Moving our Office to 104 West Main Street, Evansville Wisconsin on April 30, 2018
The Future Home of Shannon Law Office. 104 West Main Street, Evansville Wisconsin, USA
Entries by Walter Shannon
Conservation Easement: A Beautiful Thing
What are these? A conservation easement is an interest in real property. It is established by agreement between a landowner and a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a “land trust”) or a government organization (often the DNR). It is put in place to restrict the exercise of rights otherwise held by a landowner […]
News Flash: Few People Actually Plan for Death or Incapacity
Estate Planning Note: AARP shared an article that reminds us how few of our neighbors have done Estate Planning. See: http://www.aarp.org/…/info-2017/half-of-adults-do-not-have-… The failure to plan for your death or incapacity can be painful for the family members left behind. This really rings true if you have underage kids or an asset like a family […]
Why did you put Latin in my Will and Trust?
The legal phrases: “by representation”, “per stirpes”, “per capita”, “per capita at each generation” and “survivorship” are found in both wills and trusts. While they may appear to be gibberish, the phrases have meaning in the probate and trust world. They each provide for a distinct rule used to distribute assets after a person […]
Why Did My Neighbor Send Me a Bill for His Fence?
By popular request–OK, by one person’s request–I’m going to write about how Wisconsin’s fence law can create unfriendly neighbors. As attorneys in a rural town, it’s an issue that rolls into our office every so often. The fence law, currently found in Chapter 90 of our state statutes, says that a fence is required if […]
We Broke Off the Engagement–Who Keeps the Ring?
During happier times, the future husband saved up, hopefully went somewhere other than Jared, and gave a big ole rock to his soon-to-be-bride. Then, disaster strikes: “I thought we were in an open relationship!” “Where were you hiding all these credit cards?!” “You voted for WHO?!” The next thing you know, the engagement’s off and […]
What is a Guardian ad Litem?
Many parents handle their family law matters without an attorney and often the first time they’re surprised is when a guardian ad litem gets involved. I can’t find the statistic, but I recall hearing that over 80% of the family law cases in Rock County do not have either party represented by an attorney. Even without […]
The Importance of Prenups for Older Couples
We’ve all seen the story. Mom and dad are retired, sitting on the pile of money they earned throughout their working lives. Mom passes away, dad starts to get lonely, and the next thing you know dad is spending a lot of time with a woman you’re pretty sure you used to babysit. We have […]
Get Paid to Delay Your Divorce a Little Longer
There’s never a great time to get divorced, but there are a few times that are particularly not great. One is right before your tenth anniversary. The reason? Social Security benefits. Social Security’s rules entitle you to your ex-spouse’s benefits if you were married more than 10 years. Collecting on your ex’s benefits doesn’t affect their […]
Being the “Winner” in Your Divorce
For readers who are thinking about or just starting their divorce, “winning” is an important concept. They want to win the property division, win the child custody fight, and win on spousal maintenance and child support. And in our first meeting, they want to know how I’m going to help them win. Veterans of the […]
How Much Child Support Will I Get (or Have to Pay)?
In addition to spousal maintenance, the other monthly payment soon-to-be divorced parents have to worry about is child support. Wisconsin addresses this issue by throwing a bunch of formulas at you. It’s easy enough to understand for experienced family law attorneys, but it can be confusing for people who don’t work with them every day. […]
Wisconsin Child Support Changes in the Works
Whether it’s part of a divorce or a standalone custody matter, child support is an issue in many of my cases. Based on feedback from my clients, most people who pay it think they have to pay too much and most people who receive it don’t think they get enough. Wisconsin uses formulas to determine […]
Compressed Tax Brackets on Irrevocable Trusts
What is this rumor I have heard about compressed tax brackets and irrevocable trusts? Great question. The answer to the question is something everyone should be aware of when deciding to use a trust as the means to distribute assets after death. When your trust becomes irrevocable, it has compressed tax brackets when compared to […]
Don’t Post that Dumb Thing About Facebook Privacy
It’s coming around again. That post about how the would-be legal eagles among us won’t allow Facebook to steal their images of their food or dogs or kids or all three at the same time. “Hear ye, hear ye, Facebook, by the power of UCC 1-308, 1-103 and the Rome Statute, I hereby declare that […]
Where to Get Away with Murder
“I never killed anyone who didn’t need killing.” — Porter Rockwell, 1869 Assuming you’ve channeled your inner Porter Rockwell and stumbled across someone who needs killing, it might be time to head over to REI, load up on camping supplies, and invite that killing-needing SOB to Yellowstone. Your probably worthless legal defense begins its story in […]