Texas Probate Tag Archives

When people think of “contesting a will” they typically imagine an rich family member (probably in a wheel chair) who has recently passed away and a greedy family member who just wants to make a quick buck. Why? Because that is how it is always portrayed in movies. In most cases, that is not the reason for contesting the Will of the deceased.

In Rockwall and Kaufman county, quite often we see Wills that were done 30-40 years ago and they my not meet all of the standard requirements of Wills done today. That does not necessarily mean that these Wills are not able to be probated, but if the testator is still alive, it is best to update the Will as there may have been changes to the needs of the estate or a means to update the Will to comply with modern requirements that will help avoid a Will contest.

Sometimes there are very good reasons for contesting the validity of a Will. In Texas, there are five major categories of reasons to contest a Will and if any one of them is present, then the Will should be set aside and not sent forward to be probated.

Probate in Texas is meant to be a relatively simple process, but that is not always the case. In fact, it is downright intimidating for most people and the thought of having to go to court to have a Court oversee the work done by the administrator of the Estate can be almost too much to bear on your own. Here at Guest and Gray, our goal is to provide you with the best possible representation so that you may have the Estate of your loved one administered in the fastest, most effective manner possible. In Kaufman and Rockwall counties, there are no statutory probate courts, so the process takes place in the county courts at law. We are long-time faces in this legal community and have the resources and knowledge to guide you through this difficult process.

In order to give you an idea of what the process is like to have an Estate probated in the Rockwall and Kaufman County courts is like we have prepared a quick overview of this process and why it is so important to hire an attorney:

A Petition for Probate must be filed in the Court where the deceased party resided. This requests the appointment of an executor. If there is no Will, the Court will appoint someone to serve as the Personal Representative of the estate. Notice must be given to all heirs and beneficiaries, as required by the court.

Articles Tagged with Texas Probate

Five Grounds for Contesting Wills in Rockwall or Kaufman County

Guest and Gray, P.C.: Rockwall and Kaufman County Probate