The Probate Lawyer Blog

Featured on The Rachael Ray Show, WGN Chicago, and Forbes.com, “Trial & Heirs” can be utilized by those seeking to spark the dreaded family discussion about planning for a loved one’s passing.

“We have tips to avoid family fights and we have ideas to spark family discussion,” Danielle says of the book. “So not only is it a good tool for the general public, but the goal was to give professionals a vehicle to start conversations with their clients...they can talk about Princess Di and Frank Sinatra and Jimi Hendrix...really start the conversation.”

And while the book provides readers with titillating true tales of celebrity courtroom cattiness at its very best, it also details how problems can be avoided. In addition, definitions of legal terminology commonly used in estate planning are placed strategically throughout the book.

“I think there’s a sensationalism in our culture where there’s this celebrity stardom everybody wants to read about,” Danielle says.“We wanted to take that sensationalistic or tabloid aspect to kind of fool people. They might be reading it for the tabloid aspect but they don’t realize initially that they’re getting taught and they’re learning.”

But what can these celebrity stories teach the everyday person?

“Celebrities’ families are fighting about the same issues,” Andrew points out. “My clients fight about the exact same issues that are in the book.

“Simple common mistakes the celebrities make are the same mistakes we see everyday people making,” he adds. “Different dollar figures, but the concepts apply to everybody.”

The response to “Trial & Heirs,” which came out in November, has been amazing, according to the authors.

“We’ve had attorneys from around the country contact us and say, ‘I want to buy these in bulk and provide them to my clients,’” Danielle explains. “It’s a great tool for attorneys to be able to turn over – especially if they have a stubborn client and maybe the client has a situation like one of the celebrities in the book – to say, ‘By the way, take a look at this case.’”

According to Andrew, “One of the principal themes we keep saying in the book is ‘Don’t do it yourself...You need a good attorney.’

“The book has tips to find a good attorney and things to talk about with your attorney,” he says. “It’s really a call to action for people to find and work with a good attorney because too many people try to do it themselves and that’s what leads to a lot of the celebrity mishaps that we cover in the book.”

Tabloid stories and their juicy details aside, the book provides insight into the oftentimes taboo world of estate planning.

“It’s a way to get people to open their eyes and think about these things and have family discussions,” Andrew says. “A lot of these family fights can be prevented if people are proactive and they can avoid a lot of the heartache.”

By Christine L. Mobley

You can read the article here. 

Posted by:  Andrew W. Mayoras & Danielle B. Mayoras, co-authors of Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights! and co-founders of The Center for Probate Litigation and The Center for Elder Law in metro-Detroit, Michigan, which concentrate in probate litigation, estate planning, and elder law.  Andrew & Danielle are husband and wife attorneys, professional speakers and consultants across the country.