Texas Right of Survivorship Accounts One may assume that if he holds a bank account jointly with another individual, upon the death of one the assets in the account will naturally attribute to the other. However, this is not the case, at least in Texas. As an estate planning lawyer in Bry...
Also referred to as an advance medical directive, a living will is an essential component of estate planning. An estate planning lawyer in College Station can provide the information and assistance needed to ensure that a living will meets your needs and desires, and is legal...
What is a Lady Bird Deed? A Lady Bird Deed is the nickname for an enhanced life estate deed which is used to convey property to heirs and avoid probate. This type of deed got its nickname because it was the type supposedly used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to convey some of his real est...
Studies in the U.S. and U.K. suggest forty to sixty percent of small businesses have faced significant legal issues in the last two years. The simple fact is that many legal problems can be avoided by taking time to plan before problems e...
Many years ago, Betty White famously made the news for planning to leave her entire estate to her pets. The idea shocked some and left others wondering whether they should consider doing the same — or at least consider making provisions for ...
Who Gets to Make Decisions about Funeral Arrangements in Texas? If the way in which you are buried matters to you, the time to make your wishes known is now. Under Texas law, unless you leave written instructions regarding the disposition of your remains in the form prescribed by law, the...
Sometimes our clients who are in charge of administering estates ask us what to do when claims against an estate are greater than the funds available to pay them. This is not uncommon in large estates where th...
Courts are generally reluctant to approve the removal of an administrator or executor, especially if the decedent's will names this individual to the position. That said, certain issues can arise that make such a removal necessary. A College Station...
Talking to Your Adult Children about Your Will A few months ago at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting, Warren Buffett was asked how much money he planned to leave his kids. Marvin Blum wanted to know how Buffett decided how much was enough, but not too much. “How do you keep from ruining...
Imagine seeing a friend's name pop up on your twitter feed. No big deal, right? Except his funeral was last month. At first blush, the idea is nothing short of creepy, but more businesses are popping up offering social media services in the after life. No...
Most people who find themselves acting as personal representatives of loved ones' estates don't have any special training or experience to help them carry out their duties to the beneficiaries and creditors of the estates. Personal representativ...
Texas resident Kendra Youmans is suing Jefferson County, TX, claiming she was injured in an automobile accident caused by county employee Ervin LaBove. According to the lawsuit, a truck owned by the county and driven by LaBove “carelessly b...
Texas will join 46 other states on September 1, 2013, when the Texas Uniform Trade Secret Act (UTSA) goes into effect. The law recently passed the Texas legislature and will benefit businesses by making Texas trade secret law similar to trade secret laws a...
As a business owner, did you know you're required to notify clients in the event your business experiences a data breach? Under Texas' amended data breach notification law, business entities who suspect a data security breach must notify...
How often should I update my will? Oftentimes, significant life events motivate us to see an attorney to have a will drafted. Getting married, the birth of a child or the unexpected loss of a friend or loved one are some of those significant events. But once you get the will and file ...
A trusts lawyer in Montgomery, Texas can work with you to determine your best estate planning options. One device that is used quite often in wills is the bypass trust. This instrument is used to plan long term for the disposition of property in an estate. Its purpose is to ...
Virtually all businesses that develop physical property for use face zoning issues. Zoning ordinances can be very complex and difficult to determine, and often cause conflicts. A business may be constrained by zoning ordinances on a neighborhood, city, and county level. A ...
College Station Estate Planning Lawyer on Right of Survivorship Accounts It is common for one person to share financial accounts with one or more others, especially with married couples. In some cases a relative, friend, or adult child shares an account with a person as well. When one acc...
Who Inherits the Estate When Grandma Dies Without a Will? At Peterson Law Group we recommend all adults who own assets do their family members a favor by consulting with an experienced estate planning attorney to draft a will. Doing so significantly minimizes disagreements among family me...
A Wills Attorney in College Station Discusses Determination of Heirs When the owner of an estate dies without a will a determination of heirs proceeding must be conducted. Sometimes a will is annulled or an asset is not included, in which case heirship is also in question. A wills attor...
Who Can Approve a Loved One's Cremation? When a loved one dies, those left behind are forced to deal not only with the grief of the loss, they must also deal with immediate needs, such as funeral arrangements, memorial services and the like. Families don't often argue over the color of th...
A Conroe Probate Attorney Discusses Claims of Undue Influence It is not uncommon when a decedent passes for heirs to have differences of opinion about the appropriateness of the will's terms. In more serious cases, though, as a Conroe probate attorney can tell you, one or more heirs may...
A Conroe Real Estate Attorney on Changes to Texas' Eviction Law Eviction proceedings can be brought against a tenant for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is non-payment of rent. Landlords often must resort to taking such tenants to court and ask that a decision be rendered w...
Estate Taxes, Inheritance Taxes, Death Taxes … Which is Which? The terms estate tax and inheritance tax are often used interchangeably by the less-informed, but they are distinct terms with different legal meanings. Technically, there is not an additional “death tax,” but the term is some...
Do You Have a Living Will? Prior to a hospital visit for a scheduled major surgery, most adults think about the possibility of death and consider preparing a living will. But if you are one of the millions of Americans undergoing an outpatient surgery in the U.S., have you considered the ...