Contested Wills in San Angelo, Texas

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in San Angelo, TX

Occasionally, family members of a recently-deceased person in San Angelo, Texas will attempt to claim that a will is invalid, normally because it leaves them out of it. This process is called a "Will contest."

Sometimes, testators leave out of their wills people who might normally expect to inherit a large portion of the testator's estate (spouses, for instance). This might lead them to assume, correctly or not, that the will was a mistake.

If the decedent was fairly well-off, their will might involve a great deal of money or property. This is one of the basic reasons, besides a general sense of exclusion, that a family member might expend the great deal of time and money necessary to contest a will.

As with the initiation of any other legal proceeding, contesting a will is a big decision. It can be time-consuming and expensivee. It also has the possibility to damage family relationships and foster strife among people who are already mourning the loss of a loved one.

When Can a Will be Contested in San Angelo, Texas?

There are many reasons that a court in San Angelo, Texas might invalidate a will.

For example, a will which was not made under the testator's own volition and free will is not valid. This means that the testator must be acting voluntarily throughout the entire process of making his will. Therefore, a will made under duress (force, or threat of force) will not be given effect. In order to show duress, you generally need to first prove that the person named in the will was in a position of trust and power over the decedent, and that they are an "unnatural beneficiary" (someone who you would not normally expect to receive a gift under a will, usually because they are not related to, or close friends with, the testator). These facts, taken alone, are never enough to definitively prove that duress occurred. They are, however, usually enough to suggest that something strange is going on, and warrant further investigation.

A will can also be rejected because the decedent was not mentally competent to draft it at the it was made. A court will look at the person's mental capacity at the time the will was made, so even if the testator is now perfectly sane, if he or she was incapacitated for whatever reason (by way of intoxication, for example) at the time the will was made, the will can still be invalidated.

If a San Angelo, Texas will is successfully challenged and therefore invalidated, there has to be some system for orderly distribution of the decedent's property. Normally, if a will is held invalid, all of the property will be treated as if the decedent had never written or will. This means that it goes to the decedent's closest living relative, or, if there are not relatives who can be located, the state.

Can a San Angelo, Texas Contested Will Attorney Help?

Contesting a will is never particularly easy or enjoyable. However, a brilliant San Angelo, Texas attorney can help take some of the burden off of you, and handle some of the most difficult aspects of this process.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in San Angelo

San Angeloa has a population of around 111,820 people. It is located in the western-central area of Texas, specifically in Tom Green County. It is home to Angelo State University. Nicknames include "Angelo," "The River City," "The Concho City," "The Pearl of the Conchos," and "The Oasis of West Texas."

Some great sites to visit include the Goodfellow Air Force Base, Fort Concho, Concho River, Twin Buttes Reservoir, O.C. Fisher Reservoir, Lake Nasworthy, and San Angelo State Park.

Some past famous residents include Matthew McConaughey, Monty McCutchen, Bram Stoker, Shea Morenz, Colleen R. LaRose and Jeff Drost.

San Angelo also has many well-established law offices and small firms that practice in practically every area of law. Thus, residents and local businesses can remain rest assured because any and every legal matter will be easily handled by San Angelo's legal force.

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