Your parent dies and you and your sibling are on good terms. There is a will. You agree that the will is valid. Your sibling is named as the executor in the will. To help facilitate and speed up the probate of the will, you sign a waiver consenting to the will being probated. This...KEEP READING

When children fight over their parents’ estates, can accepting even small benefits under a will prevent them from challenging it entirely? Many beneficiaries assume they can collect rent checks or occupy inherited property while simultaneously contesting the document that gave them those rights. This misconception often proves costly. Texas law has long held that beneficiaries...KEEP READING

When someone scribbles notes about changing their estate plan, do those handwritten pages become a new will simply because they contain the person’s name somewhere on them? This question haunts many Texas probate disputes where family members discover informal writings after a loved one’s death. The human impulse to find meaning in a deceased person’s...KEEP READING

When elderly parents become seriously ill, adult children who have been distant for years sometimes suddenly appear at the hospital bedside. These long-absent children may express newfound concern about their parent’s estate planning and suggest that existing wills need immediate revision. The parent, weakened by illness and facing dangerous medical procedures, may feel compelled to...KEEP READING

When families blend through remarriage, the distribution of a deceased parent’s assets can become a source of tension between children from different marriages. The surviving spouse and children from the second marriage may receive the bulk of the estate, while older children from previous relationships find themselves with limited inheritance rights. These situations become even...KEEP READING