Ask the Lawyer received the following question (paraphrased for easier reading and clarity) from a reader on a legal matter that might be of interest to the entire audience. Q: My father passed away last year without picking a beneficiary for his pension. My mother recently received a letter stating that she would not receive his pension since he did not designate her as the beneficiary. Shouldn’t she be receiving his pension? A: If your parents were married when your father retired, he cannot simply abandon your mother by signing away her survivor rights unless he had her written consent…