To set up a living trust in Texas, you decide what the trust should do, choose your beneficiaries and a trustee, sign a written trust agreement, and then move your assets into the trust. A revocable living trust lets you keep control of your property during your lifetime and can let the assets it holds pass to your family without probate. At The Patterson Law Firm, estate planning packages with a revocable living trust and a will start at $2,000. This guide walks through each

A limited power of attorney, also called a special power of attorney, gives someone authority to handle one specific task, or a narrow set of tasks, on your behalf. It is the right tool when you need help with something particular, not ongoing control of your finances. What a Limited Power of Attorney Does You, the principal, name a person you trust, called your agent, and spell out exactly what they can do. Your agent can act only within the authority you list. Common uses i

Find out exactly when probate is not necessary in Texas. Learn about non-probate assets, muniment of title, small estate affidavits, and surviving spouse rules.

A Lady Bird Deed is the most common way Texas families keep a home out of Medicaid estate recovery, but it is not a universal shield. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains what it does, what it does not, and when timing matters.

Most people put off asking their parents about a will because they don't know how to start. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson gives you the questions to ask, the timing that works, and what to do if they shut it down.

High income, career-long liability exposure, and a practice that is also the family's income source make estate planning different for Texas clinicians. Dallas attorney Caleb Patterson explains what a complete plan covers, and what it does not.

Leaving money directly to a child with a disability can cost them the benefits they rely on. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains how a special needs trust protects an inheritance without disrupting eligibility.

Texas is a community property state with no elective share, so a will controls less than most people assume. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains what you can and cannot direct, and what a surviving spouse keeps regardless.

Texas business owners face a different set of estate planning risks than everyone else. Dallas attorney Caleb Patterson explains the two layers every business owner needs, and what happens if you skip them.

A pour-over will is the document that catches everything you forgot to put in your trust. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains how it works and why every trust needs one.

Texas gives property owners two ways to pass real estate outside probate, and they are not interchangeable. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson compares the Lady Bird Deed and the Transfer on Death Deed side by side.

Texas property owners have multiple ways to pass real estate to their children without probate. Lady Bird Deeds, Transfer on Death Deeds, and revocable trusts each work differently. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains your options.

Estate planning in Dallas starts at $1,000 for a flat-fee will package. Dallas attorney Caleb Patterson explains what's included, what drives cost up, and why flat fees beat hourly billing for families.

In Texas, a power of attorney that isn't "durable" ends the moment you become incapacitated, exactly when you need it most. Dallas attorney Caleb Patterson explains durable power of attorney and whether you need one.

Texas intestacy law doesn't treat every heir the same. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson breaks down the special rules for adopted children, stepchildren, and children born outside of marriage, plus the 120-hour survival rule, disclaimers, and advancements that apply when there's no will.

Most Texas families need both a will and a trust, but the right answer depends on what you own and who you're leaving it to. Dallas estate planning attorney Caleb Patterson explains the difference in plain terms.

Learn how to protect your relationship and assets through wills, powers of attorney, and LGBTQ+ estate planning with The Patterson Law Firm in Dallas.

Learn the drawbacks of Lady Bird Deeds in Texas, including issues with multiple beneficiaries and title challenges. Find out if this estate planning tool is right for you.

Discover the power of Lady Bird Deeds in Texas estate planning. Control, flexibility, and Medicaid benefits are explained here.

Texas is one of only nine community property states in the U.S. — and that distinction changes everything about how married couples own assets, plan their estates, and pass down wealth to their heirs. What you earn during marriage may not be entirely yours to give away, and what you owned before might not be fully protected. Understanding where the line falls between community and separate property isn't just a legal technicality. For Texas spouses, it's the foundation of eve