Contested Wills in Richardson, Texas

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Richardson, TX

Sometimes, family members of a recently-deceased person in Richardson, 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."

Occasionally, testators leave out of their wills people who might normally expect to inherit a large portion of the testator's estate (spouses, for example). 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 major 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.

Bringing legal action against anyone, let alone a family member, is not a decision that you should rush into. Contesting a will, particularly if another family member stands to lose out if you are successful in the contest, can permanently alter or even destroy family relationships. Evidently, this is something to consider.

When Can a Will be Contested in Richardson, Texas?

Courts in Richardson, Texas will not let a person contest a will unless they have an excellent reason. There are, nonetheless, some allegations which will always invalidate a will, if they are proven.

For instance, if the will was obtained through duress (threat of some kind of harm), then it is invalid. Duress, however, is difficult to prove. If a named beneficiary was in some position of power or trust with the decedent, and is not someone who one would ordinarily expect to get a large gift in a will, that might raise considerable initial suspicion of something improper happening. Of course, those facts alone are not nearly enough to prove duress.

Another fact that might invalidate a will is the mental incompetence of the testator. Wills must be a product of a person's volition. A will cannot be honestly voluntary unless the testator knows what they're doing. Therefore, if the testator is mentally incompetent at the time he or she makes the will, the will cannot take effect. You should be aware, however, that this test applies at the time the will is made. So, if the testator is not mentally competent at the time of death, but was when the will was made, the will is valid.

If you successfully contest the will in Richardson, Texas, the court will likely distribute the property as if the decedent had died without a will. This usually involves giving it to the closest living relative. While the exact intestacy schemes (the order in which property is distributed to relatives) vary from state to state, they are usually pretty similar. If possible, the property will go to the decedent's spouse, and if the decedent has any minor children with that spouse, it is with the understanding that the money will be used primarily for their care. If the decedent did not have children or a spouse (or outlived them), the property typically goes to the decedent's parents. If neither of them are alive, it goes to grand children, grandparents, or siblings. After that, it typically goes to cousins, nieces/nephews, step-children, former spouses, etc. Intestacy laws provide a line of succession long enough that just about anyone will leave at least one person behind who is entitled to inherit from them, even if they're an extremely distant relation. Sometimes, however, people make multiple wills, to account for the many personal and financial changes that normally happen during a person's life. Normally, the most recent will purports to revoke all past wills, to avoid any conflict between them. In such cases, if a will is entirely invalidated, a court can sometimes revive the second most recent will.

Can a Richardson, Texas Contested Will Attorney Help?

Contesting a will is often hard, and never fun. However, the entire process can be made more bearable if you have the help of a reliable Richardson, Texas attorney, and the process will probably be much more manageable.

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

Life in Richardson

With a population of just 100,000 residents, Richardson, Texas is one popular place to live. Located in Dallas and Collin Counties, Richardson comprises 28.6 square miles and is easily accessible from the Dallas Fort Worth airport. Business Week recently recognized Richardson as one of the top cities to raise kids in Texas.

Known as the "Telecomm Corridor," Richardson is home to over 5,000 thriving businesses, many of which are the world's top telecommunications providers including: ATT, Verizon, Cisco Systems, Samsung, and Fujistsu. Not surprisingly, Richardson has been ranked one of the top cities to work for commuters.

In addition to telecommunications, Richardson is also home to some top lawyers. Trained locally and out of state, Richardson lawyers are some of the best in the business and enjoy living and working in the wonderful city of Richardson. Richardson lawyers are skilled in a range of practice areas and always available to help their local client with whatever legal issue he or she is dealing with.

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