Blog
Articles and updates from our family of firms on tax, probate, business, and related topics.
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Stay Pending Mandamus: When a Retroactive Deadline and an Out-of-State Doctor Nearly Decided a Texas Will Contest
A parent dies and two pieces of paper show up, each claiming to be the last word on who gets what. One child produces a will signed years ago. Someone else produces a will signed shortly before the death. Both cannot be right, and the fight that follows is rarely about money alone. It is…
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Does a Missing Penalty Computation Void an IRS Penalty?
You open your mail and an IRS notice shows up with a penalty on it. There is a dollar figure. There is a name for the penalty. What is often missing is any math showing how the IRS arrived at the penalty number. Most taxpayers assume the IRS has to show its work. And there……
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Does a Promise to Repay Made Later Turn the Money Into a Loan?
Money hits the business bank account. There is no contract, no promissory note, no invoice. Everyone involved knows what the money is for, and everyone assumes the paperwork will get sorted out later. This happens all the time in deal-driven businesses. Two people who have worked together for years agree to fund a purchase. One……
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When Heirs Go It Alone: How Briefing Mistakes, Not Probate Law, Decided This Texas Real Estate Fight
Family fights over real estate are some of the hardest cases we see. A parent dies, one child ends up with the land, and everyone else is left wondering how that happened. The suspicion is real and sometimes it is justified. But suspecting you were cheated and proving it in court are two very different…
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Did the IRS Really Mail That Notice by Certified Mail?
You file a Form 8857 asking the IRS for innocent spouse relief. Then you wait. Months go by. Nothing shows up in your mailbox. So you eventually file a petition with the U.S. Tax Court to get someone to look at your case. Then the IRS tells you that you are too late. It says……
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When a Family Member Lives in Estate Property and Refuses to Leave
A family member has lived in the house for years. Maybe a parent deeded it to someone else along the way. Maybe there was a handshake, or even a signed agreement, about buying it someday. Then the person whose name is on the deed wants the house back, and the family member refuses to go.…
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When a Probate Order Stops One Day Short: Finality and the Right to Appeal in Texas
When a court signs an order admitting a will to probate, most families assume the fight is over. Sometimes it is. But an order admitting a will can leave real questions unanswered, and if you guess wrong about whether the order was final, you can lose the right to appeal before you ever get a…
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When a Trust Sells the Farm: Right of First Refusal Pitfalls in Texas Real Property Transfers
Real Property Transfers & Texas Trust Sales can trigger legal deadlines. Learn how Texas courts handle trust sales and ROFR disputes. The post When a Trust Sells the Farm: Right of First Refusal Pitfalls in Texas Real Property Transfers appeared first on Houston Probate Attorneys.
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Signing an IRS Agreement With Missing Forms
IRS audits do happen. When they do, it seems like they drag on. But they do end. At the end of an audit, IRS auditors will almost always hand over a stack of paper. Sign here, initial there, and the case closes. The forms are dense. They almost always reference other forms. Sometimes the other……
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The IRS Has to Mail Levy Notices to the Right Address
Taxpayers move. They move their homes, they move their offices, and they file returns from whatever address they happen to be using that year. That is the way it works. The IRS is supposed to keep up. When the IRS wants to levy on a taxpayer’s property, it has to send the warning notice to……