BUSINESS PEOPLE.
COLUMN: BUSINESS PEOPLE Michelle M. Mulvena of Shrewsbury has joined the Somerville law firm of Moschella & Winston LLP as an associate. Ms. Mulvena specializes in elder law, including estate planning, administration, asset protection and Medicare and Medicaid issues, as well as probate litigation. She previously was...

Court hearing set on probation issue; Alleged deadbeat dad held without bail.
Byline: Gary V. Murray The following correction was published May 31, 2008: WORCESTER - Assistant Chief Probation Officer Maureen Chamberlain told Judge David B. Locke in court Thursday that Glen Parks, 61, of Worcester, had a suspended 18-month jail sentence from a 1993 case. Because...

Rage in divorce linked to deaths; Templeton murder-suicide probed.
Byline: George Barnes; Danielle Williamson TEMPLETON - Bitterness over an impending divorce may have been behind the murder of a Templeton woman by her estranged husband. Bernadette J. LaRoche, 57, was found dead Tuesday in an office in her home at 224 Otter River Road....

A quick guide to the Illinois Dead Man's Act: according to the hornbook definition, the Act is an evidentiary rule barring testimony by someone with an interest in litigation about any conversation with or event occurring in the presence of a decedent. But what does that mean? This article offers some answers.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the latter part of the 20th century, various Illinois legal scholars championed the abolishment, abrogation (1) and/or repeal (2) of an alleged "outdated evidentiary rule" (3) known as the dead man's act ("the act"). As is discussed in detail below, and subject to exceptions,...

Britney's estate will advance her father $ 2,500 a week.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner has ordered Britney Spears' estate to pay some bills -- including weekly payments and a car for her father. In documents released by the court Thursday but signed on Wednesday, Commissioner Reva Goetz ordered $ 2,500 (euro1,631)...

How to probate an estate in California, 18th ed.
9781413305746 How to probate an estate in California, 18th ed. Nissley, Julia. Nolo 2007 435 pages $49.99 Paperback KFC205 Long time probate administrator Nissley advises readers on how to probate (settle...

Even more uncertainty about estate-tax apportionment: apportionment is an important but confusing subject, and two recent decisions interpreting apportionment waiver clauses in wills and revocable trusts under Illinois law make new and even more confusing law. This article analyzes these cases and provides drafting suggestions.
Estate-tax apportionment." Three words likely to cause any estate planning attorney to break into a sweat. Why? Because taxes can have a profound impact on an estate, and the estate-tax apportionment provision--which allocates the burden of paying the tax--can have a bigger dollar impact than any other part of...

Reforming paternity procedures: a Dannielynn in Illinois: what would have happened if Anna Nicole Smith's daughter had been born in Illinois? Such speculation leads to questions about Illinois' paternity procedures and whether they need reform.
The untimely death in Florida of an aging starlet came soon after her daughter was born. We hope the girl's life will not be as rocky as her mother's. But it did not start well, at least not from a legal standpoint. Howard, Larry, and the prince...

Mother to serve a year; Son, 10, beaten and terrorized.
Byline: Gary V. Murray WORCESTER - A Woodland Street woman was sentenced to jail yesterday after admitting in court that she assaulted her 10-year-old son with a broomstick, belt, coat hanger and shoe, and threatened to kill the child by holding a pillow over his head as...

Justice for all; State, local dignitaries laud 25-year effort.
Byline: Lee Hammel WORCESTER - Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall yesterday lead a plethora of dignitaries dedicating the new $180 million Worcester Trial Court, paying tribute to the efforts of the past and anticipating a brighter future for justice...