What is the name of your state? Louisiana. I am a child from a first marriage. I have a brother, from the first marriage. My father remarried, and had a child with my stepmom. They have been married for many years. I have a good relationship with my father. Let me start off by saying, they have had seperate banking and checking accounts for many years. He has inheritied land and a home from his parents(both deceased). The home he inherited, is not the home they live in, it is a seperate property. This land has been producing gas and has wells on it. I do believe he recieves checks from this land in his name only. Can my stepmom claim any of these benefits from his seperate inheritied land? Or can my brother and I claim anything from her seperate inheritance, from her parents(both still alive, not in good health)? I believe her parents have already put their estate in her name, long before they got sick. My father & stepmom have bought things sense their marriage, and I am not for sure on all they own. But are we entitled to anything they bought together? And anything they bought together is paid for. I know my father has money in the banks for us, can she get any of that money or can she take it away from us? What rights do children have from first marriage? She did not adopt us. We do have our father's last name. She wants me to get my father to make us both have POA, should I do this with her? Will this give her(and my halfsister) more power over his estate than the children from first marriage? I believe this to be a sizable amount of money, gas wells, & property. And I have no legal represantation. My father's health is not good and I am afraid for him to pass. My father has tried to discuss this legal stuff with me, but I end up crying and ask him not to discuss this with me. I dont want him to die. But my brother & stepmother are putting me in the middle of this war that is about to explode. And I want to be prepared. If my father wrote out a will in his own handwritting, and had 3 witnesses to sign it, will that hold up in court? He showed this to me a while back, but I am afraid my stepmom may have found it and through it away. I think my stepmom knows about law, she can get advice. I cant afford to get advice. I also live on 26 acres that my father bought for me when I married. He didnt put it in my name. Can she take this away from me if he passes away? What rights will I have about this land I live on. I know the taxes he pays on this land are in his name only. But the land was purchased while they were married. What should I do about all of this? I will take any advice on this I can get. I think, he thinks, she will be honest.....But I know she wont. HELP!What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?