LegalEase – December 2020

December 15, 2020

From Our Computers to Yours

Friends:

2020 has definitely been one for the record books.  We have had to change how we work, entertain, go to school, shop, dine, visit, and care for ourselves and others. We hope that you have stayed well and safe. As the year of living differently comes to a close, December brings the holiday season, and you have our heartfelt wishes for happy, healthy, and rewarding holiday experiences.

We again want to tell you how much we appreciate you.  Our family of clients continues to grow because you have shown confidence in us through the years.  You have allowed us to be of service in diverse legal matters, and you have personally recommended us to your family, friends, colleagues, and networks.  We sincerely thank you.

We look forward to a more normal 2021, post-vaccine, post-COVID, post-closings.

Happy holidays and a happy and healthy New Year.

The Team at Bienstock Law,
Steve Bienstock
Josh Bienstock
Sheila Gindes

In Case You Missed It!

In our LegalEase newsletters, we generally feature a personal letter, article of seasonal interest, a focus on an important legal topic, our Believe It Or Don’t page, and a Q&A.  While much of our 2020 content focused on COVID-19 updates and explanations, other important news and insights were shared as well.

Here are some highlights.  To go back and read these articles, you can link to previous issues via our Facebook page:  Bienstock Law, LLC Facebook page.

January:

  • New 2020 Laws

February-March:

  • Estate Planning – Understanding the Terminology

August:

  • More New 2020 Laws

September:

  • Estate Planning – Understanding the Process – What You Can Expect
  • Tips for Choosing the Right Attorney

October:

  • Coronavirus Scams

BELIEVE IT OR DON’T!
Revisiting History 

  • The first day of the 21th century was January 1, 2001, not January 1, 2000.
  • On November 5, 1872, Suffragist Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in a presidential election.
  • The Nina and the Pinta were only nicknames given to Columbus’ ships.  La Nina was actually The Santa Clara.  The Santa Maria was also known as La Gallega. The actual name of La Pinta is unknown.
  • Until 1836 Christmas was considered an ancient Pagan holiday and was illegal in the U.S.
  • Written for a children’s Thanksgiving play, “Jingle Bells” was first published in 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh”.
  • Thomas Edison gets the credit for “Hello” being our telephone greeting.  Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone in 1885, wanted “Ahoy.” By 1889, central telephone exchange operators were known as “hello-girls” because of the greeting.
  • Prohibition lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours and 32.5 minutes, but must have seemed much longer.
  • The State of Tennessee was originally called Franklin.
  • Alabama didn’t lift its ban on interracial marriage until 2000

Q & A

Q.  Can I disinherit my spouse?
  • That is a very relevant question because of a new Maryland law that went into effect on October 1, 2020.  The new law makes it harder to disinherit a spouse entirely. Ask us about the new elective share law.