Last Will and Testament Lawyers in Waco

What makes a Texas will hold up?

Execution formalities do most of the work. Texas has specific requirements about signing and witnessing a will, and a will that ignores them can be challenged or refused. We supervise the signing in our office, with the witnesses and the notary the statute contemplates, and we keep a record of how it was done — which matters years later if a disappointed relative decides to test it.

The other half is clarity. Wills fail in probate because they say something ambiguous, name an executor who has since died, dispose of property the person no longer owned, or ignore how retirement accounts and life insurance actually pass. We read your beneficiary designations and deeds alongside the will so the whole picture agrees with itself. That is the difference between a form and a plan.

What should I bring to the first appointment?

Bring a list of what you own and roughly what it is worth: real estate and the counties it sits in, bank and brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests, mineral interests, and any vehicles or equipment worth naming. Bring your existing will or trust if you have one, even an old one.

Then bring the people. We will ask who you want to receive property, who should serve as executor, who should be guardian of any minor children, and who should be the backup for each of those roles. Those choices are the part of the meeting only you can do; the drafting is ours. If you are also thinking about trusts or long-term care planning, say so at the outset so we can quote the whole plan at once.

What does a will not do?

A will does nothing while you are alive. If you are in the hospital and cannot sign, your will is irrelevant — the documents that matter then are your durable and medical powers of attorney. Without them your family may have to ask a court for a guardianship instead.

A will also does not avoid probate. It is the instrument the probate court applies, which is a feature, not a flaw: Texas probate is comparatively efficient when there is a clean will and an independent executor named in it. Where a family wants to keep assets out of court, or to control an inheritance over time, that is trust work, and we will explain honestly whether your situation calls for it.