One common element is negligence. Like the lawyer not doing proper research on the estate laws relevant to the case. Another is dishonesty, for example, hiding important information from clients. And miscommunication also often shows up. When the lawyer fails to clearly convey legal processes and implications to the clients.
Sure. One horror story is about a client who hired an estate lawyer to handle their will. The lawyer was very disorganized and lost important documents. As a result, when the client passed away, there was a huge mess. Family members had to fight over the estate without clear instructions, and it took years and a lot of money in legal fees to sort things out.
Well, a common 'biglaw horror story' is being overloaded with work. You get assigned so many cases at once that it's impossible to give proper attention to each. This leads to mistakes and more stress. Also, the billing pressure is crazy. You're expected to bill a certain number of hours per week, and if you don't, you're in trouble. Some have had to deal with unethical behavior from partners, like taking credit for their work or pushing them to do unethical things to win a case.
There was an estate sale where the house was said to be in good condition. However, when buyers started exploring, they found that the attic was full of rats. Some of the furniture in the attic had been chewed up badly. It was really a nightmare for those who were interested in buying the furniture or the house itself. They had to deal with potential pest problems and the damaged goods.
In some life estate situations, there can be disputes over who pays for major repairs. The life tenant may not want to spend money as they won't benefit from the long - term value of the property, and the remainderman can't force them easily. It often leads to a deteriorating property and lots of arguments between the parties involved. This is a common and quite a 'horror story' in the context of life estates.
A common horror story is issues with the title. For example, there were unexpected liens on the property. The closing couldn't happen until these were sorted out. It involved a lot of legal wrangling between the parties and the title company. The buyer was left in limbo, not knowing if they would actually get the property they had been planning to buy.
One horror story is when an appraiser underestimated the value of a house due to a simple mistake in measuring the square footage. The owners were trying to sell and based on the low appraisal, they had to lower their asking price significantly, losing out on a lot of potential profit.
One horror story is when a person tried to DIY their estate plan without proper legal knowledge. They wrote a will that was very vaguely worded. After they passed away, their family members ended up in a huge fight over the interpretation of the will. Some thought certain assets were meant for them while others disagreed, leading to costly court battles.
One common horror story is when a person passes away without a will. Their assets may be distributed in a way they would never have wanted. For example, their family might fight over possessions, and the court may decide to split things in a way that doesn't consider the deceased's true wishes. Another is when the executor of the estate turns out to be untrustworthy. They could embezzle funds or mismanage the property, leaving the beneficiaries with less than they should have received. Also, incorrect beneficiary designations can lead to disasters. For instance, if an old beneficiary is still named on an account and the person meant to change it but didn't, the wrong person could get the money.
One horror story could be about buying a property near the beach. The buyer was promised a beautiful ocean view, but after purchase, they found out that a new high - rise was planned right in front of their property, blocking the view completely. Another might be a situation where a person bought a house in a seemingly nice neighborhood, only to discover later that it was in a flood - prone area and the real estate agent had not disclosed this fact. And there are cases where people bought properties with legal issues, like the title not being clear, and they ended up in long and costly legal battles to try and sort it out.