Texas Estate Administration From Start to Finish
Credits Available
| Credit | Status | Total | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas CLE |
|
6.75 Total | 04-30-2026 |
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Overview
A Comprehensive Step-By-Step Guide to Estate Administration
Whether you're new to estate administration or need a basic refresher, this course will provide you with a comprehensive overview of estate administration, including proper asset valuation and distribution, taxation, and account closing procedures. You'll also learn how to correctly deal with thorny estate administration debt issues, including jointly held assets, business ownership and complex tax issues. Equip yourself with real-life, practical knowledge to ensure you are fully prepared to handle the entire estate administration process from start to finish - register today!
- Learn how to meet every deadline, follow procedures, and complete essential forms.
- Identify key estate administration pitfalls you need to avoid.
- Come away with helpful forms, sample documents, and checklists to assist in the process.
- Acquire strategies to ensure you can help your clients through every step of the probate process.
- Manage your client's entire estate administration procedures properly and effectively.
- Learn how to tackle complex estate administration issues such as tax issues, jointly held assets, and will contests.
- Understand how to properly transfer and distribute assets.
- Explore proper procedures and processes when dealing with insurance claims and debt during estate administration.
- Gain a better understanding of the probate court's procedures so that you can avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.
- Get the latest information on allowances and elections against the will.
- Identify how to properly distribute assets to minors, surviving spouses and trusts.
Abbreviated Agenda
- Commencement of Proceedings and Information Gathering
- Initial Steps to the Estate Administration Process
- Handling Estate Administration Tax Issues
- Distribution and Closing of the Estate
- Marshalling Assets
- Complex Issues in Estate Administration
- Handling Creditor Claims and Debt
- Ethics and Estate Administration
Credit Details
Credits Available
| Credit | Status | Total | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas CLE |
|
6.75 Total | 04-30-2026 |
Select Jurisdiction
CLE
Agenda
-
Commencement of Proceedings and Information Gathering
- Appointment of Estate Administration
- Formal vs. Informal Proceedings
- Sample Letters of Authority
- First Meeting With Family or Designated Personal Representative and Determination of Heirs
- Written Fee Agreements
- Tips to Locate Information Quickly Using Online and Government Resources
- Dealing with Multiple States
- Appointment of Estate Administration
-
Initial Steps to the Estate Administration Process
- Understanding the Laws of Intestacy
- Sample Estate Administration Checklists, Forms and Required Notices Needed
- Interpreting Provisions and Terms of Art Found in Wills
- Using Disclaimers Correctly
-
Handling Estate Administration Tax Issues
- Examples of Forms Needed
- Federal and State Estate Tax Considerations
- Income Tax Issues for the Estate and the Heirs
- Resolving Disputes With Taxing Authorities
- Deductions and Exemptions
- How the Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Affects Your Clients
- Tax Deadlines and Handling Extensions
- Sales of Real Property
-
Distribution and Closing of the Estate
- Sample Forms, Agreements and Documents Needed
- Proper Transferring and Distribution of Probate and Non-Probate Assets and Timing of Distributions
- Real Estate
- 401Ks, IRAs, Pensions and Life Insurance Policies
- Distribution of Miscellaneous Assets (Automobiles, Jewelry, Etc.)
- Distributions in Kind
- Distribution to Minors, Surviving Spouse and Trusts
- Disposition of Unclaimed Assets
- Proper Settlement of the Estate
- Formal and Informal Estate Accountings
- Choosing the Appropriate Closing Procedure
- Compensation and Discharge of the Personal Representative
-
Marshalling Assets
- Procedures to Locating and Marshalling Probate and Non-Probate Assets
- Safe Deposit Boxes and Bank Accounts
- Real Estate
- Brokerage Accounts, 401Ks, IRAs, Pensions and Life Insurance Policies
- Sample Forms and Documents Needed
- Appraisers and Valuing the Property of Probate Estates
- Procedures to Locating and Marshalling Probate and Non-Probate Assets
-
Complex Issues in Estate Administration
- Jointly Held Assets
- Spousal Claims
- Allowances and Elections Against the Will
- Handling Unmarried Couples and Stepchildren
- Will Contests, Trust and Estate Disputes
- Business Ownership
- Agency Problems Involving Guardianships, Conservatorships, Powers of Attorney or Other Agency Relationships
-
Handling Creditor Claims and Debt
- Sample Forms and Required Notices Needed
- Priority and Payment of Claims
- Late Claims and Contested Claims
- Steps to Ensure all Debt is Located and Handled Correctly
- What if the Assets Don't Cover the Bills?
