Fort Worth Estate Planning Attorney

Estate Planning

When you prepare a will and an estate plan, you determine what will happen to your property, your legal assets, any minor children, as well as your remains after you die. After a person’s death, probate administration puts their will or estate plan into effect, ensuring that assets are distributed and arrangements are made in the way they planned.

• Estate Planning
• Wills Formation
• Trusts Formation
• Probate Administration
• Litigation

At the Law Offices of David E. Kelley, our practice includes estate planning, wills and trusts formation as well as probate administration and litigation for clients in communities throughout the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex and beyond. No matter where you are located, if you are executor of a will or estate, or are contesting a will within the jurisdiction of the state of Texas, you will need an attorney to assist you.

Probate Administration

While estate planning lays out detailed instructions for the future for your estate, probate administration places the plan into action. Probate is the court supervised legal process by which legal title of your property is transferred from your estate to your beneficiaries. Because probate involves paperwork and court appearances, an attorney provides valuable assistance to guide the executor through the probate process. After your death, the person named as executor in your will, files papers in the local probate court. First, the validity of your will is determined, your assets are gathered, and as needed, real estate, art, coins, jewelry or other collections are appraised. Debts and taxes as well as attorney and court fees are paid from your estate’s property.

If you die without a will, you are said to have died “intestate”. The court will designate an administrator to handle your affairs, and your property will be divided according to a formula fixed by law, not necessarily as you may have wished.

In order to prepare for the orderly distribution of your assets upon your death, it is in your best interests and that of your family to devise an estate plan. For most people a will is all they need, however, a will does not eliminate the probate procedure. A trust, however, in some cases enables you to avoid probate, while providing a great deal of flexibility in how you transfer your property to your beneficiaries. Trusts also allow you to utilize a variety of techniques to minimize estate taxes. An attorney can advise you regarding an estate plan, and recommend whether creating a trust is to your advantage, and help you select the type of trust that fulfills your needs.

All too often, a will or estate is contested. Heirs sometimes feel they have been unfairly left out of a will. A family may believe a close friend or even a health care custodian has fraudulently maneuvered to be named in the will or trust. Whether the dispute begins as a result of a clerical error, a simple misunderstanding or dishonesty, when a will or estate is contested David Kelley litigates as needed to make sure your rights are protected.

Contact a Fort Worth Estate Planning Lawyer Today!

When you need legal help concerning estate planning, probate administration or probate disputes in Texas, call our law firm at 817-922-0555 to arrange an appointment to learn how Fort Worth Estate Planning and Probate Attorney, David Kelley can ably assist you with your probate matter.