More HH Legal Updates

Houston Harbaugh is a full service law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh and serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. This collection of blogs further highlights the firms capabilities in several practice areas.
Articles posted in Estates and Trusts

In Re Trust of Richard H. Wells

A Pennsylvania Appellate Decision Discussing Trust Termination Richard Wells created a revocable trust (“Trust”) which he amended four times prior to his death. The first version of the...
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Who Pays the Inheritance Tax on a Non-Probate Transfer?

In the Estate of Vincent Bavol, 300 A.3d 1051 (Pa Super 2023), the Pennsylvania Superior Court provided another precedential opinion on the question of whether a beneficiary of a non-probate transfer...
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Tax Advantages of Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts for Pass-Through Entities

Owners of businesses that are pass-through entities for income tax purposes (S Corporations, partnerships and most limited liability companies) are aware of the likelihood that their ownership will...
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Power of Attorney for Young Adults

As time passes, we tend to become more focused on our own mortality and begin to prepare our spouse, children or other heirs for a time when they...
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PA Filial Responsibility Law: Are You Your Mother's Keeper?

Pennsylvania’s Filial Support Law Can Hold Children Responsible for Their Parents’ Medical Expenses Most parents prefer not to become a financial burden on their children as they age...
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Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Law Has New Exemption For Small Family Businesses

Pennsylvania has an Inheritance Tax that applies in general to transfers resulting from a person’s death. The tax rate depends on the relationship of the recipient to the...
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Will the beneficiaries named in my Last Will and Testament receive all of my assets?

Your Last Will and Testament only controls the disposition of probate assets which are assets owned by you in your individual name without a beneficiary designation. An individual...
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Is a Family-Owned Businesses Exempt from PA Inheritance Tax?

Pennsylvania’s Inheritance Tax applies generally to transfers resulting from a person’s death. The tax rate (ranging from 0% to 15%) depends on the recipient’s relationship to the decedent....
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IDGTs: A Potential Business Succession Tool

Many closely held businesses are pass-through entities for income tax purposes and are operated by an entrepreneur and one or more children or other family members. As entrepreneurs...
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Who Gets What When You Have “Yours, Mine and Ours”?

Whether you remember the original with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, or the remake with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo, the movie “Yours, Mine and Ours” depicts the...
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What is the gift tax annual exclusion?

Gifts are subject to a federal tax, but an exemption is available to shelter cumulative gifts within the threshold (currently $5,490,000). However, some gifts are outside the tax’s...
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Succession Planning is No Laughing Matter

A recent episode of the hit television comedy series, Modern Family, tackled the issue of succession planning. The series features three families who are interrelated through the family...
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Should I make provisions for my pet in my Will?

Many pet owners make informal arrangements with respect to their pets; however, informal arrangements have no legal effect after the pet owner’s death. Therefore, a pet owner should...
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Elder Abuse is More Prevalent than You May Think

We take care of ourselves better now than before. Our elderly population is more active in society than it was before. We live longer today than we did...
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How To Make Sure Your Will And Estate Plan Is Always The Right Fit

Preparing your will and estate plan can sometimes be a simple process, but I’ve found that over the years it can take some clients years before they can...
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Planning Your Estate: Are Your Beneficiaries in Order?

Individuals with high net worth, such as many medical professionals, tend to have significant retirement accounts and insurance policies with large death benefits. Anyone who owns a retirement...
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Four Estate Planning Resolutions To Kick Off The New Year

One of the easiest action items to consider, but never do, is listing your New Year’s resolutions. One particular important but commonly ignored activity is estate planning. Combine...
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Don’t Underestimate the Risk of Needing Long-Term Care

When planning for retirement, most of us take into account our future needs related to food and shelter and our potentially increasing medical costs due to sickness or...
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Should I add my child as a joint owner of assets?

A parent might consider adding an adult child as a joint owner of assets. The objectives often include reducing taxes at death, avoiding probate and giving the child...
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If my grandchildren are my beneficiaries, will my estate be subject to a larger transfer tax when I die?

