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Fee Tail Estates

The fact scenario set forth above describes the creation of what is known as a "fee tail" estate. A fee tail estate is one that is restricted by the grantor to lineal descendants, as opposed to collateral heirs.

Flipping Scams

In recent years, so-called "flipping scams" have received widespread attention in the media. How does it work?

The Historic Homeowner -- Federal Laws of Interest

On the federal level, the subject of historic preservation is governed by numerous laws, including the Antiquities Act of 1906, the Historic Sites Act of 1935, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, to name a few.

Community Property

The origins of the concept of community property are ancient. Briefly said, the phrase "community property" refers to a form of property ownership that exists between a husband and a wife in which each party has a one-half interest in all property acquired by the labor of either party during the course of the parties' marriage. Perhaps the most widely recognized form of community property is the amount of wages earned by one party during the course of a marriage. Several states, mostly clustered in the southwestern United States, continue to recognize the concept of community property.

Security Deposits on Rented Premises

Very often, when a landlord and a tenant enter into a lease agreement, the landlord requires the tenant to make some type of payment to the landlord in addition to the first month's rent. The payment serves as security that the tenant will return the leased premises to the landlord, at the end of the lease term, in substantially the same condition as when the parties entered into the lease agreement.