Estate Planning by Sitcom: Lessons from Fisk on Lawyer Ethics and Inheritance

Estate Planning by Sitcom: Lessons from Fisk on Lawyer Ethics and Inheritance

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

November 28, 2025

Season Three, Episode Two of Fisk jumps right into the depths of estate plan with Helen rapid-fire questioning a woman who has come in to change her will:

Helen: Did your husband die?

Client: No.

Helen: Is your husband dying?

Client: No.

Helen: Lost capacity?

Client: No.

Helen: Making bad choices?

Client: No

Helen: Are you planning to leave your husband?

Client: No

Helen: Is your husband planning to leave you?

Client: No.  You are obsessed with my husband!!!

Helen: No, I am trying to establish why you want to re-do your will.

Client: Stefan thought it would be a good idea!

Helen: Stefan is your husband?

Client: No. He’s my financial advisor.

Helen: Ohhhhhhhh

And there you have a perfect example of clients responding to the nudges and encouragement people in their inner circle offer when it comes to estate planning.  Unfortunately, in this episode the financial planner aims to send Helen any and all clients, regardless of whether they really need legal counsel.  And in exchange he wants any and all clients from Helen.

Here in my home state of Wisconsin attorneys must adhere to a code of ethics, one drafted and monitored by our State Supreme Court.  Under Chapter 20 (Rules of Professional Conduct) attorneys are prohibited from making non-legal referrals from which they will benefit financially. While the set-up of this episode generates good laughs, it is not an accurate portrayal of how I operated my legal practice.   There is no quid pro quo at my office. Use caution when professionals are giving you a hard sell to work with another professional; sometimes their own financial benefit eclipses what is in your best interest.

Episode 2 continues down a humorous path where Helen’s dad decides to update his will to include Viktor.  However, doing so causes Helen concern.  What if her dad dies, everything goes to Viktor and then Helen inherits nothing?  The Judge (aka Helen’s dad) has an elegant and simple legal fix - Viktor will adopt Helen.  While creative, this underscores the danger of taking any legal advice from a television show, let alone one from a different country.  Here in the US people have “testamentary freedom” – for the most part, they are not required to include certain people in a will.  That means a parent can choose to cut a child out of a will.  Blended relationships, with children from outside the relationship, quickly become complicated.  Estate planning laws vary from state to state in the US.  Always check in with an attorney for advice on how to best accomplish your goals of passing your estate at death. 

Fisk, Season 3, Episode 2 - Burning Up

Thanks for reading!  Remember that a blog is not legal advice; it is meant to spark thought and reflection.  Please seek legal advice from a licensed attorney in your home state for counsel on your specific situation.