Law Office of David L. Howell

2.  You will want to collect the data needed to prepare the estate plan.  This includes information about your family, your property, and whom you want to be in charge of things when you're gone.  It may also include your health care decisions such as whether you want to have heroic measures taken in the event of your sustaining an irreversible injury.  


Click the button below for a free PDF planner document which you can fill in and collect the information I (or any estate attorney) will need to prepare your estate plans.

The Estate Planning Process

Business and Estate Planning attorneY, Admitted in Texas and California,
BASED IN austin, SERVING lakeway, bee caves, westlake Hills and all of texas

3.  We should meet to discuss your estate planning needs.  We have several options for this.  As I work out of my home, we can meet:


  • In your home (during evening or weekend hours, if you prefer, at no additional cost) 
  • At your office (again, evening or weekends are OK) 
  • In a local conference room 
  • Via Skype


You should assume that this initial meeting will take 60 to 90 minutes for me to familiarize myself with you and your estate planning needs, make sure I understand all of the relevant details, explain what I will be doing next, answer your questions, etc.


4.  I draft the documents and send you drafts for your review.  I prefer to send electronic versions but if you need paper, let me know.  You take some time to review the documents and we schedule a final meeting.  This last meeting should be in person if you want me to notarize the documents.  Please note that pursuant to Texas Estates Code Section 251.051, two witnesses are necessary for a will.  I can act as one of the witnesses, but a second adult, not "interested' in the estate (i.e. not a person who will benefit from the estate) is needed.  A neighbor or co-worker will be fine for this.  At this point, your estate plan is complete and valid.  All that is left is retitling assets into the trust.


5.  I prepare copies of the documents and deliver the originals and a copy to you.  I retain a copy for my records.


6.  I send letters to the title insurance companies for any policies of title insurance on any real properties in Texas to make sure their policy will continue in effect if the property is transferred into a living will.


7.  Assuming your title insurance companies are on board, you mail in any deeds, along with the recording fee, to the County Recorder for any counties in which you have real property.  Then you work to retitle your other assets into the name of the trust.  Remember that while these other titling efforts are not included in the base package price for an estate planning package, I can help you with this for an additional fee.  Clicking the button below will bring up a memorandum on how to retitle various kinds of assets.

The process of drafting an estate plan is pretty straightforward.  I try to make it as convenient as possible with the use of telephone, video conference, evening and weekend appointments, etc.   It begins with the client deciding to get an estate plan in the first place.  If you're reading this, you have either made that decision or are leaning that way.  So, now what?  This page will describe the process steps in our collaborative effort to prepare your estate plan.


1.  Please contact my office and let me know you are looking for an estate plan.  A quick phone call can help to guide you down the best path.  Click the button below to go straight to my contact page where you can send an email or find my phone number.  I look forward to hearing from you: