FAQs About Powers of Attorney and Directives

What is a Texas Medical Power of Attorney?

A Texas medical power of attorney is a document that allows you, the principal, to designate a trusted family member or friend to make medical decisions for…

The Risk of DIY Planning

LegalZoom vs. Lawyer: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

LegalZoom and other do-it-yourself document preparation services want you to believe that the process of preparing a Will is as easy as filling in the blanks on…

FAQs About Wills, Planning for Special Circumstances

The Characterization of Property in Texas

I have written before that the characterization of property as separate or community dictates who inherits property when a married person dies without a Will in…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Can I Sign My Will Electronically in Texas?

UPDATE: On April 8, 2020, Governor Abbott issued an order temporarily allowing regular notaries to notarize the following documents by video conference: durable powers of attorney, medical powers…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

How to Sign Estate Planning Documents in a Pandemic

UPDATE: On April 8, 2020, Governor Abbott issued an order temporarily allowing regular notaries to notarize the following documents by video conference: durable powers of attorney, medical powers…

Odds and Ends

Who Can Make Funeral Arrangements in Texas When There Isn’t a Will?

A man died without a Will. He died unmarried, with two children, one 19 and the other 17. However, he and his children had been estranged for least…

Estate Planning, Planning for Special Circumstances

Planning for a PandemicFor a summary of CDC recommendations for adults over 60, read:

My children asked me yesterday how many times in my life the world has dealt with a pandemic like COVID-19. I couldn’t think of any other. COVID-19…

Odds and Ends

Beware of Social Security Scams

My husband and I disconnected our home phone number recently. We both have cell phones, and it seemed like the only calls we received were sales calls…

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…