One of the most egregious cases in Arizona of fiduciary betrayal was the case of lawyer Wayne Legg who was once known as the “King of Probate.” Legg was accused of skimming and plundering his clients’ estates. In 1994, he was convicted on 13 counts of felony theft and fraud.Interestingly, Wayne Legg wasn’t the first lawyer I heard about who took advantage of elderly clients. No, there’s still a prominent place in the Hall of Shame for Laguna Hills, California estate planning lawyer, James Gunderson.
Coincidentally, around the same time as Legg was up to no good in Arizona, The Los Angeles Times ran a series of stories about Gunderson and how he set himself as a beneficiary in the wills and trusts his law firm prepared for his clients.
Gunderson eluded disbarment by resigning.
But while the Legg and Gunderson cases are among the most egregious of my recent recollection, what about more recent instances of law firms as well as guardians who think nothing of gorging at the trough running up astronomically questionable fees at the expense of a vulnerable elderly client?
So its not just private and public fiduciaries as well as family members and friends that need monitoring. Lawyers can also engage in predation. The reforms must be comprehensive.
There are no shortage of stakeholders among elder advocates who have ideas on how to improve the system. One is, The National Association to Stop Guardianship Abuse...
Full Article and Source:
Reforms Still Needed. One Group's Prescription
See Also:
"An Open Letter to Congress and the White House"
8 comments:
Reform is a Must! Thank you NASGA for your committment. My personal experience with a Professional/Paid, Guardian has led me to the conclusion that the reform needs to include, NO ONE GUARDIAN serve as the guardian of person and guardian of finances. I believe that the two should not even be permitted to know each other!
Thank you, blogger, for picking up NASGA's "An Open Letter to Congress and the White House"
It's a good blog run by Mauricio R. Hernandez.
Cute dog picture there too!
Articles like these make me especially proud to be a member of NASGA!
This is cool!
I love the pig picture. It's exactly what the bloated lawyers do. They line up at the guardianship trough and gorge themselves at the expense of the very people they have been court-appointed to protect.
I do not remember hearing of the Wayne Legg case so I am glad to see this person bringing up an older story.
Nowadays stories about ravenous attorneys are almost every day.
I wonder, did anything really change becuse of Wayne Legg's activities? Or did time pass and everything go back to normal?
Maybe there are some honest and ethical lawyers left out there, who aren't afraid to speak out.
Post a Comment