Probate and Estate Administration

Sometimes things do not go as planned in probate. Estate administration disputes occur when families are so divided that they cannot even agree about who should be the administrator of an estate. Other times, the issue is that someone in the family was appointed the estate administrator, but then failed to do their job correctly. […]

Will Contests generally occur when a beneficiary under a Will, or a legal heir under Texas probate laws, does not believe that a Will that has been offered (or admitted) to probate, is a valid Will. Some reasons a Will may be invalid is if it was not signed with all the correct formalities required

When a person dies without a Will and an estate administration is needed, a judicial determination of the deceased person’s heirs at law will also be required. The legal process for determining a deceased person’s heirs at law is called an Heirship Determination. Texas probate courts and county courts at law are the only courts

Muniment of Title is probate of a Will without an estate administration and solely for the purpose of transferring title in property to the beneficiaries named in a Will. Since there is no administration, the only requirement is to have the Will admitted to probate by the probate court or county court at law. Muniment

Probate of a Will with Letters Testamentary is probate of a Will with an estate administration. However, Letters Testamentary are only given to a person named in a Will to act as “Executor”, and only after the Will has been admitted to probate and the named person has “qualified” to act as Executor under Texas

Estate Administration is the legal process for collecting the assets of a deceased person; paying their creditors, outstanding bills, funeral expenses, and expenses of last illness; and distributing the remaining assets to the deceased person’s heirs at law, or beneficiaries under a Will. The individual acting on behalf an estate is called an Administrator. A