Wednesday, March 8, 2023

André Leon Talley’s estate auction reveals how he lived and survived

American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine, André Leon Talley, passed away last year at 73. He left behind an extensive collection of fashion memorabilia, personal artwork, and antique furniture illustrating how Talley lived his life.
Christie’s handled the Collection of André Leon Talley last month, which brought in over $3.55 million. Representative of Talley’s larger-than-life presence, the auction featured an Abyssinian choir clad in black and pearls performing Diana Ross’s “Theme from Mahogany,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Nina Simone’s…
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Monday, March 6, 2023

Article: How the US Tax Code Can Save Our Most Endangered Species Part I: A Survey of Conservation Easement Law and How the Tax Code Helps Private Landowners Make the Most Beneficial Impact to Our Most Threatened Species

Elizabeth M. Hughes recently published an article, How the US Tax Code Can Save Our Most Endangered Species Part I, ABA Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Journal, 2023. Provided below is an introduction to the Article:
Ecologists around the world acknowledge that a single organism’s extinction affects other organisms in the ecosystem and that the loss of…
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Jeffrey L Carson and Trace Brooks recently published an article, Of Privacy and Publicity: Symbiotic Rights (or Wellspring of Obfuscation), 48 ACTEC L.J. [13], 2023. Provided below is an introduction to the Article:
This Article discusses the relationship between the rights of privacy and publicity. After reviewing the historical development of the law of privacy and publicity and the areas where privacy and publicity overlap and create a valuable, potentially descendible property right, they propose a planning strategy that can allow practitioners to help their clients preserve their commercially valuable publicity rights by utilizing Tennessee trust law.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2023/03/article-of-privacy-and-publicity-symbiotic-rights-or-wellspring-of-obfuscation.html
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Friday, March 3, 2023

Arizona grandmother’s M&M-themed funeral casket goes viral

Mary Stocks Martin of Snowflake, Arizona, died in early February at age 86. She wanted her funeral to reflect her personality and chose an M&M-shaped casket.
The retired school teacher reportedly built her unique casket with the help from her son years before her death. It was modeled after her favorite M&M spokes candy, the blue M&M.
Funeral attendees wore M&M t-shirts and hats to honor Martin’s lifelong love of the candy. She was proud of her handy-work and wanted family members to share photos of the coffin. Her…
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Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Supreme Court Rules In Taxpayer’s Favor On FBAR Penalties

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that penalties for non-willfully failing to file, or inaccurate filing, a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) Form 114 applies to each report, not each account.
Under the Bank Secrecy Act, every U.S. person with a financial interest in, or signature or other authority over, one or more foreign financial accounts with the aggregate value of $10,000 must annually report the account to the treasury department. Failure to report can result in a penalty. Penalties vary depending on whether…
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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

We should be better by now at talking about grief in the workplace

Although the mortality rate is 100%, many employees fear discussing grief and loss in the workplace. A recent study suggests that nearly a quarter of employees are uncomfortable approaching their managers about the issue. Some of this may be due to companies traditionally failing at accommodating grief.
Experts advocate taking up to 20 days off of work, yet most US companies provide just a fraction of that. The average bereavement policy is somewhere between 1-5 days. In addition, most Americans take unpaid time…
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