Guardianship

Lately it seems as if stories about Britney Spears and her attempts to end her California conservatorship have appeared in every tabloid in America. Endlessly.   While the Britney stories make for great voyeuristic reading, they also serve a bigger purpose: they shine a bright spotlight on the right and wrong ways to end a conservatorship. In Texas, a conservatorship is called a guardianship. A Texas guardianship can be ended by several...

Don't Lose the Original Will Wills only take legal effect when the person who made the will dies and the will is admitted to probate. Probate is a legal process where a court hears evidence to prove that the will is valid and should be given legal effect.  Normally this requires that the original will ( not a copy) be filed with the clerk of the court. Most wills are self-authenticating,...

It is easy to criticize a state government, but we should also give credit where it is due. Texas has been recognized as a model for other states for its Guardianship Abuse Fraud and Exploitation Deterrence Program. That is guardianship reform, folks, and it is a good thing.  The population of Texans 65+ is projected to double to 6 million by 2030. Since 2014, the Texas Judicial Council has been studying guardianship...

The rich and famous are not immune from guardianship, and neither are you. Take, for example, Buzz Aldrin. His guardianship case was in the news in 2018 not only because of his fame but also because of the unusual counteraction that he took:  he sued back. The contretemps started in a Florida court when two of Aldrin’s three children and his business manager filed a guardianship action against Aldrin.  Aldrin, age 88, responded...