What are DOPAs and POAs, and Why Do They Matter? Today, I want to tell you about two important and underrated estate planning documents: Delegations of Parental Authority (DOPAs) and Powers of Attorney (POAs). Each document is used to give another person power over a key part of your life. The Delegation of Parental Authority…
Original Girl Scout Cookie ATTENTION SCOUTS! FORWARD MARCH! BAKE! SELL! This is your chance to show how much Scouting means to you. For those who would rather eat a Thin Mint or a Caramel DeLite (a.k.a. Samoa)–the cookie season will soon be upon us. In our Council area (the MN metro area), presales begin February…
Lemon Curd A wonderful way to brighten the long days of winter. Delicious on blueberry pancakes, cake filling, and on scones. Ingredients: 3 large lemons or 5 small lemons 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar 1/4 pound of high quality salted butter or unsalted butter (at room temperature) 4 eggs pinch salt Equipment: Vegetable peeler…
Historic Wills: The Great Stork Derby For our inaugural foray into interesting famous wills (celebrity or historical)*, I offer you: The Great Stork Derby of 1926 to 1936. During the Great Stork Derby, Toronto mothers competed to see who could produce the largest number of babies in a ten year period—in order to win a…
Why Do Health Care Directives Matter? When meeting with a lawyer, most clients focus primarily on their Will, Trust, or Power of Attorney documents. Without being prompted, many of my clients would never think to create or update their Health Care Directive at all, particularly when they are young or healthy. So what is a…
Employee Spotlight: Kimberly Van Hallen I’m excited to be working for Chris as her full-time paralegal! I have been working part-time for Courtney Law Office since 2023. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue working for such a thoughtful and intelligent lawyer, and successful businesswoman. Working with Chris allows me to focus on expanding my…
Chris was profiled by Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL) as part of their 50 Years, 50 Voices series. You can see the original post here. Christine B. Courtney, is the principal attorney at the Courtney Law Office, where she practices in estate planning, probate, and elder law. Prior to starting the Courtney Law Office, Chris practiced…