Probate cases don’t end with one neat judgment the way most lawsuits do. A single estate can produce several orders over months or years, and some of them can be appealed right away. If you miss the deadline to appeal one of those orders, you can lose the issue for good. So it matters a...KEEP READING
When a parent dies with a modest estate and no will, Texas gives families a shortcut. Instead of opening a full administration, the heirs can file a small estate affidavit, get it approved by the probate court, and collect the property without anyone being appointed administrator. Often a few family members make it even simpler...KEEP READING
A parent dies and two pieces of paper show up, each claiming to be the last word on who gets what. One child produces a will signed years ago. Someone else produces a will signed shortly before the death. Both cannot be right, and the fight that follows is rarely about money alone. It is...KEEP READING
Family fights over real estate are some of the hardest cases we see. A parent dies, one child ends up with the land, and everyone else is left wondering how that happened. The suspicion is real and sometimes it is justified. But suspecting you were cheated and proving it in court are two very different...KEEP READING
Most probate work involves the assets you can see. A house, a bank account, a retirement plan, a stack of savings bonds in a safe deposit box. But some of the most valuable things an estate owns are not things at all. They are promises. A buyer who still owes money on a deal. A...KEEP READING
When someone dies unexpectedly, especially in a traumatic accident, a filing deadline buried in the Texas Estates Code is the last thing on the family’s mind. People are grieving. Caregiving duties shift overnight. The paperwork of settling an estate slides to the bottom of the list. And in families where property has passed informally and...KEEP READING
Most people never think about what happens to a mortgage when the borrower dies. The house sits there. The payments stop. And someone—usually a grieving family member who has just been named executor—has to figure out what comes next. For anyone with an informal arrangement tied to that mortgage, the uncertainty can feel like a...KEEP READING
Disputes over real property in a Texas probate estate can move fast. An heir or interested party may rush to court for a temporary injunction to stop another claimant from damaging, encumbering, or demolishing property that may belong to the estate. The probate court grants the injunction. Relief secured. Or so it seems. Here is...KEEP READING
It can be difficult to care for elderly parents when they begin showing signs of cognitive decline. Families often try to manage their affairs. This may include getting appointed as the guardian of the parent. Before being appointed, there can be questions about whether the parent can still make major financial decisions. The stakes rise...KEEP READING
When a will is contested in Texas, the scope of the executor’s authority is often disputed. Texas executors derive their authority solely from the will itself. However, competing heirs disagree on what powers the will actually grants. Critical issues like an executor’s ability to dispose of estate assets through sale or gift may hinge on...KEEP READING
