The Compassion & Choices/SAGE Advance Care Planning Toolkit was developed specifically to address the unique planning needs and concerns that many LGBTQ+ adults may face. For some individuals, chosen family members, close friends, or unmarried partners—not biological relatives—are the people they trust most to make healthcare decisions. Without the proper legal documents in place, however, those trusted individuals may not automatically have the authority to act on a loved one's behalf.
Read moreMarch Is Wills & Probate Law Resources Month: A Spring Season for Planning Ahead
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March marks Wills & Probate Law Resources Month at the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library—a time to focus on organizing, planning, and preparing for the future. As we move into a new season, the Law Library invites you to treat estate planning as part of your spring reset—an investment in organization, preparedness, and care for those who matter most.
Read moreSmall Estate Affidavits
If a family member has died intestate (without a will), what are the next steps to transferring the property of the decedent’s estate? Probate can be overwhelming and an expensive process. Currently, any executor, administrator, or guardian in Harris County must be represented by counsel. What are my options if the estate is small and only consists of property that amounts to $75,000 or less? Probate may not be required in this case if the transfer of property qualifies for a Small Estate Affidavit.
Read moreThe Beat Goes On: Kerouac at 100 and the Battle Over His Estate
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March 12 marks the 100th birthday of literary legend, Jack Kerouac. Though he died in 1969, his legacy as “King of The Beats” lives on. Today, his estate is worth millions, and the complicated fight for his fortune more than 70 years after his death is still unresolved. It’s fraught with familial infighting, righteous desperation, and outright greed, as well as an allegedly suspect signature on Kerouac’s putative will.
Read moreWills and Probate Resource Month - October 2018
October is Wills and Probate Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library. All month long, you will find materials on wills, estate planning, and probate and trust administration on display in the Law Library and online.
Self-Help Guides from Nolo Press
Nolo’s Plan Your Estate is your go-to estate planning guide. With coverage of common estate planning goals, such as leaving property, providing for minors, planning for incapacity, avoiding probate, and reducing the estate tax, it is a go-to source for easy-to-understand estate planning information. Another useful Nolo resource is Estate Planning Basics. Both of these Nolo titles can be found in our Self-Help Collection in the Law Library. For assistance in finding these guides, please ask a member of the reference staff.
TexasLawHelp Wills & Estate Planning
TexasLawHelp.org is an incredibly useful online legal research tool for the general public. Take a look at their Wills & Estate Planning resources for information about filing a small estate affidavit, a transfer on death deed, or an affidavit of heirship. Also find a link to the Texas Probate Passport, a publication of the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association.
Harris County Law Library Research Guides
Visit our Research Guides page to download a free copy of our Probate, Trusts, and Estates Research Guide. This topical guide helps you quickly find the most practical resources available at the Law Library, including the Texas Probate System, a State Bar of Texas publication, and O’Connor’s Texas Probate Law Handbook (both of which are pictured above).Ask for these and other titles at the Law Library reference desk.