you actually ..read more

We buy everything else online — shoes, cars, groceries, even a Chia Pet Gremlin. Why not make your will online? Seems like a good idea, but here are three reasons why it is NOT! 1. Validity You probably are not a lawyer, so you are not trained in spotting issues in legal documents. Details you might not even realize are important may completely change the meaning or validity of your will. Take the case of Ron Ferree from New Jersey. Ron used a form will with a ‘fill in the blank’ layout, leaving everything to his friend, Charles. But Ron did not have the will witnessed correctly. After he die ..read more

Part of creating a trust is determining who is best suited to handle different situations that could arise. During the trust design process, we will help you brainstorm who could make a good agent for your power of attorney, successor trustee, or member of your incapacity panel. The same person might not be the best fit for each role. Let’s take a look at each type of position and the responsibilities it encompasses: Successor Trustees Successor trustees manage your assets for you in the event that you are not able to do so yourself. This could be after your death, or in the event that you bec ..read more

At Learned Lawyer, we love our pets. Scott’s dog, Lola, is a mix of poodle and dachshund, known as a “Doxiepoo.” She’s cute, but she’s the most anxious animal known to man! Christine’s dog, Beorn, is a Labrador Retriever and a certified therapy dog. Maritza’s dog, Stitch, is a — well, we’re not sure. But she loves him anyway! We get it – your pet is part of your family! So shouldn’t he or she be included in your estate plan? They can be! If you are concerned about the care of your pet after your death, talk to us about setting up a pet trust. Lola Beorn Stitch Wait, a Trust for a Pet? Yes, p ..read more

We have received a number of calls lately from people who have waited to start estate planning until it’s too late. It invariably does not end well. “Too late” here usually means waiting until someone has become incapacitated to a point where they can’t participate in the process anymore. (Or, of course, died…) And once that’s happened, there is little anyone can do to help. Here’s the thing: Idaho already has an estate plan for you. You might like it; you might not. But, if you wait to make your own plan, you will eventually end up stuck with Idaho’s plan. And most families don’t like Idaho’s ..read more

Parents of minor kids are often worried about who would be appointed as guardian of those kids if something happened to the parents. Under Idaho law, a parent may designate a guardian for their children if those children become orphaned . The only method for doing so is through a valid Will. The Will may appoint one or more people and may outline an order for priority of those people. Any writing that is not a Will does not have the same legal effect. Thus, parents of minor kids always need to write a Will. In that document, savvy parents should designate several alternatives. If the need aris ..read more

Manage Risks while Returning to Work Are you a business owner who is nervous about reopening your business while COVID-19 remains present in our community? Do you want to keep your employees and customers safe but you are not sure exactly how to do so? Here's some good news: you have lots of resources at your disposal. First, familiarize yourself with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control, OSHA, and the State of Idaho. Next, you should create your own set of guidelines tailored to your business, addressing issues such as cleaning of surfaces, hand-washing, sharing (or not) of ..read more

New Paralegal Learned Lawyer is very happy to announce that we've hired Maritza Black as a Paralegal. Maritza just graduated from Concordia University School of Law and will be working part-time for Learned Lawyer while she studies for the bar exam. Maritza may be familiar to some of you, because she worked as an intern for Learned Lawyer during her last semester of law school. Please join me in welcoming Maritza. You can read more about her on our biographies page. COVID-19 Update In accordance with the Governor's "reopening" plan, we are continuing to work remotely for the most part. If you ..read more

It is with some mixed emotions that we report a staffing change. First, the sad news: Our Clerk and Receptionist, Tate Volbrecht, has left our employment. This spring, Tate will complete his undergraduate courses at Boise State and received degrees in Political Science and Communication. He will be moving back to Billings, Montana for the summer, before starting law school in Washington, D.C. this fall. Tate was with us for nearly two years. We appreciate his service, and wish him the best of luck in law school. Now the happy news: we’ve hired Christine Douglas as our new Office Administrator ..read more