MARIANNE WOOLBERT-MAXWELL

When considering making a Will there are several things you will need to decide. First, who is the person you would like to appoint to see to it that your estate is administered as you have requested in your Will and that all business aspects of your estate are handled appropritately? (Taxes, etc.)

 

Keep in mind thtat this person needs to be responsible and dependable and will get things done and meet deadlines.

 

2. How is your property held? Example: Is your house or car in your name alone? If so your Will and estate will have to see to it that the items go to the person or persons you have chosen. If an item is held jointly with another person or persons then the item should go directly to that person or persons upon your death and not into your estate. Keep in mind and depending upon how the property is held, the person may own the property jointly with you and have rights to it.

 

3. Do you have beneficiaries on yor insurance policies and any other documents that allow beneficiaries? If so the proceeds should go directly to that person upon your death. If there is no beneficiary the proceeds shoulds go to your estate and the Will can decide how to divide them up.

 

4. Do you want to give some specific items to certain people? Example: Pieces of art, furniture, etc. If so you can put in the Will who you want to get certain items.

Or, do you want to have a sale of all your things and divide the proceeds among your hiers?Or you  can do both--give certian items to specific people and sell some other things and divide the money among the heirs.

 

5.Do you have any specific funeral or burial requests? You can list those as well.

 

These are some things to think about and discuss with a lawyer of your choosing in your state. Laws vary so be sure and discuss your requests with a lawyer who is licensed in your state and familiar with the laws before making a Will. 

 

The information given in this post is not to be considered as legal advice and relied upon. Consult a licensed attorney in your state prior to making a Will.   

Why do women stay in abusive relationships? You can't be in this business long before you learn the many answers. In the Depp/Heard debacle much seemed to be made of the fact that Heard stayed with him but claimed abuse. People ask: Why would she stay if it is true she was abused?

 

I'm not saying Depp did it but a victim staying with their abuser is classic and sadly happens too often. Many prosecutors get tired of these couples having a fight and the woman running to get a protective order and then turn around and not want to proceed with it. This wastes the prosecutor's time and energy and the courts. Now, you see some prosecutors making the alleged victim show up in court and tell the judge instead of just agreeing to drop it.

 

I've had clients and probably most lawyers have, who will stand up for a few moments against the abuser and then cave in and fall back into the relationship. Some women are beaten badly and/or emotionally abused--some die. 

 

I was not at all surprised by Heard's testimony that she stayed because she "loved him" and thought she could help him. This is heard on a regular basis in courtrooms around the country.

 

Some women are financially dependent on the man or have religious convictions that make them feel they have to stay. And of course, some continually fall for the abuser's apology and begging for forgiveness. It becomes a vicious circle and one that can be deadly.

 

   

 

 

Being a lawyer, the last thing I ever want to watch is a legal show. Too much like being at the office. However, I made the mistatke of turning on the TV and saw this man with a pony tail, tattoos and jewery testifying. I'm not into Hollywood and all the glam and I really didn't know who this guy was. I was curious though as to how the lawyers let him go and on when he answered questions. Soon I realized this was the Depp/Heard trial.

 

It was downhill from there on out.

 

 

I was addicted to the circus--and stunned by it. I soon realized that there are many people in our local jails who are living the same lifestyle as Depp and Heard but they don't have the money to be passed out in a 5 star luxury hotel--they are stoned in a flop house somewhere. It amazed me that these folks that have the money to live a great life are living a low life.

 

I watched the vast majority of the train wreck and have these observations:

 

1. Isn't it interesting that if you have money you can find an expert to back your position? Everyone in this business knows that. It's sad but true. Everything from therapists to orthopedic surgeons testified to support their sides view.

 

2.There was a storm of hateful posts about Heard claiming she was a psychotic while there was a sea of fans worshiping Depp.It seemed that quite a few people "didn't like Heard" and it seemed as the basis for their voting for Depp. My question is: Maybe you don't like someone for whatever reason but can't that person still be telling the truth?

The flip side of that is, Depps fan's were awash in idol worship and did not believe for one minute Depp could have done anything Heard said. The vast majority of the fans/haters on both sides have no personal knowledge of either Heard or Depp but are relying on media or their own projections as to who these folks are behind closed doors. Sadly we saw alot of who they are and it wasn't very impressive.

 

3. Depp, I would wager, when he is clean and sober, is probably a very kind person and very charming. It's easy to see why he appears to be well liked. However, when drugs and alcohol are involved--and it appears that no one is contesting he has a severe problem- people change. That great person can become not a very nice person. The evidence on both sides seemed to show that Depp has a dark side that comes out at times. 

 

4. From the evidence I heard I anticipated not a good outcome for either. They really cancel each other out when you get down to the bottom line.  A commentator made the remark that despite who won or lost they both may find that their careers are severely damaged since companies like Disney and others don't want associated with people who live this kind of life. It's not very family oriented and the stigma of the actors may reflect back on the company.

 

5. I watched Heard and Depp testify. I wonder how anyone could turn their back on everything Heard said? People will say she's crazy. If she's that crazy how is she walking the streets? I'm pretty jaded after practicing law for over 30 years and her testimony was impactful. Why would she go through all this, the strain of trial and the hate of the Depp fans if it's all a lie? What does she get?

 

5. Where does this leave women? Heard goes out on a limb and takes on this battle and suffers a huge loss. How did the jury disregard all that testimony? Does it not fit in line with who they "think" Depp is? It reminds me of the OJ Simpson case. People couldn't believe Simpson would do such a thing as murder his ex wife because he had a public persona as a really likeable and good guy. Same with Depp. I will always remember seeing a huge group of Depp fans watching the verdict on  TV and cheering. They have no clue who either one of these people are behind closed doors.

 

In this business you find that many times the truth is in the middle. Neither party is absolutely right when stating their position. Frm what I saw and heard I would say they both came into this fight with unclean hands. i had hoped that the jury would give them both little to nothing since they seemed to cancel each other out. Sadly they didn't.

 

I'm not siding with either party. I just know how the business works. I fear that Heard may have been OJ'd and where does that leave women?