Daisetta, TX Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

No, you do not need to leave anything to any of your children. However, you must mention them in your will. Therefore, for example, "I have four children, namely A, B, C, and D. I give my entire estate to E and F." If you want, you could even throw in, "I give nothing to my issue." Don't put in your reasons.

If you, as the Administrator, are represented by an attorney then your attorney should properly advise you about your duties. If you feel like your attorney has not properly advised you, you should feel free to contact your attorney and express that you are feeling unsure about your duties and responsibilities as Administrator. If you are still not satisfied after speaking with your attorney, you might be well-served to consult with another attorney. Unfortunately, some attorneys advertise that they practice probate law, when the reality is that they do so very infrequently and are not as familiar with probate law as they should be. You should ensure that your probate attorney is experienced in probate law and that probate is a main practice area, not just an occasional practice area. If you are not represented by an attorney, you are responsible to understand your duties and responsibilities on your own. In Clark County, Nevada, the Court will not provide you with any documents or forms describing your duties. Title 12 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (Chapters 132-156) governs probate law and procedure in Nevada. You should review and become familiar with the requirements of these Chapters, though this may be a daunting task for a non-attorney. Accepting the position of Administrator requires you to perform your duties properly, whether you are represented by an attorney or not. If you fail to perform your duties properly, you could subject yourself to personal liability for any harm caused to the estate. Though it is possible to perform your role as Administrator without an attorney, you would be well-served to retain an experienced probate attorney who will help you understand your duties and responsibilities and will ensure that the probate administration is performed properly and quickly.

Yes. You can set up multiple living trusts. However, what I have done in the past is to set up one living trust, and then have multiple irrevocable sub trusts. Each sub trust provides that upon a sale of the asset (i.e. real property) that the trust owns, unless a 1031 exchange occurs, the Irrevocable sub trust is terminated. The sole beneficiary of the irrevocable sub trust is the primary revocable living trust. If you (i.e. the trustee) want to buy one or more other properties, you just create a new irrevocable sub trust. I first began using this method with a client who owned multiple preschools, and the real property upon which they were located. Even with insurance, there is substantial risk of liability based upon the acts of employees, or just rumors about the school. In the 1980's commercial trustees lobbied for changes in the liability of trustees of California trust estates following changes in the law that required remediation of contaminated real property in California. Commercial trustees found themselves with unlimited liability when they merely held title to a parcel of real property that had been leased to a company that caused the contamination, or upon which contamination had migrated. There were others who were responsible for the contamination, but in many cases the companies not longer existed or did not have the resources to perform the remediation and filed bankruptcy.