Texas Probate Guide

About This Guide

If you are reading this, you probably have a loved one who died or you have questions about the Texas probate rules.  The grieving process can add to the challenges.  Having to learn and navigate the probate process only adds to the stress you may feel.

But the process can also be positive.  It can help bring closure and set the stage for celebrating your loved one’s life and the life that is yet to come.  

That brings us back to this Texas Probate Guide.  While we describe many of the probate rules in this guide, the guide does not cover every rule.  It summarizes and glosses over a lot of details that may be critical to a successful outcome in your probate.  This is why it is imperative that you hire a probate attorney.  

The information on this website is not a substitute for consulting with a probate attorney.  It is intended to provide an introduction to general principles for probates in Texas.  The intent is educational.  The hope is that it provides a context for further and more focused conversations with your probate attorney.

You should also know that knowing the rules is not enough for most probates to be successful.  Probate is more than rules.  There are a lot more than rules that go into probate or administering an estate in Texas.  It is everything from relationships to personal intent and goals. It has as much to do about the living as it does with the person who died.

To help you navigate through this guide, we have organized the content in the following table-of-contents format.  We have also included clickable “breadcrumbs” at the top of each page so you can come back to the table of contents.  We have also provided a link at the bottom of each page so you can continue to read the next article without having to come back to the table of contents.


Table of Contents

Chapter 1:
Preliminary Probate Matters

Chapter 2:
Pre-Filing Probate Considerations

Chapter 3:
The Initial Probate Court Proceedings

Chapter 4:
Dealing with the Decedent’s Property

Chapter 5:
Wrapping Up the Probate

Chapter 6:
Ancillary Probate

  • Ancillary Probate Out of Texas (coming soon)

Chapter 7:
Alternatives to Probate

Chapter 8:
Probate Disputes