Probate is a scary word that anyone familiar with the process of estate planning will immediately view negatively. This is because probate can be a time-consuming and difficult process. It can also be quite expensive. As such, many people who are creating their estate plan will do everything in their power to avoid the probate process, or at least minimize the amount of time their estate spends in probate.
Thankfully, there are many different ways to go through probate in Texas, and with the help of an experienced estate plan attorney, you can get through the process in an efficient manner.
But if you would like to avoid probate as much as possible, then there are other legal steps you can take to protect your estate plan. For example, you can shield your assets from the probate process by utilizing trusts. Assets that are in a trust don’t go through the probate process. You can also gift your assets to other people. Since these gifts would exist outside of the scope of your estate plan, they would then exist outside the scope of the probate process.
Ultimately though, the best way to address your estate plan is to have an attorney by your side. At the Law Office of Sharon C. Stodghill, we can help people all across Houston with their estate plan needs. No matter what stage of the estate planning or probate process you are in, our attorneys can help you adequately and appropriately tackle your estate plan issues.