Joseph Bendel

Practice Summary

Estate Planning enables clients to design how their assets will be distributed and managed after they pass away. More importantly, it allows for peace of mind during life. The knowledge that rightful heirs will receive what they deserve makes for a better night’s sleep. A poor estate plan will frequently lead to a fight between heirs or beneficiaries down the road. Even if a person believes that heirs will act appropriately with others, grief from a death often makes people act in unpredictable ways. A proper estate plan ensures that a person’s property goes to the right places and people after passing, according to that person’s wishes. An estate plan can also minimize legal costs once a person passes. In this way, the estate plan itself creates a benefit for a person’s heirs by saving money for them through the avoidance of legal costs. You purchased insurance for your property to protect you in the event of costly damage to your home. Now the worst has happened: pipe burst, hurricane or storm damage, or water overflow event, but the insurance company won't pay. A denial or underpayment can be a gut-punch, especially if you do not have the cash on hand to perform repairs yourself. There is hope. A lawsuit is frequently the only way to challenge the decision of the insurance company. When the insurance company made your coverage decision it had its own adjusters assess whether the damage is covered under the policy. When you file a lawsuit you have the opportunity to have an impartial jury assess your damages more favorably. A jury may find your damages covered under the policy where the insurance adjuster did not. Many people are averse to lawsuits for good reasons. However, a lawsuit is one of the few avenues available to homeowners to find a resolution that sees them paid for the covered damages to their home.