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Austin Will Probate Lawyer

Austin Will Probate Lawyer Jason Coomer works with executors, beneficiaries, and families to probate Wills after they have lost a loved one.  He probates Wills in Travis County, Williamson County, Bexar County, Bastrop County, Comal County, and Hays County as well as works with other lawyers across Texas including Dallas County, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Tarrant County. 

For questions on probating a Will in Texas, please e-mail Austin Will Probate Attorney Jason S. Coomer at TexasWillLawyer@texaslawyers.com or use our contact form The Law Offices of Jason S. Coomer.  Austin Will Probate Lawyer, Jason Coomer works with families, beneficiaries and executors to navigate the probate courts and get estates settled.

What Is a Will?

A Will is a written legal declaration of a person's intentions which he or she wants or wills to be performed after his or her death.  The Will makes dispositions of property, sets up trusts, and establishes guardians upon a person's death.  Under Texas law a Will must identify the Testator, be written with "testamentary intent", and be executed with requisite testamentary formalities.  It also requires that the Testator have "testamentary capacity" including being of sound mind.  A Will can be straight forward and simple or very complex depending on the estate and what the Testator wants to accomplish.  In drafting a Will a Texas lawyer will need to gather information from the Testator including estate assets; the names of beneficiaries, executors, trustees, & representatives;  and the goals of the Testator.  

How Do I Know if My Loved One Had a Will

In most situations, those close to a person will know if they had a Will and where that Will is kept.  Common places that Will are kept include safety deposit boxes, a safe, at offices, or in a home with other important documents.  In some situations, a Will can even be filed at the local court house or kept by a trusted friend or lawyer.  Wills are typically easy to spot as they typically state on them that they are the last Will and testament of the decedent.

  How Do I Know if the Will is Valid

With many do it yourself form Wills as well as people that attempt to write their own Wills, it is often difficult to know if a Will is valid or not.  It will often take a review by an experienced probate lawyer to determine if a Will is valid and will survive the probate process.

It is important to remember that in some counties including Travis County, the probate court requires the actual Will and not just a copy of the Will.  If the actual Will is not available there is a presumption that the actual Will was destroyed and revoked by the Decedent.

What Happens During the Will Probate Process

After a person dies, the Will and a death certificate need to be filed in the probate court or county court where the decedent resided when they died.  After both the Will and Death Certificate are filed with the proper court, a hearing has to held where the death of the decedent is proven, the Will is to be determined to be valid, and the executor is sworn in and appointed. 

This process is called probate a Will.  It is often helpful to have a probate lawyer assist at the executor at court in proving that the decedent actually died, the Will is valid, and the executor is qualified and able to serve as the executor.  Once the Will is probated and the executor is appointed the probate attorney assists in making sure that proper notices are given to creditors, locating assets, and preparing an inventory which needs to be filed with the court.

The Executor

An executor is the person in a Will who carries out the wishes of the decedent as is in the decedent's Will.  The Executor or executrix in female form is a legal term referring to a person named by a maker of a will, or nominated by the testator, to carry out the directions of the will. Typically the executor is the person responsible for offering the will for probate. The executor's duties include gathering and protecting the assets in an estate, obtaining information about any other potential heirs; collecting and arranging for payment of debts of the estate; notifying, approving or disapproving creditors' claims; and the disbursing property to the beneficiaries as designated in the will.  An executor also makes sure estate taxes are calculated, necessary forms are filed and tax payments made, and in all ways assists the attorney for the estate. Also the executor makes all donations as left in bequests to charitable and other organizations as directed in the will. In most circumstances the executor is the representative of the estate for all purposes, and has the ability to sue or be sued on behalf of the estate. The executor also holds legal title to the estate property, but may not use that property for the executor's own benefit unless expressly permitted by the terms of the will.

Where there is no will, a person is said to have died intestate - "without testimony". As a result, there can be no actual 'testimony' to follow, and hence there can be no executor. If there is no will or where the executors named in a will do not wish to act, an administrator of the deceased's estate may instead be appointed. The generic term for executors or administrators is personal representative.

The executor  will typically work with a lawyer to file the Will for probate, obtain letters of testament, make the necessary public notices concerning the estate, determine & protect assets, calculate liabilities of the estate, pull together an inventory of the estate, and distribute the assets to the beneficiaries.