Estate Planning & Litigation Lawyers in Bryan-College Station

Drafting, Filing, & Disputing Estate Plans Throughout Texas

You or your loved one has worked a lifetime to acquire the property and assets that make up an estate and want to see it passed on to the people you love or the charities you want to help. Estate planning allows you or your family member to do just that by using various legal tools and methods to help you pass on your assets according to your specific wishes. When this process goes wrong, such as in cases of fraud or malintent, you also have the right to protect your loved one’s wishes by disputing their estate plan in court.

At Rhodes Humble LLP, our legal team can educate you on what a customized estate plan can do for you, help you design a plan that is tailored to your individual goals, and help you protect your legal rights when you need to dispute a plan. We can also help you amend or add to current estate plans to keep them up to date with your changing needs.

Call us for a free initial consultation at (979) 459-9888 or contact us online to get started.

What Is Estate Planning?

Your estate consists of everything you own, including your home, car, bank accounts, other real estate, furniture, investments, personal belongings, life insurance, and more. Estates can vary in size from the modest to extremely large with complicated business or investment holdings, multiple properties, expensive art or collectibles, and more.

Regardless of the size or complexity of your estate, it will be passed on when you are gone either based on the plan you implement or by state law if you do not have a valid will. An estate plan gives you control over how your assets will distributed and protects both you and your heirs when you are no longer there or when mental or physical incapacity makes it impossible for you to state your needs or desires.

Estate planning involves tools such as wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and advance healthcare directives.

These documents allow you to do the following:

• Name your heirs and beneficiaries and state what you want them to receive and when you want them to receive it
• Designate a guardian for your minor children, as well as someone to manage their inheritance
• Name a trusted person to act on your behalf in life or financial matters, should you be unable to do so
• Provide instructions as to the medical care/treatment you wish to have or not have at end of life or should you become incapacitated
• Name a trusted person to make medical decisions on your behalf when you are unable to
• Provide instructions for transferring your business upon your retirement, incapacity, or death
• Provide your wishes for funeral, burial, or cremation services
• Arrange for charitable donations or gifts which can reduce estate taxes

A well-written and comprehensive estate plan will set forth your exact wishes so no questions or misunderstandings will exist. Such a plan will do so in a way that will be the most advantageous in terms of financial consequences.

Disputing an Estate Plan

Estate planning documents must be signed by one who is of sound mind and who is not under duress. When a person is forced to sign documents that go against their best wishes for the benefit of a particular party, another beneficiary or heir can contest the documents’ validity in court.

At Rhodes Humble LLP, our attorneys have broad experience on all sides of a legal matter, including handling work for both plaintiffs and defendants. We know how estate plans operate and can help protect your rights in a dispute. Whether you are contesting a will, trust, or powers of attorney, we can assist you in seeking an outcome that not only prioritizes your best interests, but also protects your loved one’s final wishes.

Our Estate Planning Attorneys in Bryan and Cameron are Ready to Help You

No matter your age, the size of your bank accounts, or how many assets you have, an estate plan ensures that you remain in control, even in your absence. It gives your family a detailed road map of what is to occur when passing on your estate, as well as in handling other matters, such as your healthcare in a time of crisis. At Rhodes Humble LLP, we can walk you through the process and help you design the plan that is right for you, as well as help you revise, add, remove, or dispute items or clauses as your life circumstances change.

Schedule a free consultation by contacting us online or calling (979) 459-9888 today.