Special Needs Trusts

What is the Difference between a First-Party and a Third-Party Special Needs Trust?

Understanding the differences between first-party and third-party Special Needs Trusts is important when planning for a loved one with special needs. Both types of trusts serve to protect…

What To Do When Someone Dies Without A Will

Who May File an Application to Determine Heirship in Texas?

When an individual dies without a Will, a procedure called a Determination of Heirship proceeding can be filed establish the deceased individual’s rightful heirs. An application to…

FAQs About Estate Planning

What Will Happen To Your Facebook Account When You Die?

A friend from college died suddenly a couple of years ago. She was a healthy person, but contracted the flu and died from complications from it.

FAQs About Wills

Is A Will Signed By One Witness Valid If It Is Also Signed by a Notary?

I have written before about the requirements of a valid will in Texas. To be valid, a Will must be signed by the testator, or another…

How Property Distributed When Someone Dies Without A Will

The Complexities of Intestacy in Non-Traditional Families

I received a note last week that highlights the heartbreaking consequences of dying without a Will in non-traditional families. The couple had lived together for twenty-one years…

FAQs About Trusts

To Trust Or Not To Trust

Last Christmas, the only thing on my older children’s Christmas list was a laptop computer. As they have gotten older, school assignments have increasingly required access to…

FAQs About Wills

Do I Have to be an Adult to Make a Will in Texas?

The Texas Estates Code provides that in order for a Will to be valid, the person making the Will must not only be of sound mind, but…

Newsworthy

Celebrating Five Years!

When I started my law firm years ago, I was nervous. Petrified, actually. I had always worked for other attorneys before, so I never had to…

Newsworthy

Ending the Year on a High Note…Again!

This month, I was honored to be included in Houstonia Magazine’s list of “Top Lawyers” for 2014! This is the second year in a…

Planning for Special Circumstances

The Obituary of the Amazing Spider-Man

Most obituaries are sterile. They provide basic information about the deceased person’s birth, death, and those they left behind, but are short…