A trade secret is something owned by a company that is not readily known outside of it, and which provides the business with a competitive edge. While businesses usually protect such secrets by having an employee sign a non-disclosure agreement, nonetheless someti...
What Is a Family Trust? If you have loved ones, such as children, for whom you wish to provide after your death, you understand the importance of a will. A family trust, however, can be a much more effective instrument in helping ensure that assets circumvent probate and are made availabl...
We're hoping some of our readers are not tired of hearing about Donald Sterling, his derogatory racial comments and the proposed sale of the Clippers by his wife, Shelly, over his objections. If you're still readin...
The notion of probating a will seems to some people terrible. Perhaps this is because the term sounds something like “probation.” Both are derived from the Latin word Probo, which simply means “to test or approve.” Probating a will is, then, the process o...
Estate planning must evolve in tandem with our culture. As our society gravitates toward all things digital, people need to consider digital assets when developing a comprehensive estate plan. Your email accounts, company and personal bl...
What Is a Living Trust? Among the numerous trusts available in Texas the living trust is one of the more popular. While a living trust is not all that difficult to set up, it is in your best interests to work with a Conroe trusts lawyer to determine whether it is best suited to your needs...
How to Revoke a Durable Power of Attorney The durable power of attorney is one of the most useful and important documents in planning your estate. As such, it is important that you execute the instrument wisely, considering what circumstances you would want the powers to be invoked and wh...
Joint Wills Joint wills are not commonly used or even known about, but in certain circumstances they can be useful. A joint will is usually created by spouses together; as the name implies, indeed, this type of legal instrument cannot be set up by and for one individual. A Bryan estate pl...
Interference with business relationships involves a third party violating an existing relationship between the other two parties for financial gain. Such interference is often challenging to prove because of the difficulty of showing that the bus...
Express Trusts An express trust is one that is set up by the settlor intentionally and which becomes distributable to beneficiaries either during the settlor's lifetime or after death. Such trusts can be useful in helping heirs who currently are not able to care for themselves, or can be ...
Testamentary Capacity Creating a will in Texas that is legally binding requires a number of things, one of which is testamentary capacity. The term refers to the mental capacity of the creator of a will at the time it is written. An Estate Planning Lawyer in College Station can tell you t...
Holographic Wills A myth exists that a will which is not computer-generated and on legal paper cannot be valid. Holographic, or handwritten wills, however, can be valid documents provided that they meet certain requirements. It is important to note that holographic wills are often contest...
Although many people think about this question from time to time, a lot of folks dismiss the idea of developing an estate plan for two reasons — they think they don't have enough money to worry about and they think they have plenty of time to do it later...
As a matter of fact, you can include arbitration clauses in trust documents and other estate planning tools. The Supreme Court of Texas in Rachal v. Reitz, 403 S.W.3d 840 (Tex. 2013) held that an arbitration clause in a trust can be enfo...
Perhaps the most basic matter owners must decide upon when starting up a business is what type of entity is right for their needs. Corporations, partnerships, LLCs, so...
Living Wills vs. Living Trusts A Conroe Living Trust Lawyer Explains the Different Between Living Trusts and Living Wills While the terms “living trust” and “living will” are semantically similar, and both relate to estate planning, as will be seen, these estate planning tools serve ve...
Bryan Living Trust Attorney Discusses the Differences between Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts A trust is a legal instrument which removes assets from ownership by the settlor, and thereby out of the estate and will. Both revocable and irrevocable trusts facilitate the distribution of ass...
Besides the looming questions related to managing and settling your loved one's estate, someone must take up the immediate necessity of planning the funeral or memorial service and accompanying burial, cremation or interment. But...
Enforcing Your Non-compete Agreement in Texas As we've discussed in prior articles, non-compete agreements are generally enforceable in Texas, as long as the agreements meet basic contract requirements, such as consideration and mutual performance, and are fairly specific as to length o...
How to Revoke a Durable Power of Attorney The durable power of attorney is one of the most useful and important documents in planning your estate. As such, it is important that you execute the instrument wisely, considering what circumstances you would want the powers to be invoked and wh...
Merging two corporations usually entails one company being absorbed into the other. Often the smaller of the two is the one that is absorbed. Another type of merger that will be discussed, the holding company, allows both companies to retain their respective ide...
Codicils for Wills Wills are unusual as legal documents go. For one, once the will takes effect the testator is not present to explain any problems arising from it. Also, wills often need to be changed or replaced during the lifetime of the testator. While one may opt to write a new will ...
A Texas appellate court recently upheld the state's so-called “pole tax,” a $5.00-per-customer tax imposed on strip clubs. The law was enacted in 2007 and unsuccessfully challenged twice on different grounds. Th...
Charitable Remainder Trust FAQs The charitable remainder trust is an effective tool for managing assets in an estate and avoiding certain tax liabilities. CRTs by their nature limit the assets that can be left to beneficiaries because a percentage must remain to be donated to a charity. F...
About four in ten married people will be tasked with managing the estate of a loved one at some point in their lives. Most often, it is the estate of a recently deceased spouse, because couples usually name each other as prima...