The marital relationship has wide-ranging impact throughout the legal world. Inheritance, creditor liability, personal liability, tax liability, employment benefits, Medicaid benefits, social security benefits—to name but a few—are all impacted by one’s marital status.
Texas provides a number of robust protections for the surviving spouse both during and following the probate of the deceased spouse’s estate.
Texas is one of a relatively few states that continues to recognize common law marriage. Because marital status determines division of property upon death, whether you and your partner are in a common law marriage will impact your estate plan and the division of assets upon death.
There are three general ways of revoking a will in Texas: through subsequent writing, by a physical act upon the will, or by operation of law.
Decisions regarding end of life care and treatment involve deeply personal and often very difficult choices. In a lovely and moving article published in the Wall Street Journal, the author documents her mother’s end of life choices.
A guardianship is essentially when a a court appoints a legal representative to to manage the financial affairs and/or day-to-day needs of the ward.
Probate is the process of collecting and transferring title of an individual’s assets following his or her death, as well as settling debts owed by the estate.
