Wisconsin Bar Bulletin, February 1986, pp. 14-17;50-58
Abstract
The Wisconsin estate planning practitioner is faced with an array of new challenges. The Wisconsin Marital Property Act ("the Act") potentially affects every one of the estate plans you have prepared for your married or about-to-be married clients. As public information about the new law increases awareness of the fundamental changes made by the Act, clients are increasingly likely to request that you re-examine their plans to be sure that they remain capable of achieving their goals. Moreover, some husbands or wives, aware of new property rights which the Act creates for spouses, may be in the process of revising their goals and thus may view their existing estate plans as inappropriate. In any event, you may have a duty to advise your existing clients of the potential need for re-evaluation of their plans in light of the new law. This year will certainly not be "business as usual" for any attorney who does estate planning.
