Last week brought bad news for music fans that rock and roll legend Lou Reed had died. Fortunately for Reed and his family, he planned ahead and had his financial affairs and estate planning documents prepared. While he lived a thrilling and unconventional life, his estate plan was standard – leaving everything to his wife and family. As an acclaimed musician and artist, he was wisely counseled to think about who would handle the copyrights and licensing for his music. When clients have IP portfolios, experienced counsel is needed to ensure copyrights, trademarks, patents, and licensing are handled correctly after a client’s death. Reed’s good celebrity estate planning stands in marked contrast to this case and others of bad celebrity estate planning. Celebrities are like the rest of us – we all need proper planning and peace of mind, they just have more assets and more complexity than most of the rest of us.

If you or a loved one have intellectual property – copyrights, trademarks, or patents – you need an experienced attorney to serve your estate planning needs and ensure your IP portfolio is handled well into the future. My firm has experience with estate planning and counseling clients on their IP portfolios and succession planning with those. Call my firm (913-707-9220) or email me (steve@johnsonlawkc.com)for a convenient, free consultation. Even if you don’t have an IP portfolio, you probably have digital assets (emails, photos, videos, computer files, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, a blog, etc). My firm produces reliable and cutting edge estate planning documents that include digital estate planning and elder law provisions, standard and at no extra cost. My firm is also experienced handling probate and trust administration – ensuring your Will proceeds smoothly through probate, or that your Trust works seamlessly to avoid probate and ensure your legacy for your family, business, and favorite charities. My law firm, Johnson Law KC LLC, can serve you or your family’s estate planning, asset protection, elder law, or business needs. My firm looks forward to serving you and your family with reliable, friendly experience and counsel at an affordable cost.

(c) 2013, Stephen M. Johnson, Esq.