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<p>Adrienne,<br>
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It is our job to help prepare documents that reflect our client’s wishes. So, if your client insists on this type of a conditional devise, I agree that it is better to tie a devise to positive activity such as Eric proposed- if for no other reason than that it’s a little easier to get the evidence in order for a beneficiary to claim their inheritance.<br>
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If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage a more extensive conversation with the client. If client were to die tomorrow, does she know which nieces / nephews would receive a gift/devise? Does she like those nieces/ nephews better as a result of their political philosophy or activities? She has a right to gift her money to anyone she wants for any reason she wants. So, if right now she favors/disfavors certain ncs/nephs due to their political beliefs, she can identify those she favors and give them a straightforward unconditional devise. This would make the PR’s job easier.<br>
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If client wants to make sure that everyone knows WHY she favored/chose those ncs/nephs, I don’t know why she can’t put a short statement about that in her will. However, if she has 10 nieces/ nephews and all but the 2 republicans receive a gift, it won’t take a rocket scientist to discern the basis for her gifting.<br>
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It’s not our job to try to change a client’s mind. But, I think it might be helpful to explore client’s ultimate goal with her. <br>
Is client’s goal to convert ncs/nephs to her political point of view? If that is the case, simply rewarding those who share her political point of view after her death doesn’t really do anything to accomplish that goal. She might need to take more active steps in her lifetime to try to persuade her Republican ncs/nephs to have a different point of view.<br>
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Maybe client needs to be upfront with ncs/nephs that she would like to persuade them to have different political outlook. (without saying “you’ll be rewarded upon my death”). If ncs/nephs live locally, maybe she can encourage them to attend a March, a rally, etc. with her in exchange for her attending a political activity of their choice. Or, I’ll watch one hour of xxx news if you watch one hour of xxx news and then we can discuss. She can keep track of which of those ncs/nephs did or didn’t show a willingness to be exposed to her point of view. She can keep a tally sheet and leave it for her PR to help with her determine who will receive the conditional gift.<br>
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If her goal is to be remembered as a generous democrat, does her plan for a conditional gift accomplish that goal? When parents leave a gift to two children and not a third, they often ensure that they leave behind hard feelings. Even adult siblings who love each other can’t help but to relive the pain they experienced growing up or during their adult life due to feeling that they were unloved by a parent or treated unfairly. These devises can leave a lot of chaos in their wake and cause long term problems in the relationship between the adult siblings. <br>
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Clearly, the relationship between ncs/nephs and their aunt isn’t as impactful as a child’s relationship to a parent. But, I think it is worth exploring client’s goal(s) with her, and helping her to consider whether her devise accomplishes her goal(s), and whether some of the costs and/ or practical problems that might arise in trying to implementing her proposed devise outweigh the benefit.<br>
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If client wants to proceed, then you can continue to brainstorm (as has been done on this list serve) with her and share the pros and cons of the various possible plans to effectuate her wishes and then pick the best. <br>
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andrekita<br>
Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva<br>
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2000<br>
Seattle, Washington 98101<br>
206-224-8288<br>
www.seattle-silvalaw.com<br>
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Quoting Rick Hoss <<a href="mailto:rhoss@hctc.com">rhoss@hctc.com</a>>:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'>Of the possible answers to this client, Eric’s positive shift to volunteer hours or causes is the best.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of</b> Eric Nelsen<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 14, 2019 4:40 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv'<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Conditional gift?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Not that you OR your client is asking to have their mind changed, but I have sometimes talked to client about changing their negative wishes into positive ones. What about conditioning the gift on, say, documented minimum X hours volunteer work for a particular organization that has a purpose the client sees as countering the aspect of Greek life s/he dislikes so much? And re the political party, if it's just anti-Republican, how about work to make redistricting a non-partisan process nationwide, or to allow some type of ranked voting to diffuse the two-party system, or some kind of non-profit that has a mission explicitly counter to some part of the Republican platform?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Sincerely,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Eric</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Eric C. Nelsen</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">SAYRE LAW OFFICES, PLLC</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">1417 31st Ave South</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Seattle WA 98144-3909</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">phone 206-625-0092</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">fax 206-625-9040</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of</b> Eric Nelsen<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 14, 2019 4:11 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv'<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Conditional gift?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I dunno about legality, but my first thought is how would the Trustee even be able to verify whether or not the conditions were met? The fact of voting is not secret, but the vote itself is. Even the "never been a Greek" is pretty difficult to really verify (and do the secret society groups like Skull and Bones at Yale count, or is it just the American Greek system?). An affidavit from the beneficiary doesn't seem too reliable.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Sincerely,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Eric</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Eric C. Nelsen</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">SAYRE LAW OFFICES, PLLC</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">1417 31st Ave South</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Seattle WA 98144-3909</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">phone 206-625-0092</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">fax 206-625-9040</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of</b> Adrienne Keith Wills<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 14, 2019 3:40 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Conditional gift?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi Listmates:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I have a client who has some strongly-held beliefs and has expressed a preliminary desire to make testamentary gifts to some nieces/nephews if they’ve turned 25 and if all of the following are also true: Recipient is not a registered member of the Republican party, has never voted for a Republican candidate, and has never been a member of a college fraternity/sorority. </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The conditions aren’t to induce illegal behavior but I’m curious to get a read on “rewarding” someone’s voting choices. The condition wouldn’t prevent someone from voting, and it would apply to votes that had occurred at the time of the testator’s death. </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks in advance, Adrienne</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">--</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-variant:small-caps">Adrienne Keith Wills, <span style="color:black">Attorney/Mediator</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Helping family law and estate planning clients create their legacy</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">1700 Seventh Ave, Suite 2100 | Seattle, WA 98101</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Web: </span> <a href="http://www.adriennekeith.com/" target="_blank">www.AdrienneKeith.com</a> <span style="color:black">| Tel.</span> <a href="tel:%28206%29%20523-3047" target="_blank">(206) 523-3047</a> <span style="color:black">| Fax</span> <u><span style="color:#0070C0">(206) 219-6714</span></u></p>
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<div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:11px;">andrekita<br>
Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva<br>
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2000<br>
Seattle, Washington 98101<br>
206-224-8288<br>
www.seattle-silvalaw.com</span></span></div>
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