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Benjamin Z. Katz
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Life Planning for Your Family the Right Way!
My goal is to form and maintain long term relationships with my clients. I am blessed to be a happy husband, a proud father and a joyful pet owner. I have always felt that a life well lived is one filled with connections to others.
Our lives are plagued with uncertainty. If you are single, married or in a relationship; if you have children, plan to have children or not; or if you have pets or charities that you wish to provide for, you need a plan to address that uncertainty. When you don't have a plan in place, state laws will control what happens to you and your family. I can help you formulate and implement a plan tailored to your needs and choices and then review that plan with you throughout your life to make changes as needed.
Eliminate uncertainty for your family should you become incapacitated or die. Protect and control your assets. But most importantly, leave a legacy of confidence and positivity for all your loved ones.
Presently, areas of practice include Estate Planning, Probate & Administration, and Residential Real Estate.
I serve as a Consultant to several mortgage companies, having instructed real estate and mortgage licensees for many years and co-authored and edited several mortgage textbooks including Mortgage Lending Principles and Practices (6th, 7th and 8th edition).
I am a NYS Certified Real Estate Instructor. I am a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association. I serve as a Volunteer Attorney for Free Legal Answers through the ABA as well as serving as a member of the Estate Planning Committee of the Senior Lawyers Division and serve on the New York City Bar Association's Consumer Affair Committee. I am an Attorney Member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and support several charitable organizations.
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Real Estate Law
- Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- FaceTime
- Google Meet
- Skype
- GoToMeeting
- Microsoft Teams
- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
- New York
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Attorney
- Benjamin Katz, Esq. P.C.
- - Current
- Attorney
- Law Offices of Benjamin Z. Katz, Esq.
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- Hofstra University
- J.D. (1994) | Law
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- State University of New York - Stony Brook
- B.A. (1991) | History
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- New York City Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
- Activities: Consumer Affairs Committee Member
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- American Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- New York State Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- Mortgage Lending Principles and Practices, 8th Ed.
- Hondros Learning
- Animal Law Issues 2022, 225 Eastview Drive, Central Islip, NY 11722
- Touro Law School
- Certified Real Estate Instructor
- New York State Department of State
7 Threats to Your Estate Plan March 2021
- Q. Is there anyone NOT afraid to sue FIDELITY INVESTMENTS for elder abuse and breach of contract/ fiduciary duty?
- A: What is the reason they do not wish to honor the power of attorney? Was it drafted by an attorney on the New York Short Form? If it is a valid POA, they can be compelled to honor it. Otherwise, you would need to apply for guardianship of your mother.
- Q. Grandfather died on October 6. My mother who is one of 4 Children of his died October 15.
- A: When there is no beneficiary named, the account will be paid to the decedent’s estate. If there is no Will, someone must apply to the Surrogate’s Court for Letters of Administration. The priority of who may apply is 1) Spouse, 2) Children, 3) Parents, 4) Siblings. The grating of Letters of Administration effectively creates the estate. If your mother was a child of the decedent, she is entitled to a share. If she is named as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, she is entitled to it and would have to show a death certificate to the company to prove the death.
- Q. Does a will in New York need to be notarized
- A: No. In New York, to be valid, the Will must be signed by the person making it in the presence of at least two disinterested witnesses. There is no requirement that the Maker's (Testator) signature be notarized. However, it is advisable that the two witnesses sign an affidavit at the time they witness the signing. That affidavit must contain certain statutory language and must be notarized.
