FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

Can An Adopted Child Inherit From Biological Parents?

Attorney Rania Combs explains whether adopted children can inherit from both biological parents and adoptive parents under the Texas Intestacy Statutes.

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

Who Are The Heirs of a Single Person With No Surviving Parents or Children Who Dies Without a Will?

When an unmarried person dies without a Will in Texas, the Texas Intestacy Statutes control how their property will be distributed. The intestacy statutes are the…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

What is a Laughing Heir?

I heard about “laughing heirs” for the first time during my Wills, Trusts, and Estates class in law school. A laughing heir is an heir of an estate…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

How Will My Property Be Distributed If I Die Without A Will Before My Divorce is Final?

If you and your spouse are planning to divorce, you probably wouldn’t want your property distributed to him or her if you died while your divorce is…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, Intestacy

Will The State Get My Property If I Die Without A Will?

Everyone needs a Will. A Will allows you to dictate how your property will be distributed after you die. If you don’t have a Will, you lose…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will

Are Stepchildren Legal Heirs in the State of Texas?

When someone dies without a Will in Texas, their assets pass according to a statutory formula called the intestacy statutes. The intestacy statutes take into account a…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will

Estate Planning for Divorcing Couples: What Happens if One Spouse Dies While Divorce is Pending?

A married man died recently. He had a Will which had been prepared shortly after he and his second wife got married. When their Wills were prepared,…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will

Can A Biological Sibling of an Adopted Child Inherit Under the Texas Intestacy Statutes

I recently got a note from someone whose biological brother had been given up for adoption while he was a baby. His brother had just died in…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will

Who Are My Heirs If I Am Single And Die Without A Will?

I explained last week that an heir is a person who will inherit your property by virtue of a state’s intestacy laws if you die without…

FAQs About Dying Without A Will, FAQs About Wills

Is There A Difference Between A Beneficiary And An Heir?

The words “Beneficiary” and “Heir” are often used interchangeably, but each word has a very specific legal definition. A beneficiary is someone who benefits from the transfer…