Estate Planning, Probate, and Guardianship

Duncan, Bressler, & Williamson, Inc.

A Successful Strategy, From the First Day of Consultation

At Duncan, Bressler, & Williamson, Inc., our attorneys have many years of experience in assisting our clients with lifetime planning, regarding the use and disposition of their estates; probate and estate administration, pertaining to the help and assistance our attorneys provide to our clients immediately following the death of a loved one; as well as trust administration, as our attorneys provide guidance and assistance to our clients in effectuating and continuing a loved one’s estate plan.

Estate Planning

For many clients, estate planning can be a sensitive and sometimes daunting task. Our attorneys, several of whom are Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, are well versed in this area of the law, and strive to make this experience a rewarding one, allowing our clients to have the comfort of knowing they have a comprehensive estate plan in place. We prepare wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, family limited partnerships, as well as powers of attorney for financial and medical treatment decisions, necessary documents for end-of-life decisions, guardianships, and burial arrangements. We structure revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, special-needs trusts, insurance trusts, and charitable trusts for lifetime transfers, and our attorneys specialize in the design and implementation of tailored wealth transfer and preservation plans that help families and individuals protect their wealth for future generations.

Probate and Estate Administration

Our attorneys are highly experienced in the representation of fiduciaries, such as Executors and Trustees, in estate and trust administration. The probate of a decedent’s will and the administration of that person’s estate can sometimes feel like an overwhelming and complex process, which it does not have to be, and it typically arises during one of the most difficult times in a client’s life. Our attorneys are understanding and experienced in guiding our clients through this process in an efficient and timely manner and we endeavor to make the probate and administration of the decedent’s estate as easy as possible. Our attorneys handle the drafting and filing of all matters before the probate court and are we able to assist our clients with the asset evaluation process, including obtaining valuations, preparing the required inventories, and preparing and filing federal estate tax returns for purposes of estate tax, as well as for portability of a deceased spouse’s unused exemption amount.

Trust Administration

Our attorneys routinely advise trustees and beneficiaries on both the legal and real-world implications of trust administration. We provide guidance on construction, interpretation, and administration of the trusts.
Our attorneys often assist both trustees and beneficiaries in understanding the terms of the trust, such that the administration of the trust remains in compliance with its terms and with applicable state and federal law. Trusts are an important tool in estate and wealth planning and a proper understanding of the trust, as well as one’s role in the administration of the trust, to maintaining harmonious relationship between the trustee and the beneficiaries. Our attorneys routinely work with the courts regarding the judicial modification of existing irrevocable trusts for tax and non-tax reasons.

Guardianships

Our attorneys stand ready to assist our clients in the establishment and administration of guardianships when necessary. Every situation is unique, and our attorneys are highly experienced in crafting the proper plan, ranging the use of powers of attorney to the opening and closing of the guardianships for minors and incapacitated adults. This can be a complex area of the law, and there are many duties relating to the role of a guardian. Our attorneys provide the necessary guidance so that a guardian can concentrate on what matters most – the care of the minor or incapacitated individual.

Duncan, Bressler, & Williamson, Inc.

Duncan, Bressler, & Williamson, Inc. offers expert representation by attorneys who are board certified in probate and estate planning, commercial real estate, residential real estate law, and oil, gas and mineral law.