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What Your Will Can and Can Not Do (Hint: It's Not a Magic Wand)
July 12th, 2021
A will is a legally binding directive stating who will receive much of your property upon your death. Having a will allows you to appoint a legal representative or executor to carry out your bequests and name a guardian for your children. If you die…
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Successfully Avoiding Probate Court
June 28th, 2021
Many people have been told that it is important for people to “avoid probate.” Just because people may have heard that term, that doesn’t mean they know exactly what probate means, why it can be a problem, or how to successfully avoid it. In th…
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The Process of Probate
May 10th, 2021
When someone passes away, there is an often-lengthy legal procedure. This involves a court overseeing the process of authenticating the will, reviewing the deceased’s assets, paying outstanding debts, and distributing the remaining property to the…
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Should You Add Your Child’s Name to Your Bank Account?
May 3rd, 2021
Even if you wanted to have another party available to keep track of bills when you’re sick or away, adding a child’s name to a bank account may be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Doing so may have unintended consequences for both you and the…
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Legal Grounds for Contesting a Will
March 29th, 2021
When a loved one dies with a well thought-out will, we think it should be easy to handle the estate. The will lays out who is to receive the person’s property and which person (called the executor (or the personal representative in Florida)) wi…
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Categories: Probate
What is the Role of a Probate Attorney?
December 28th, 2020
Whether you are the executor or an heir of the probate estate, knowing the lawyer’s role is one of the first steps you should take at the beginning of the probate process. One of the biggest sources of conflict in probating the estate is understand…
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Are Handwritten Wills Valid?
June 30th, 2019
Maybe it was Patti LaBelle who asked, “Hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?”* But it seems it was Aretha Franklin who has left even more compelling questions after her death regarding what will happen to her estate based on three separate handwritten…
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Wrongful Death and Your Estate
February 6th, 2018
Most people have heard about personal injury lawsuits (and we’ve almost all seen the commercials). Someone brings these lawsuits when he is injured, for example, due to someone else’s negligent or intentional act. The damages are, in essence, int…
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Tags: Florida
Probate as a Puzzle: Understanding What You've Been Told to Avoid
July 11th, 2017
The probate process in Florida has garnered quite a negative reputation as lengthy, expensive, and sometimes bitter. In some instances, that reputation is deserved. Then again, just one bad experience can sully a lot of people’s opinions, especiall…
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Attorney Jana McCreary
Houston Estate Planning Attorney Jana R. McCreary has been an attorney for over twenty years, a career move she made after working for over a decade with adults and children with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Graduating summa cum laud… Read More