One of our founding partners, Craig Frankel, was recently interviewed by Daily Report about the new Zoom-centric era of remote conferencing and the increased pressure to work out fiduciary litigation disputes.
Craig discussed the various challenges COVID has brought to the industry and how our firm has been working hard to maneuver through extraordinary circumstances to continue delivering the best possible results for our clients.
How Has COVID-19 Impacted Dispute Resolution
Gaslowitz Frankel LLC specializes in resolving will, estate, trust, and business disputes, as well as alternate dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration.
When asked how COVID-19 has impacted the firm’s practice, Craig said he finds it interesting that as most people have been working from home, there has been a rise in family disputes and divorces. Craig believes that the pandemic has forced families to think more about their personal and business relationships with family, and the firm has seen an uptick in these areas of litigation.
Craig told Daily Report that courts are not holding jury trials to limit the number of people in the courtroom so cases are backlogged. The firm has started to see more alternative dispute resolutions such as settlements, mediations, and arbitrations to resolve issues faster than waiting for a jury trial.
Using Zoom Effectively in Dispute Resolutions
In cases of alternative dispute resolution, clients’ emotions are usually very high as they navigate strained relationships with loved ones or business partners. Our attorneys have had to adapt to convey the same level of care and service over Zoom that they provide in-person to make sure our clients feel heard and understood in their times of need, even where they have never met face-to-face.
What the Future Has in Store for Gaslowitz Frankel LLC
When looking ahead, Craig believes that the firm will be seeing a lot more cases dealing with fiduciaries’ and executors’ failure to consider income tax ramifications when clients move trusts to another state.
“I think we’re going to see documents being drafted to bring income tax down, capital gains, things like that.,” he said. “We’re going to see a lot more litigation against fiduciaries and executors over two things: income tax ramifications and whether a trust should be moved to another state.
Gaslowitz Frankel LLC is Georgia’s premier fiduciary litigation law firm. The firm has earned a reputation for excellence across Georgia and the Southeast in providing representation to individuals, executors, trustees, investors, shareholders, and financial institutions in complex fiduciary disputes involving wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, businesses, and securities.
