Kelly Fritsch: Houston’s Premier Family Law Attorney
Estate Planning & Probate Services
in Houston, TX
Estate planning is an essential part of managing your assets and making your wishes known. A lack of thorough estate planning can lead to difficulties and expenses for your family, as well as confusion around how to make your end-of-life decisions. Kelly Fritsch has extensive experience helping clients create effective estate planning documents and representing clients throughout the probate process in Texas.
The Probate Process
Probate is the process of a court recognizing a person’s death and authorizing the distribution of their estate. After probate court proceedings, the assets of the deceased will transfer to their living relatives. While you can avoid this process with a living trust or will, probates occur if an individual fails to identify their plans for the distribution of their assets. This can create disagreements among family members and heirs. Our team can represent you in lawsuits over the handling of estates.
Our Estate Planning Expertise
Kelly Fritsch has expertise in the varying legal issues related to estate planning and probates in Texas, including:
Estate Planning & Probate FAQs
A living will, also known as a Directive to Physicians or an advance directive, is a document that outlines your end-of-life wishes. A healthcare proxy is an individual you designate to direct your medical care if you’re unable to make the decisions yourself. Pairing a living will with a trusted healthcare proxy can ensure that you receive the care you desire.
We recommend that you pursue estate planning with both a will and a trust. Essentially, a will takes effect after you die, while a trust can be utilized to manage assets both pre and post-death. Wills and trusts are used together to create an effective estate plan.
If you don’t have a trust or will set up, your entire estate will pass through the Texas probate process. This process is long and complex, often leaving disagreements between the family members you leave behind. Preparing estate planning helps spare your family from long hours in court and unnecessary expenses.