Texas Estate Planning
Attorney.
Lone Star Counsel prepares coordinated Texas estate plans for families, executives, professionals, and business owners. A complete plan can include a will, revocable living trust when appropriate, financial and medical powers of attorney, HIPAA authorization, directive to physicians, declaration of guardian, beneficiary- designation review, and business-succession coordination. The purpose is to protect the people and property you care about, reduce uncertainty during incapacity or death, and leave clear instructions rather than conflict.
What a Coordinated Texas Estate Plan May Include.
The working list below is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Every plan is scoped to the specific family, assets, and objectives — and coordinated with the client's CPA, financial advisor, insurance professional, and other advisors as appropriate. Not every plan needs every document; the right plan is the one that fits.
Last Will and Testament
Directs the disposition of assets that pass through Texas probate at death. Names an executor and, when applicable, a guardian for minor children.
Revocable Living Trust (when appropriate)
Holds assets in the name of a trustee during life, incapacity, and death. For properly funded trust assets, can avoid probate. Not every plan needs one — selection depends on the family and the assets.
Pour-Over Will (with a trust)
Directs any assets not already titled to the trust into the trust at death, so the plan captures late-acquired or overlooked property.
Durable Financial Power of Attorney
Grants a named agent authority over financial affairs during incapacity, avoiding a court-appointed guardianship for the estate.
Medical Power of Attorney
Grants a named agent authority to make medical decisions when the person cannot make or communicate them.
HIPAA Authorization
Permits designated persons to receive protected health information from providers — a coordinated document with the medical power of attorney.
Directive to Physicians (Living Will)
Records the person's wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment in end-of-life circumstances defined by statute.
Declaration of Guardian
Names the persons the individual would prefer as guardian for the estate and person in the event of later incapacity — and, separately, guardian for any minor children.
Beneficiary-Designation Review
The coordinated review of retirement accounts, insurance, annuities, transfer-on-death registrations, and other non-probate designations so they match the plan.
Estate Planning for Business Owners & Professionals.
For an owner of a Texas business, the estate plan is not a stand-alone document. It is the instrument that ties the will, the revocable trust, the company agreement, the buy-sell agreement, and the succession plan into a single, coordinated event. Getting them consistent is what turns a plan on paper into a plan in fact.
The estate plan describes the transition. The company agreement enforces it. The buy-sell agreement funds it. When they contradict each other, the transaction terms usually win at the worst possible moment.
Company-agreement coordination
The operating agreement, shareholder agreement, or partnership agreement is reviewed for transfer restrictions, consent requirements, and any conflict with the trust or estate plan.
Buy-sell alignment
The buy-sell agreement is coordinated with the estate plan so the transaction on death or disability is documented and funded — not surprised.
Successor decision-makers
The plan names successor managers, trustees, or officers with the authority to keep the business operating during incapacity or between death and administration.
Family fairness
Provisions for spouses, children active in the business, and children who are not — through non-voting interests, income beneficiary status, or coordinated life-insurance funding.
Professional-practice discipline
Physicians, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, and other licensed professionals face licensing rules that restrict who may own the practice; the estate plan is drafted around those rules, not against them.
Liquidity and tax coordination
How the estate pays taxes, debts, and expenses without forcing a distressed sale of the business — including insurance, seller-note treatment, and the timing of transfers.
When to Review an Estate Plan.
A coordinated review every 3 to 5 years, and any time one of the following occurs. The plan that fit five years ago may no longer fit today — and a plan that no longer fits is the plan that is most likely to fail at the moment it is triggered.
Marriage, divorce, or serious change in a marriage
The plan built for one household may not fit the next. Both prenuptial coordination and post-divorce review are common triggers.
Birth, adoption, or death of a beneficiary
The class of beneficiaries and the shares they receive frequently need to be revisited.
Serious illness or diagnosis in the family
Incapacity provisions, medical directives, and successor fiduciaries typically require immediate attention.
Significant change in wealth
A sale, inheritance, investment event, or material appreciation may change the plan's tax posture and the appropriate structure.
Move to or from Texas
State law drives will formalities, community-property treatment, probate procedure, and specific document requirements.
Sale, formation, or restructuring of a business
The estate plan must be re-coordinated with the new company agreement and the new succession plan.
Death of a named fiduciary
The executor, trustee, or agent named in the plan is no longer available; successors must be reviewed and, if needed, replaced.
Material change in tax, trust, or fiduciary law
Legal changes that would meaningfully affect the plan on paper are grounds to review the plan in fact.
Answers before the plan.
The most common questions we receive from Texas families and business owners, answered directly. General information only — not legal advice on your specific matter.
Leave Instructions. Not Conflict.
A well-designed estate plan protects the people and property you care about, reduces uncertainty during incapacity or death, and gives your family clear, coordinated instructions rather than a set of open questions. It is not a form — it is the plan that speaks for you when you cannot.