Working Together

How We Prefer to Work

Thank you for allowing us to help with your probate matter.

We have been handling probate matters for many years, and have spent a lot of time learning the rules, how to move cases forward, etc.

However, for many our clients, this is often their first time dealing with the probate process. In some cases, it is even the first time a client has had to hire an attorney or work with the courts.

Whether this is your first probate or legal matter or if you have gone through this process before, it helps to think about how we can best work together.

Below are some topics that you may not have asked about, were curious about, or were too shy to ask:

Communications

Every person has a preferred method of communication–be it email, phone, online conferences, or in person.

Below are our preferences:

1. We prefer email. Our email system is where we live and as such is our preferred method of communication. We do our best to answer every email by the following business day.
2. Scheduled calls and online conferences work for us as well. If you send an email and do not get a response by the next business day (or if it is urgent), please use our calendar system to put a phone call or online conference meeting directly on our calendar. We typically have some open availability just about every weekday. The schedule links for that process can be found on any page of this website.
3. Unscheduled calls typically don’t work as well for us. If you prefer unscheduled calls, we can work with that. However, to ensure that we can give you the time and attention you deserve–scheduling a time slot is better.
4. Unscheduled office visits, only sparingly. Unscheduled office visits are not preferable. If this is your preference, we will find a way to make it work.

Sending us Documents

There are several options for getting documents to us–be it electronically, by fax, by mail, or in-person drop off.

Below are our preferences:

1. Electronic delivery is always preferred. If you have the ability to scan and email documents, we prefer that you send your documents to us that way. If there are too many to email but you have them saved on your computer, let us know! We can send you a Dropbox link to drag-and-drop the files to us.
2. Fax works fine in some cases, but not for court documents. You are welcome to fax documents to us. Our fax number is (866) 633-3083. Please be aware that court documents have to be clear copies. Faxes won’t work in those cases.
3. Mail and in-person drop off. This is the preferred method for sample documents. Please mail them to our 1846 N Loop 1604 W Ste 205, San Antonio, TX 78248 office. If your document is irreplaceable, there is a slight chance that the postal system will lose it– please pause to consider whether putting them in the mail to us is the best plan. In these cases, in-person drop off may be a better option. If you want to drop them off in-person, please call to let us know when you plan on dropping them off so we can be available to get them from you.

Who to Communicate With

Due to the fact that we are a teaching law firm, we always have associate attorneys working on cases. This is our obligation to the legal profession.

In order to keep our clients’ legal costs down, we also use paralegals.

In the event that you have more than one attorney and a paralegal working on your case–who do you communicate with?

Below are our preferences:

1. Talk to the paralegal. If you have a basic procedural question, talk to the paralegal. This includes how to fill out an intake form, questions about your invoice, what the date of your hearing is, or how to find the courthouse.
2. Talk to the attorney. Please ask for an attorney if you are asking for legal advice, case strategy, how to deal with a family situation, etc.

Concerns

The reality is that probate is a process. You will most likely come to a point when you are wondering why the process is so slow.

In Texas, probates are not fast. Even the basics, like getting the court’s to schedule hearings, can take time. Intestate cases, or those without a will, are even slower. The court must take time to assign an attorney ad litem and the ad litems are often painfully slow moving.

Remember to hang in there, we will work through it. However, if you are really concerned and feel that the case isn’t moving at an appropriate pace, please let us know. Don’t be shy, we want to make sure you are properly taken care of.

If you have any questions, please do let us know. If you see something happening with your case that you don’t understand, please reach out to us.

Invoices & Billing

We bill monthly, typically on or around the first of the month. Automatic reminders for unpaid invoices are set up through our system and are sent out every few weeks. Take special care not to ignore these reminders. In the event that invoices are not paid in a timely manner and we have not heard from you, there is a possibility that we will close the case.

If you are having financial difficulty, please reach out to us. Oftentimes, we can work out a plan to minimize the costs going forward. This might include you doing more of the work with us taking the role of adviser. It could also include the paralegal handling more aspects of the case. There are many other possibilities that we can also consider. In each case, however, the process starts with you, the client, contacting us to discuss it.