Interesting piece in the Washington Post, Incredibly, men are still wearing ‘the George Washington’, where Chloe Chapin says that George Washington invented the blue blazer and khakis look. She has a new book coming out in June 2026 published by Oxford University Press, Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men, which also looks interesting.
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George Washington and Fashion
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Recent Case: Testamentary Exception Applies to Trusts
In a decision of first impression, the North Carolina Court of Appeals held in Steele v. Kenna, No. COA25-530 (N.C. Ct. App. Feb. 18, 2026) that the testamentary exception to the attorney-client privilege applies to trust disputes (not just will contests) so that in a post-death controversy over who takes by succession under a trust, the settlor’s communications with estate planning counsel regarding dispositive intent are discoverable.
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Washington Post: On Lifelong Learning
Another incentive to keep learning: the Washington Post discusses a new study finding a five year difference in Alzheimer’s onset between the most and least cognitively enriched groups.
From the article, “that the texture of daily life – what we practice, whom we see, how we fill an idle hour – may leave a measurable imprint on the aging brain”
and for those in midlife: “Reading and writing; having household resources like magazine subscriptions, dictionaries and library cards; visiting a museum.”
And finally, “As long as you are constantly scouring for knowledge and looking to learn, that’s what we see as important here.”
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WSJ: The $3,400 Billable Hour
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal talks about rising billable rates for attorneys. “Some senior partners now charge as much as $3,400 an hour at the country’s largest law firms, according to data from Persuit, a software company that in-house lawyers use to analyze their legal bills.”
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Ancient Mortgages
In Aristotle’s time, a loan of money or other interest secured by land would be marked by a large stone, called a horos or opoi, displayed prominently on the property. Source: History of Mortgages, Jerry L. Anderson, Probate & Property (Jan/Feb 2026).