Dear Mr. Premack: My father has been in the nursing home for a few years, and I recently (as his agent under his medical power of attorney) authorized an out-of-hospital DNR for him. He has been through so much, and would not have any quality of life if he was resuscitated. What I’d like to know is whether this out of hospital DNR also applies if he is transferred into a hospital, or if there is something more I must do upon hospitalization? – T.F. The initials DNR stand for

Dear Mr. Premack: I saw an ad for a trust seminar given by a financial planner. It says that a trust is a great way to avoid estate taxes and to avoid probate. I get a free lunch out of the deal, and am considering attending. As a lawyer, can you give me a perspective that will be useful when I go to this lunch? – H.N. The first thing to consider is that a financial planner is not licensed to provide legal services. As such, the planner should never have written a trust for a

Dear Mr. Premack: My mother has been ill with dementia for quite some time. Her stated instructions in her Will have always been that when she dies, her accounts should be divided equally among her three children. Last week, we found out that her largest account has been changed to pay on death status with instructions that the money pass to a lady who has been helping care for her. Is this legal? Is there any way to get this changed? If she were to die, do we have any way to