Health Care Proxies

It is a common misconception that estate planning is a “one and done” task. While a power of attorney (POA) you signed years ago may still be technically valid under New York law, the landscape of how banks handle these documents changed significantly following major 2021 statutory updates. As of 2026, most financial institutions have ...

There are different times in life when people have to think about estate planning. People often draft documents when they become legal adults, add children to their families or achieve professional success. People may draft wills or fund trusts in response to changing family circumstances. They may also sometimes draft documents intended to protect themselves ...

A living will is one of the most important advanced medical directives that adults in New York can add to their estate plans. Often used in conjunction with healthcare proxy paperwork and powers of attorney, a living will specifically discusses an individual’s healthcare preferences for the purpose of securing the right treatment in the event ...

You’ve started to get a little concerned about your spouse’s cognitive abilities. You’ve noticed that they’re more forgetful than you think is normal, and their personality has changed. They’ve gotten more withdrawn and moody. Could this be the early signs of mental decline, the symptoms of some form of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease? Once you’ve ...

Employment is often how people without direct connections to the United States first enter the country.  A work visa can represent an opportunity for you and your immediate family members. You can take your career to the next level when you accept a job in the United States. Provided that you and your family members ...

There are multiple kinds of power of attorney, but one that you should consider adding to your estate plan is a financial power of attorney. This POA is a legal document included in your estate plan that gives someone you trust the power to act on your behalf in financial matters. A financial power of ...

When you’re working on your estate plan, one thing your attorney should discuss with you is your health care power of attorney and who you’d like to have to take on that role if you cannot make your own medical decisions. Everyone needs a health care power of attorney. This is a person who can ...

Even otherwise young and healthy adults may benefit from creating advance care plans to voice their medical care preferences in the event of incapacity. Including advance care planning in their estate plans may help people voice their lifesaving and end-of-life medical care preferences, even if they cannot speak for themselves. No one wants to burden ...

On September 1, 2009, the changes to § 644 of New York’s General Obligations Law regarding powers of attorney went into effect. These changes impact not only the formalities of creating and executing a valid power of attorney in New York, but also the substance of the document. The majority of the new law’s provisions ...

  This article looks at powers of attorney and why they are so prone to being tools for elder abuse. The future is impossible to predict and while most people would like to believe that they will remain mentally competent for the rest of their lives, the fact is that many will not. When a ...