Among other beneficiary concerns, loved ones of someone who is either ill or just getting to an advanced age may wonder what exactly they should do if their loved one is facing a difficult, and possibly life or death, medical decision and is unable to speak with...
Year: 2017
Mediation in probate litigation
Like other types of court cases, a Texas court can, either at the suggestion of one of the parties involved or on its own, order those who are engaged in probate litigation to go through mediation. Although mediation is not appropriate for every case, it does often...
Overview of the claims process in Texas estates
One of the most important part of estate administration is the reviewing and paying of claims against a deceased Houston, Texas, resident's estate. After all, very few people leave this world with owing absolutely no money to anyone, especially if they have a final...
Estate planning for business owners provides many benefits
One of your goals for starting your own business was certainly to make a lot of money for yourself. However, now that you have a family, your goals have likely changed. You may see your son or daughter taking over the company and continuing its success for many more...
Non-probate property is a critical part of estate planning
Many residents of Houston own some sort of property that is either jointly held or otherwise not intended to pass through the probate process. Joint bank accounts, life insurance, stocks, retirement plans, and the like rarely go to a person's estate after the person...
The transfer on death deed
Relatively recently, the Texas Legislature gave the residents this state an additional option for transferring their home or other real estate without having to write up a will and force their beneficiaries to have to go through the probate process. This was a...
Criteria for choosing a family member as fiduciary
While previous posts on this blog have mentioned that Houston, Texas, residents have the option of hiring a bank or other institution to act as a professional fiduciary, executor, or trustee, in most cases, Texans are going to rely on a close family member or friend...
You can’t predict the future, but you may be able to plan for it
Life is often full of sudden and unexpected changes, and having a plan in place for each can be difficult at best. While you may not be able to predict when your time on earth will end, you might be able to prepare for what comes next by planning your estate, which...
Placing a value on an estate’s property
Although sometimes not discussed as much as it really should be, one of the most important legal issues that comes up in the estate administration process is the valuation of the property of the estate. Valuation is particularly important because putting the wrong...
What is ‘breach of fiduciary duty?’
Many of the relationships that this Houston, Texas legal blog mentions frequently are what the law calls "fiduciary relationships." To elaborate, guardians, executors of estates, attorneys in fact and trustees all have a fiduciary status, meaning that they have...