Although the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax rates are based upon the relationship between the decedent and each recipient of property, the age or generational assignment of any recipient is...
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How does an irrevocable life insurance trust reduce estate tax?

How does an irrevocable life insurance trust reduce estate tax? An irrevocable life insurance trust (often referred to as an ILIT) is a trust created by a grantor...
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Celebrities Who Die Without a Will Leave a Dubious Warning

Celebrities Who Die Without a Will Leave a Dubious Warning How could a musical genius worth millions of dollars in real estate and tangible assets, not to mention...
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Can a child be held responsible for a parent’s medical expenses?

Can a child be held responsible for a parent’s medical expenses? Parental-support laws, a.k.a. filial-support laws, have a long history in the US, placing personal liability on adult...
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About Us

Trusted and Cost-Effective Business Law, Business Litigation and Estate Planning Attorneys and Counselors; Building Client Confidence™ with Businesses and Individuals Since 1975

Our firm offers individualized solutions and the highest quality, client-driven and cost effective legal services. Houston Harbaugh, P.C., is a well-known law firm in Pittsburgh, serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Our diverse practice areas include Business Law, Business Litigation, Estate and Succession Planning, Intellectual Property Litigation and Prosecution, Employment and Labor, Employee Benefits, Oil and Gas, Landowner and Property Dispute Counseling and Litigation, Health Care, Environmental, Real Estate, Construction, Complex Tort and Catastrophic Injury Litigation, Insurance coverage and Bad Faith Law, Mediation, Arbitration and Special Master appointment work. As one of the 20 largest law firms in Pittsburgh, our lawyers serve clients on a regional and national basis.

We regularly represent regional, national and international insurance carriers in defense, insurance coverage, unfair trade practices and bad faith matters, and we issue opinions letters and coverage analyses for insurers. We defend designers, manufacturers and sellers in pharmaceutical, products and medical products liability matters and we litigate and try cases involving catastrophic injuries, industrial accidents, toxic torts, professional, engineering and architectural negligence, and agent and broker claims and lawsuits.

Why Houston Harbaugh, P.C.? The Answer Is Clear.

We are accomplished litigators with a strong track record of success in the courtroom and in jury trials. We design and manage business transactions, succession planning, banking and regulatory issues. Our firm has regularly been featured in the U.S. News “Best Lawyers”® rankings of Pittsburgh’s “Best Law Firms.” Our attorneys are also regularly nominated as “Best Lawyers” in this publication. In addition, many of our attorneys are consistently recognized in the annual national Super Lawyers peer review rankings, and our corporate practice has been selected as the winner of The Legal Intelligencer’s Best Law Firm Corporate Practices contest for the Midsize Firm category. Our property and landowner counseling and litigation practice in Oil and Gas and Real Estate is ranked at the top on a regional basis. We help clients to apply for, prosecute, audit, manage and protect intellectual property rights in patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets. We are admitted to the USPTO and have experience in the TTAB. Some of our firm’s shareholders are Adjunct Professors of Law at the Duquesne University School of Law in litigation and intellectual property courses.

Helping You Achieve Your Goals For Over 40 Years

Since our inception as a health care practice in 1975, our attorneys have represented clients in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and throughout the nation. We have grown into a multi-disciplinary practice with the ability to handle complex business transactional and litigation matters. We counsel on estate and succession planning and on trust and guardianship matters. We have a strong employment and labor practice. We represent clients in trade secret counseling and federal Defend Trade Secret Act (DTSA) counseling and litigation. Our DTSALaw® practice group is well versed in this federal body of trade secret law. We counsel, draft, litigate and defend claims involving employment non-compete, restrictive covenants, non-disclosure agreements and breach of contract matters. We service clients in the collection of debts and in bankruptcy creditor matters. Houston Harbaugh litigates in Orphans and Probate courts for matters involving estates and trusts. We also provide mediation and arbitration services to parties involved in litigation and our lawyers are currently serving as court appointed special masters in the Federal Courts.

Contact us and Learn How We Can Help You and Your Business

For more information on how we can help you, call our Pittsburgh office at 412-281-5060. You can also reach us online.

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