The Village Law Firm

The Village Law Firm The Village Law Firm advises families and individuals on providing for their loved ones, protecting

Most New Yorkers have never heard of the Surrogate's Court.It's the court that handles everything related to wills, esta...
06/23/2026

Most New Yorkers have never heard of the Surrogate's Court.

It's the court that handles everything related to wills, estates, and guardianship in New York State. If someone passes away and their estate needs to go through probate, it goes through the Surrogate's Court. If a will is contested, it's contested there. If a guardian needs to be legally appointed for a child, that happens there too.

It's a court most people only discover when they're already in the middle of something difficult.

Understanding that it exists, and what it handles, is the first step toward understanding why the documents you create now matter so much later.

A will filed with the Surrogate's Court becomes the legal roadmap for everything that follows. Without one, the court fills in the gaps on its own and the court's decision may not be the same decision that you would make.

Something worth knowing.

Most estate plans were written before anyone thought about what happens to a digital life.Your email accounts. Your phot...
06/22/2026

Most estate plans were written before anyone thought about what happens to a digital life.

Your email accounts. Your photos stored in the cloud. Your cryptocurrency. Your social media profiles. Your streaming subscriptions. Your online business accounts.

None of these transfer automatically. And without specific instructions and legal access, your family may not be able to reach them at all.

Some platforms will memorialize an account. Others will delete it. Most require a court order or specific documentation before granting any access to a next of kin.

A complete estate plan in 2026 includes a digital asset inventory. That's a clear record of what you own online, where it lives, and who has the authority to access it.

It's one of the most overlooked parts of modern planning. And one of the easiest to address once you know it's missing.

Save this if you've never thought about your digital estate.

Father’s Day weekend is finally here. ✨To every dad spending this weekend with the people who made them one: we hope you...
06/19/2026

Father’s Day weekend is finally here. ✨

To every dad spending this weekend with the people who made them one: we hope you enjoy every single minute. Thank you for everything you do.

From our family at The Village Law Firm to yours, have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

Estate planning and asset protection are related.But they're not the same thing and understanding the difference matters...
06/18/2026

Estate planning and asset protection are related.

But they're not the same thing and understanding the difference matters more than most people realize.

Estate planning answers one question: what happens to your assets when you're gone? Who receives them. How they're distributed. Who makes decisions on your behalf.

Asset protection answers a different question entirely: what happens to your assets while you're still here?
Lawsuits. Creditor claims. Business disputes. Divorce. These aren't just concerns for the ultra-wealthy or the unusually unlucky. They're real risks that can quietly erode wealth built over decades, if the right structures aren't in place before a problem arises.
And that's the critical word: before.

Once a lawsuit is filed or a creditor makes a claim, the window for meaningful protection has largely closed. The law is skeptical of asset transfers made in anticipation of a known threat. The families who navigate these situations best are the ones who built their structures during the good years, not in response to a bad one.

A complete plan addresses both sides. What you protect now. And what you pass on later.
Swipe through for the full breakdown.

If you've been named in someone's estate, you have rights.Most beneficiaries don't know what they are. And unfortunately...
06/17/2026

If you've been named in someone's estate, you have rights.

Most beneficiaries don't know what they are. And unfortunately, that silence can work against them.

Estate administration doesn't always go smoothly. Executors can make mistakes. Timelines can stretch well beyond what's reasonable. Distributions can be delayed without explanation. And in some cases, things don't add up.

If you're in that position, here's what you're entitled to:
A copy of the will or trust document. You should not have to ask twice for this.

Regular updates on where the administration process stands and what's happening with the estate.

Your distribution within a reasonable timeframe. Indefinite delays without explanation are not acceptable.

Honest answers to your questions. You are a named beneficiary, not an outsider.

Legal counsel if something feels wrong. You have every right to have someone in your corner.

Being a beneficiary doesn't mean sitting quietly and waiting. It means you have a legal stake in how this process unfolds, and the right to make sure it unfolds correctly.

Share this with anyone navigating an estate right now who might need to see it.
📞 (212) 431-7526

If a foreign national passes away owning a U.S. retirement account or brokerage account, the bank will not simply releas...
06/16/2026

If a foreign national passes away owning a U.S. retirement account or brokerage account, the bank will not simply release the funds to the heirs. They will ask for a transfer certificate.

A transfer certificate is issued by the IRS and confirms that the estate's U.S. tax obligations have been satisfied, or that none exist. Without it, U.S. financial institutions are legally required to withhold assets.

Obtaining one takes a while. The IRS processing time can take six months or longer. And the application requires documentation that many international families don't know to gather in advance.

For heirs abroad trying to access accounts they were promised, this process can feel like a bureaucratic wall with no clear way through.

It's avoidable. But only with planning that happens before the need arises.

Full guide at the link in our bio.
📞 (212) 431-7526

Blended families are one of the most common situations where a standard estate plan falls short.Here's a scenario that p...
06/15/2026

Blended families are one of the most common situations where a standard estate plan falls short.

Here's a scenario that plays out more often than most people expect:
A spouse passes away. Their assets, including the family home, pass to the surviving spouse under the terms of a standard will. Years later, the surviving spouse remarries and updates their own estate documents. This causes the children from the first marriage to potentially receive nothing.

This isn't intentional. It's what happens when a plan doesn't account for the specific dynamics of a blended family.

There are trust structures designed to prevent exactly this. A trust can ensure that a surviving spouse is provided for during their lifetime while preserving assets for children from a prior relationship. Nothing goes to chance. Nothing gets decided after the fact.

For blended families, the question isn't whether you love everyone equally. It's whether your documents reflect that intention clearly enough to hold up without you in the room.

📞 (212) 431-7526
🔗 Link in bio to book a consultation

Talk about legacy . . .
06/14/2026

Talk about legacy . . .

Estate planning and asset protection are related, but they're not the same thing.Estate planning answers the question: w...
06/12/2026

Estate planning and asset protection are related, but they're not the same thing.

Estate planning answers the question: what happens to your assets when you're gone?

Asset protection answers a different question: what happens to your assets while you're still here?

Lawsuits. Creditors. Business disputes. Divorce. These aren't just theoretical risks for high-net-worth individuals, they're realities that can erode wealth built over decades if the right structures aren't in place.

The families who fare best aren't the ones who reacted after a problem arose. They're the ones who built the structures before one did.

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