Legal Ethics

Heiress Huguette Clark's Will Leaves $500K to Her Lawyer

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A wealthy heiress who died last month in New York at age 104 left $500,000 of her estimated $400 million fortune to her attorney of 15 years in the will he drafted for her six years ago.

Huguette Clark also left $500,000 to her accountant, Reuters reported.

She had no close family, and most of her money went to an art charity, the article notes.

Although such gifts to estate lawyers can raise legal ethics questions, a representative of Clark’s estate says attorney William Bock has filed an affidavit in New York Surrogate’s Court explaining why the $500,000 bequest was reasonable. Bock is also an executor of the estate.

The Washington Post’s BlogPost blog says Clark’s nurse of 20 years was given $40 million and provides a link to a copy of the will.

Related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Report: DA’s Office Is Probing Finances of Heiress, 104; Lawyer & Accountant Handle Her $500M Assets”

ABAJournal.com: “Financial Probe of Europe’s Weathiest Woman Could Focus on 2 Law Firms”

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