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A person drafting his or her estate plan has the right to dispose of their worldly possessions as they see fit. But what happens if the person’s family believes the decedent was not well and was unfairly influenced by someone on whom they were dependent?

New rules were announced in August by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that aim to combat money laundering in the residential real estate sector. The rules, which apply to non-financed transfers of residential properties (generally 1-4 units) to trusts, limited liability companies (LLCs), or other entities, will take effect on December 1, 2025.

In an attempt to avoid litigating before a jury, employers routinely include arbitration provisions in employment agreements. But courts will not enforce an arbitration agreement that does not provide essential fairness to employees – such agreements are called “unconscionable.”

In construction projects, it’s not unusual today for engineers, consultants, and other specialists to be asked for advice even on seemingly minor aspects of the work. If something later goes wrong, how should responsibility be apportioned among what may be the many consultants who were in some way involved?

Any legal document must be prepared with care, but some are likely to be scrutinized especially closely by courts that are sensitive to the impact they can have, especially if one party has far greater resources than the other.

Arbitration is intended as a faster, less expensive alternative to traditional litigation, and is often an effective way to resolve relatively minor disputes, such as those between a company and a customer. But what if the conflict involves serious claims, and may affect the general public?