Blog
Articles and updates from our family of firms on tax, probate, business, and related topics.
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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……
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When a Will Contest Is Filed in the Wrong Texas Court After a Probate Transfer
Learn how a statutory probate bill of review can challenge Texas probate orders, transfer disputes, and probate jurisdiction rulings in court. The post When a Will Contest Is Filed in the Wrong Texas Court After a Probate Transfer appeared first on San Antonio Probate Attorneys.
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When a Trust Says “Mandated” but Means Discretionary: A Creditor’s Failed Garnishment
A spendthrift trust is supposed to be a wall. Someone sets up a trust for a family member, adds language saying creditors cannot touch it, and the money stays out of reach even if the beneficiary gets sued and loses. That is the whole point. But a wall is only as good as the words…
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When a Trustee Ignores the Trust: How Texas Courts Use Receivers to Enforce a Settlor’s Clear Intent
Family ranch disputes have a way of outlasting everyone’s patience. Someone dies, land is left behind, old grievances resurface, and the person holding the pen as trustee often turns out to be one of the beneficiaries with something to gain from delay. Years pass. Nothing gets sold. Nothing gets divided. The estate grinds to a…
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When the Seller Dies Before the Deal Closes: Membership Interest Sales, Guaranties, and the Estate’s Right to Collect
Most probate work involves the assets you can see. A house, a bank account, a retirement plan, a stack of savings bonds in a safe deposit box. But some of the most valuable things an estate owns are not things at all. They are promises. A buyer who still owes money on a deal. A…