You own several LLC interests. Some are owned outright. Some are owned by other LLC’s that you own. There are valid reasons for this, from asset protection to estate planning. But then you die. Then the survivors read your will. And guess what? You either forgot to update the will for changes you made when...KEEP READING

Family disputes during probate administration often escalate when siblings disagree about what should happen to the family property. One child may want to keep the homestead in the family, while another sees it as an unproductive burden that should be sold. These conflicts become even more complex when a court has already removed the family...KEEP READING

You might think that receiving an ineritance is easy. How could that be complicated? The maxum that nothing is easy is fitting. When a family member inherits property, they may be inheriting a build-in legal problem. This often happens when property is left to more than one person and one person wants to keep the...KEEP READING

It is common for families to transfer real estate from one generation to another. This often results in probate disputes, particularly when ownership questions are not fully discussed and the transfers are discovered years after the person who made the transfer died. These situations become particularly complex when the disputed property has connections to a...KEEP READING

Nursing home negligence cases often begin with a family’s discovery that their loved one suffered preventable harm while under medical care. These discoveries are often not made until after the loved one dies. When this happens, Texas law provides specific procedures for holding healthcare providers accountable. A cornerstone of these procedures is the expert report...KEEP READING

Families who lose loved ones often find themselves in disagreements about property that may have been improperly transferred before a loved one’s death. When these disputes arise, the question arises as to who has the legal authority to challenge these transfers? Is it limited to the estate’s personal representative or can the heirs bring suit...KEEP READING

When a probate court makes decisions during the administration of an estate, parties who disagree with those decisions may want to appeal right away. If the probate court makes a decision that negatively impacts the party’s rights, time may be of the essence to fix it. From an economic or practical perspective, a delayed fix...KEEP READING

Courts possess significant powers to impose sanctions on attorneys who improperly abuse legal processes. Various procedural rules and statutes grant courts discretion to levy monetary sanctions when attorneys engage in frivolous litigation tactics or misconduct. As the Brenners v. Green, No. 06-20-00044-CV (Tex. App. – Texarkana [6th Dist.] 2020) case exemplifies, determining appropriate sanctions requires...KEEP READING

If someone dies in Texas and they left a handwritten written document that gives away their property on death, can that document be a valid will?  What if the person did not sign the will? The answer is often, “yes,” as Texas law allows for handwritten wills.  The courts will often admit the wills even...KEEP READING

Probate disputes often involve conflicting claims by family members. The claims can result from misunderstandings or even viewing the same facts from a different perspective. The claims can also come from outright theft and other wrongdoing. The outcome in these types of disputes can often come down to who has the burden of proof in...KEEP READING