Practice Areas • Barnes Lipscomb & Stewart PLLC
Serving Clients & Their Families Throughout Texas
Probate & Estate Administration
The death of a family member is a very traumatic experience. Beyond the personal grief and pain, there are additional external stresses inherent in the administration and probate process. An executor or administrator has a tough job and needs strong counsel to guide them. As an advocate for clients, BLS works to mitigate the issues and concerns of administration. Part of the responsibilities or duties of an executor or administrator of an estate can be to reduce the level of stress during the probate process for the family.
Fundamental Estate Planning
There are myriad legal strategies you might consider implementing as you design your estate plan. Regardless, there are a handful of “must have” estate planning documents you must create before anything else.
Guardianship Planning
“Guardianship” is a process where the court appoints a person or entity to be the court supervised decision maker for an incapacitated person’s property and/or person. In Texas, the person or entity that is appointed by the court is referred to as a guardian (some states refer to a guardian as a conservator).
Contested Matters
The vast majority of probate cases and guardianship cases are uncontested. However, conflicts can and do arise, and when that happens sophisticated, knowledgeable, and aggressive representation is a must.
Charitable Planning
Charitable gift planning can be simple a simple process. For example, you can write a check, hand over cash, transfer stock or sign a quit-claim deed to real estate directly to the charity of your choosing. On the other hand, there are more involved strategies whereby you can give and receive depending on your unique circumstances.
Estate Tax Planning
A regular visit with your attorney helps ensure that your estate plan would still work as originally designed and provides an opportunity to make any needed course corrections based on your present situation and your future estate tax planning goals.
Business Succession
If you are starting to think about retirement, then it is also time to think about business succession. You can try to tackle this on your own, but your best bet is enlisting the assistance of an experienced business succession attorney. He or she will have the background and skills to help you plan for the future, putting you and your business in the best position for a profitable and smooth transition when that time comes.
An Austin, Texas Based Firm Serving Clients & Their Families throughout Texas
Probate & Estate Administration
Probate & Estate Administration
Estate Planning Fundamentals
Estate Planning Fundamentals
Guardianship Planning
Guardianship Planning
Contested Matters
Contested Matters
