By Colby Berry | Published April 20, 2026 | Posted in Estate Planning Law | Tagged Tags: estate planning, living will, power of attorney | Comments Off on The Importance of Living Documents in a Texas Estate Plan
The Importance of Living Documents in a Texas Estate Plan
Many estate planning documents only take effect when a person dies. Wills, and trusts designed as testamentary instruments, dictate what happens to property when the original owner passes away. However, estate planning is not only about what happens upon one’s death. People often need assistance with their legal, medical and financial affairs while they are Read More
Read MoreA Thoughtful Gift: Peace of Mind for Your Loved Ones
As Christmas and the holiday season approaches, many of us are focused on gift-giving, travel plans, and spending time with family and friends. However, amidst the festivities, an important task that should not be overlooked: creating or updating your will. While it may seem like a morbid topic, having a will is one of the Read More
Read MoreWhat are the Spousal Rights to Property After Death?
Here are the facts of the situation. Husband and wife are each on their second marriage and they purchase a home together. Husband dies and leaves a will leaving everything to his grown kids – who by the way don’t like his second wife. The second wife is very nervous about her situation and has a Read More
Read MoreProbate 101: The Basics of the Probate Process
After a person passes away, his or her estate and all its components must be accounted for and distributed among heirs, inheritors and creditors according to a special court process known as probate. The probate process heavily relies on the executor—the person the deceased put in charge of protecting his or her property as outlined Read More
Read More5 Tips for Drafting Your Last Will and Testament
No one wants to think about dying or what will happen with the rest of the family after passing away. However, it’s very important to have a plan of action in place when it comes to the distribution of your estate and assets. That’s where having a will comes in handy. Your last will and Read More
Read MoreCommon Law Marriage in Texas Probate Courts
Several times over the years, I have probated estates in which the “significant other” to the decedent came forth stating that she (for some reason, every time I had a case like this the deceased was a man) was the common law wife of the decedent and that she, therefore, had a right to half Read More
Read More“Letters”: How to Get Letters of Testamentary
I often get frustrated clients that come to me with a story that goes something like this: “My father died and I am his only child. He has a bank account and a stock brokerage account. His Will leaves everything to me and I even gave the financial institutions a copy, but they won’t turnover Read More
Read MoreIt May Be Time to Undo Your Will
If you had a Will prepared by an attorney who did estate and tax planning in the 80’s, 90’s or early aughts, it probably had provisions to avoid estate taxes. This was a great idea at the time because for most of that period the maximum estate tax rate hovered around 50%. Simply put if Read More
Read MoreWhat Does a Civil Lawyer Do?
By Don R. White, Attorney at Law A civil lawyer practices in the field of civil law, which may consist of corporate, family, business, real estate, probate or personal injury law. The cases a civil lawyer deals with all generally regard disagreements between two parties. When a disagreement can’t be settled between the two parties, Read More
Read MoreWhy Choose a Board Certified Lawyer?
Choosing the right lawyer for your legal matters can become a little daunting when everyone claims to be the best. However, by picking a Board Certified lawyer, you are choosing a highly esteemed and skilled professional in his or her particular field of law practice. What Does Board Certified Mean? Attorneys who are Board Certified Read More
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