Our Fees and Who We Work With

We focus on large and complex Texas probate estates and disputes. That focus only means something if we are direct about who we are built for.

Probate is not one kind of work. A small affidavit and a contested administration involving ranch land, a family business, and a will challenge are different jobs requiring different attention. Firms that take both tend to treat the complex matter like the simple one.

We made a choice. We staff for the harder cases, we handle probate every day across the state, and we do not take matters that a smaller practice can handle well. Telling you that up front saves you a consultation you did not need and saves us from giving your case less than it requires.

Where we fit

• Estates with real property in more than one Texas county
• Mineral interests and oil and gas royalties
• Ranch, farm, and commercial property
• Family businesses and ownership interests that have to be valued or transferred
• Out-of-state executors and heirs handling a Texas estate from another state
• Multi-state estates requiring ancillary probate in Texas
• Will contests, capacity and undue influence claims, and disputes over who serves as executor
• Breach of fiduciary duty and trustee disputes
• Dependent administrations and contested heirship proceedings
• Estates requiring a federal estate tax return
• Matters another attorney started that now need to be corrected

Where we are not the right firm

We are not the right choice for a single small bank account, a vehicle title transfer, a basic survivorship affidavit, or a straightforward estate with one modest asset and no disagreement among the heirs. Those matters are real and they deserve good help. They do not need us, and paying our rates for them would not serve you.

If that is your situation, tell us on the first call. We will point you to resources or to an attorney who handles that work.

How we charge

For probate administrations, we bill hourly against a retainer and give you an estimate of the likely cost once we understand the estate.

For contested matters and litigation, we bill hourly against a retainer, because neither we nor anyone else can predict what the other side will do.

For some disputes involving recovery of estate assets, we consider contingent or hybrid arrangements. Ask on the first call.

What is never included in an attorney’s fee

Court and clerk filing fees. Publication and citation costs. Ad litem fees in cases with no will. Bonds. Appraisals. Recording fees for real property. These are paid to the court and to third parties, not to us, and the estate can usually reimburse whoever advances them.

The first call

A short call, no charge, with an attorney. We will ask what the estate holds, who the heirs are, and whether anyone disagrees. By the end of it you will know whether we are a fit and roughly what the matter will cost.

We would rather tell you no on the first call than take a case that is wrong for both of us.