- Bankruptcy and Foreclosure
- Selling of Assets and Properly Dealing with Creditors
-
Ethics and Estate Administration
- Breach of Fiduciary Responsibility
- Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
- Attorney-Client Privilege
- Fee Agreements
Who Should Attend
This basic level online seminar is designed for professionals who want to be more effective in the estate administration process, such as:
- Attorneys
- CPAs and Accountants
- Paralegals
- Wealth Managers
- Tax Professionals
- Trust Officers
Speakers
Speaker bio
Don D. Ford, III
is the managing partner with the law firm of Ford + Bergner LLP, and is board-certified in estate planning and probate. He has lectured to various professional groups on tax and estate planning, probate, and guardianships topics, and practices exclusively in these areas. In 2014, Mr. Ford was appointed by the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court to serve as a commissioner on the Judicial Branch Certification Commission as a subject-matter expert in the area of guardianships. Additionally, he served from 2006 to 2014 on the Texas Guardianship Certification Board, where he served as the vice-chair of the committee and chaired the Rules Committee. Mr. Ford has also served on the editorial board of the Houston Lawyer Magazine, and the Board of Trustees for the Houston Lawyer Referral Service. He is a member of the Probate, Trusts and Estates sections of both the Houston and Dallas bar associations. Mr. Ford earned his B.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Baylor University, and worked on his Masters in taxation while in law school.
Speaker bio
Neha Paymaster
is an associate attorney at Eccles & McIntosh, PC, where her practice is focused on estate planning, probate, trusts and guardianship. Ms. Paymaster assists clients in drafting wills, trusts, disability documents, marital agreements, and family settlement agreements. She aids clients through the probate process and helps them navigate their role as the personal representative of an estate. Ms. Paymaster is certified to handle guardianship cases in Texas. She also serves as an attorney ad litem on heirship and guardianship cases in Travis County. Ms. Paymaster is currently serving as the chair of the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Austin Bar Association. She also serves on the Board of the Travis County Women Lawyer's Association as the publicity co-chair, and is a committee member of the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association Mentor/Mentee Program. Ms. Paymaster earned her B.S. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and her J.D. degree from Baylor University Law School. She recently spoke on a panel for the Travis County Women Lawyers' November 2020 luncheon on the topic of "Estate Planning and Wills: All You Need to Know" in 2020.
Speaker bio
Thais Amaral Tellawi
is a managing partner with the law firm of Amaral Tellawi Law, where she focuses her practice on estate planning, including wills, trusts, guardianship, and probate. Ms. Tellawi represents individuals, families and business owners. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Attorneys in Tax and Probate, and she is an estate planning instructor at Rice University. Ms. Tellawi earned her B.A. degree from the University of Houston and her J.D. degree from Texas Southern University.
Speaker bio
Terry L. Garrett
works in elder, estate, special needs planning, guardianship, and probate at The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC, in Austin, Texas. She is a certified elder law attorney. Ms. Garrett graduated with honors from Cornell University; was on the dean's list at Wharton; earned the Parker Award and a Mellon Fellowship at Columbia University School of Law; and did post-graduate work at Harvard. She serves on the Board of the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Federal Advocacy Committee of Elder Law Attorneys. Ms. Garrett presents for the Alzheimer's Association, has taught for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Central Texas.
Speaker bio
Christopher J. Snyder
is a Partner at Carpenter & Associates. The early part of his career was spent in a small civil and family law practice. While this was not the type of law he wanted to make his career in, Mr. Snyder dove into practice to gain more time in the courtroom representing clients. While spending his days in the courtroom, many nights and weekends were spent drafting filings and assisting a nationally acclaimed commercial and securities litigation attorney. This opportunity gave Mr. Snyder experience on large litigation cases, exposing him to advanced litigation techniques. Dedicated to becoming a trial attorney, he represented clients in matters that were resolved by simple negotiation all the way to full trials. Mr. Snyder now takes this experience in the courtroom and combines it with his knowledge of business to his own law firm, focusing on serving North Texas clients in commercial and consumer litigation. He earned his B.S. degree from California State Polytechnic University and his J.D. degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law. Mr. Snyder is a member of the Texas Bar Association and he is admitted to practice in Texas.
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