BDBF News and Legal Updates

BDBF attorneys continue to speak to members of the community, young and old, about what they do! This month, Jeremy Rachlin presented to approximately 20 families at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington.  His presentation, “Estate Planning Fundamentals for the Young Family,” explained the basic estate planning documents all parents should have in place. ...

It’s March!  This means that it’s Spring Break season for college students. Inquiring minds asked about the favorite spring break memories of BDBF attorneys.  Details have been polished over to protect the innocent (and perhaps the guilty).   Liz Farley During my senior year of college at SUNY Geneseo, a few of my college roommates...

As the pandemic-related lockdowns have ended and more cars are on the road, we have noticed a disturbing trend—more accidents, more severe injuries, and more significant claims. And as a result, we are more frequently pursuing injury claims on behalf of our clients that are pushing the limits of applicable liability coverage on the at-fault...

“Who should we give copies of our estate planning documents?” Almost invariably, we are asked this question by our estate planning clients at some point during our work with them.  The answer is “it depends”.  It depends on the documents you have signed.  It depends on where you are in life.  And it may even depend...

Recently, the Washington Post Magazine featured a lengthy cover article highlighting a movement by state courts around the country towards equal shared parenting in custody cases. Many of our clients have asked where Maryland and the District of Columbia stand as pertains to presumptions in contested custody cases. What is the role of the court in contested...

Our estate attorneys frequently receive calls from clients who want to organize their parent’s estate. As they acknowledge their parent’s aging, they want to understand how they can strategize in advance to ease its administration in the future. Unfortunately, our estate attorneys also frequently encounter clients who are confronting the death of a parent. These clients...

January historically brings an influx of divorce filings, especially for spouses with children. Families typically like to preserve holiday traditions and do not want to disrupt memories of their children with the news of a divorce. And the new year often sparks the urge for changes, which can sometimes include the dissolving of marriage after...