Wills, Trusts & Estates

Texas Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Services Attorneys

At Mills Shirley, L.L.P., we provide comprehensive estate planning and administration to clients who want to assure their wishes are carried out when they pass away. The attorneys in our Wills, Trusts & Estates group understand that every individual has unique needs and desires when it comes to estate planning. Due to our firm's commitment to developing personal relationships, we take the time to get to know each client, learn what they want to achieve, and work with them to develop an estate plan that will meet our client's goals.

Our estate planning services only begin with estate planning. We structure and prepare wills and other estate planning documents, including durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, testamentary trusts, living trusts, and Miller Trusts (for Medicaid patients), as well as providing succession planning for the family businesses.

Once all the estate-planning issues have been handled, Mills Shirley, L.L.P. will continue to advise trust and estate fiduciaries and beneficiaries through the administration and final distribution of the estate or trust, including preparation of estate tax returns and state inheritance tax return.

If a will or trust is contested, our attorneys will help negotiate a settlement, and if a fair compromise cannot be reached, our attorneys will go to court to seek a fair distribution of the estate.

If you live in the Galveston, Houston, or San Antonio area (including, anywhere in East Texas), and need an attorney who specializes in estate planning, please contact Mills Shirley, L.L.P. to put our 150 years of client dedication to work for you.

East Texas Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (Living Wills) Lawyers

A living will is a document you execute that states your wishes in the event you become incapacitated. Most of us are familiar with Terri Schiavo, and the 15 year legal battle that ensued when she became mentally incapacitated. Her husband claimed she had stated to him that she did not wish to be kept alive by artificial means if she were ever in a vegetative state. Her parents claimed she was a devout Catholic, and never would agree to anything that would terminate her life. The litigation lasted 15 years, but could have been avoided if Ms. Schiavo had executed a living will (Texas durable power of attorney for healthcare) that detailed her wishes or appointed someone to make medical decisions in the event she became unable to make a decision. Don't make the same mistake Terri made; ensure your wishes are detailed in a living will or an appointment is made that assigns someone to make such a decision through a Texas durable power of attorney for healthcare. Our lawyers can assist you in drafting legal documentation that details your wishes in the event you are mentally incapacitated, or otherwise unable to make a key medical decision. Contact an East Texas living wills lawyer today, and let one of our attorneys put Mills Shirley, L.L.P.'s 150 years of legal experience to work for you.