"Our Estate Planning & Probate team is one of the largest and most experienced in South Texas, capable of addressing any estate planning issue that may arise for individuals, families and businesses. We bring the utmost experience, confidence and expertise of a legal professional with the sincerity, compassion and integrity of a trusted friend.”
Martin I. Roos
Chief Operating Officer, Shareholder, and
Estate Planning & Probate Practice Group Leader
Our Estate Planning & Probate team is one of the largest and most experienced in South Texas, capable of addressing any estate planning issue that may arise for individuals, families and businesses. We bring the utmost experience, confidence and expertise of a legal professional with the sincerity, compassion and integrity of a trusted friend.
Our Expertise
Estate Planning Our attorneys assist individuals and families achieve their unique goals by utilizing our extensive collective expertise in implementing various planning techniques which are categorized as follows: Testamentary Planning; Lifetime Planning; Life Insurance Planning; value Shifting and Tax Reduction; Employee Benefits/Retirement Planning; Charitable Planning; Planning for Children; and Defensive Planning.
Within each category, there are many techniques, one or more of which we may draw on to address the unique needs of our clients. The appropriate techniques are then coordinated to minimize or eliminate, to the extent possible, the Federal gift and estate tax, as well as accomplish the non-tax objectives of our clients.
Our Estate Planning attorneys have developed a specialty of creating, funding, and advising tax-exempt entities and members of their Boards of Directors. We have also developed unique means by which for-profit enterprises and tax exempt operations can support one another and the community.
Our attorneys also work with the owners of closely-held businesses, not only in the implementation of the business, but also with business succession planning and if necessary the restructuring of the business. We help owners of closely-held businesses to identify and address issues to ensure maximum, long term benefits.
Estate and Trust Administration Our attorneys also address an equally broad spectrum of issues relating to advising the family and the implementation of the estate plans upon the death of a family member. We provide probate, trust and estate administration services, handle guardianships and guardianship estate administration. Our services are personalized to the individuals who have lost family members. We prepare gift and estate tax returns and aggressively represent our clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Appeals Court, Tax Court and Federal District Court to reduce or eliminate gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxation.
Trust and Estate Litigation Our attorneys represent both individual and corporate fiduciaries as well as beneficiaries and other interested parties in disputes relating to trust and estate administrations, guardianships and tax matters involving trusts and estates.
We have experience in will contests, trust modifications, fiduciary obligations and questions arising in trust, estate, and guardianship matters.
We also provide counsel to individuals, trustees, estate administrators, and guardians to avoid litigation wherever possible. In doing so, we have significant experience in negotiating and drafting settlement agreements to resolve differences within families and businesses as well as between taxpayers and taxing authorities.
Contact Us
Our goal is to serve you and answer any questions you might have. Contact an Estate Planning Probate attorney by clicking here.
Estate Planning Forms
Click here to download the Estate Planning Questionaire (PDF)
Click here to download the Estate Planning Instructions (PDF)
(You may need Acrobat Reader) 
Click here to download the Estate Planning Questionnaire Word Document.