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The 2019 inaugural North Texas Probate Bench Bar conference was a huge success, which spurred the desire for an even better 2020 Bench Bar conference. The conference came about as the result of an ambitious group of young lawyers in the North Texas area who wanted to create an opportunity for the attorney and the judges practicing in the Probate Courts to come together and participate in continuing education while also enjoying the camaraderie of a tight-knit group of attorneys. …

In 2019, the lawyers practicing Estate, Trust, and Guardianship law in North Texas (including Dallas, Collin, Tarrant, Denton, and the surrounding counties) developed an idea to have a joint continuing education program for the attorneys and the judiciary in those counties to come together and learn about the new developments in the practice of law affecting the courts and the lawyers. The conference was such a success that the 2020 program is already planned and quickly approaching. For this year’s …

In the increasingly litigious society in which we live, the incidents of attorneys being sued for malpractice has significantly increased. Attorneys practicing in the estate, trust, and guardianship arenas have not escaped this increasing scrutiny. In most instances, a claim against an attorney arises out of the belief that the attorney has failed to uphold the standards expected of average attorneys practicing estates, trust, and guardianship. Said another way, the attorney provided a lower quality of service to his client …

In too many instances, the older generation of a family who worked hard to build a business fails to consider the family challenges that occur when the older family members die and leave the family company to the next generation. This issue has arisen in two recent complicated cases at Ford + Bergner. Both cases involve large, multi-million dollar family companies run primarily by one of the founder’s children, and as a result of the founder’s death, the other children …

If you are like many people around the world, you are enjoying your summer break. Whether you are someone who uses this break to do some serious house cleaning or if you just hope to do enough cleaning to get rid of some of the things you accumulated over the spring, you are no doubt evaluating what all you need to accomplish this summer.  The list of things on your summer to-do list may be long, but we hope there …

Many people do not want to go above and beyond to learn more about estate planning, Wills, trusts, etc. This should not be a surprise because many of us do not want to think about dying and what will happen after we are gone. However, this is still an important topic of discussion. When you have people depending on you, you do not want to leave them in a state of confusion after your death.  We want you to be …

Making an estate plan can be an overwhelming prospect for many people due to the various factors that must be taken into account during this process. However, taking the time for proper estate planning can ensure that you are looked after during your final days, and that your heirs are taken care of once you are gone. To ensure a successful estate plan, here are a few things you should consider including in your estate planning that you may not …

There are several inaccurate beliefs by many people when it comes to estate planning, trusts, probate, etc. We hear many of those inaccuracies when we talk with clients. Here are a few of the estate planning myths I hear often: Myth 1: I Am Still Young, So I Do Not Need To Think About It We are all aware of how uncertain and unpredictable life can be.  Anyone can experience significant illness or another health issue at any given moment. …

There are two main types of strategies when it comes to estate planning and ensuring as much money gets from you to your beneficiaries as possible. The first strategy is to make accounts that are as tax-sheltered as possible so the transfer from you to the recipient goes mostly untaxed. The second strategy is to reduce your estate over time so the remaining estate doesn’t qualify for the larger tiers of taxation. Both strategies are valid, and a combination of …

Even at their most basic, a last will and testament is a complicated document. Every last detail needs to be specific and inarguable. That’s almost impossible to do, no matter how diligent the people involved are in ironing out the details. Whether you’re the executor of a loved one’s estate, a primary beneficiary, or you’re considering how to organize your own will and testament, look out for these five common areas of miscommunication. 1. Unspecific recipients Legal jargon is specific …