The Estate Law Library

Today, we’re going to talk about incapacitation and how a Durable Power of Attorney can avoid a Guardianship proceeding. First, let’s clarify some terms. Definitions  The term “incapacitated person” includes an adult individual who, because of a physical or mental...

Estate planning can be a tedious, complex, and a bit overwhelming process. In simple terms, estate planning describes the process in which you make a plan for how you want to divide your property (i.e., your “estate”) after your death. However, estate planning not...

Reality about Estate Planning Nobody likes to think about death–we all know it is inevitable, but it certainly isn't a dinner-friendly conversation to have with your friends and family. Estate planning involves having those uncomfortable conversations with your...

Under Texas Law, paperwork to begin probate of a valid Will must be filed in the court no later than four (4) years after the death of the testator. The period following a loved one’s death can be a stressful and extremely emotional time for the family members, and it...

What's Probate? Probate refers to the process by which a court legally acknowledges an individual’s death and authorizes administration of their estate. Estate administration involves management of the deceased’s estate, payment of the deceased’s debts, and...

Pets are one of the most beloved things we can have in our lives, and often times we wish to protect them just like we would any other loved one in the event of our death. Fortunately, there is a way to do just that—setting up a Pet Trust allows you to lay out...

Sawyer and Emily's Story Sawyer Hartford and his business partner were looking to invest $75,000 in creating and developing a new app that would help facilitate e-commerce transactions. Then they found Emily, a young, intelligent, and extremely qualified app developer...

Don Carey's Story Don Carey died at the age of 78 with three surviving sons, all of whom were in an ongoing battle with addiction at the time of his death. Wanting to care for his sons in the event of his death, Don included a provision to his trust that stated that...

Texas is a community-property state, meaning that all marital property is characterized as “separate,” “community,” or “mixed.” Under Texas law, a spouse’s separate property consists of the property “owned or claimed by the spouse before marriage; acquired by the...