What can be done to complete an estate plan during this unprecedented time? Clients have been asking how they can finish a will and powers of attorney when it isn’t safe to interact with others. After much brainstorming, lawyers across Texas came up with options. So what do you do? Start regular estate planning beginning […]
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What is “probate” and independent administration?
Probate is not probation. Probate is simply the legal process of transferring property after a person’s death, usually achieved through a court procedure. Probate of a will is required to occur within four years of the date of the person’s death. Spouses don’t automatically take ownership of property and must act within four years in […]
What Exactly is an “Estate Plan”?
What exactly is an estate plan? I hear it often. An “Estate Plan” is simply a plan for what you want done with your things and with you either upon your death or if you become incapacitated. An Estate Plan has at a minimum the following pieces -A will -Durable Power of Attorney -Medical Power […]
Consequence of Not Naming a Guardian for your Child
Guardianship of a child is a critical component of an estate plan and often a triggering event in a person’s life. Often the arrival of a child is what brings young clients into the office. It is so important for you to declare who you wish to serve as the caretaker of your children because […]
Five Reasons to Update Your Will
Wills and other incapacity documents are necessary for everyone: grandparents, parents with young children, single adults. If you want to have a say in what happens to your things when you die or, more importantly, what happens to you when you can’t make your own decisions, drafting your will and other incapacity documents is vital. […]
Why Do People Wait?
He Waits for the Muse Artist: DeLoss McGraw (American, born 1945) Date: 2002 Met Museum Online Collection People confess to me that they don’t have a will and they keep putting it off, often a look of guilt in their eyes. Why, if we feel guilty, do we wait so long? Sometimes 30 years after having children […]
DIY Wills Have Issues
The Experts by Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps(French, Paris 1803–1860 Fontainebleau) Some things must be left to professionals, and your last will and testament is absolutely one of them. When my car makes a funny noise (and it does!), I take it to my mechanic because he is a pro. He studies, he trains, and he has years of […]