Legally, the agent's obligations to buyer and seller are generally governed by state laws, and most of those emphasize the agent's fiduciary responsibility to the seller, said real estate expert Jack M.

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When the client dies, the lawyer-fiduciary hires himself to perform legal services for the estate or trust.

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He currently serves as a Director of the Washington, DC Estate Planning Council, as Vice-Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, and as Co-Chair of the Personal Financial Planning Club of the University Club of Washington DC.

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