Recent News

First, let’s figure out what county you should be filing in. You should file your divorce case in the county where you or your spouse live. If you have children, it often makes sense to file in the county in which they are attending school. If you’re looking for a quick and efficient divorce, you… Read More

Lawyers and laypersons alike are prone to self-bias.  We tend to believe in our own case, and this righteous indignation can sometimes create blind spots.  Most commonly, these blind spots include failure to appreciate evidence and arguments advanced by the opposition.  Failure to accurately gauge risk leads to poor decisions in disputes, including missed settlement… Read More

Federal law imposes a tax on gifts made in excess of a specific amount in a calendar year to a specific recipient (known as a “donee”).  That tax is usually paid by the donor (the giver) of the gift.  The specific amount is known as the annual gift exclusion.  The annual gift exclusion is $17,000… Read More

In the realm of real estate law, we often consider the policy of title insurance one of the most important documents that an individual will obtain when purchasing real property. I have previously discussed the importance of title policies here and here. At the risk of belaboring the point, I again write a new post… Read More

Joshua Curtis: Joshua is a transactional lawyer and has worked with many buyers, sellers, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, title companies and other parties involved in purchase and sale transactions. He has worked with real estate investors, family partnerships and business partners to plan ahead or resolve issues related to co-ownership of property. He has also… Read More

November 30th, 2023 Beresford Booth attorney C. Michael Kvistad discusses asset protection and how to safeguard your real estate from claims, lawsuits, and other losses. Read More

Beresford Booth is proud to welcome lawyer Joshua Curtis to its growing team. Joshua has extensive experience in real estate law, both with transactions and litigation. He has worked with many buyers, sellers, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, title companies and other parties involved in purchase and sale transactions. He has also worked with real estate… Read More

Especially since the Great Recession, distressed borrowers have felt the need to get creative in coming up with theories to avoid foreclosure.  Borrower desperation sometimes inspires borrowers to project blame on the lender for poor underwriting practices.  To paraphrase the arguments of some borrowers, “If my lender had been more careful, I wouldn’t have borrowed… Read More

The “basic exclusion amount” is the amount of a deceased person’s estate that passes free of federal estate tax.  This differs from the unlimited marital deduction that applies when one spouse dies and transfers all of his or her interest in property to the surviving spouse.  There is a basic exclusion amount for federal estate… Read More