Serves northwest Harris County from Cypress North Houston Road, by appointment. Elizabeth S. Hilbun walks executors and administrators through probate — identifying estate assets, paying debts, and distributing under the will — and drafts wills and powers of attorney. Board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law since 1999; the firm does not take will contests.
Houston is in Harris County.
More Guardianship Firms in Harris County
Estate planning and probate firm based in Cedar Park with six more offices across Austin, Round Rock, Bellaire, and Arlington. Handles probate administration and avoidance, muniment of title, small estate affidavits, trust administration, guardianship, will contests, and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Eight attorneys split between planning and probate teams.
Boutique estate planning and probate firm near The Woodlands, serving Harris and Montgomery counties from Spring. Handles estate administration, guardianship of the person and estate, asset protection, business succession, and mediation. Mike Riddle and Christine Butts are board certified in estate planning and probate law; Butts served eight years as a Harris County probate judge.
Serves Fort Bend and Harris counties from Katy, with a second office in Tomball. Attorneys Christy Theander and Amanda Grimes handle dependent and independent probate administrations and heirship proceedings, guardianships, and Medicaid and long-term care planning, alongside wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
Probate in Harris County
Probate Court Record
Harris County Probate Courts No. 1 through No. 5
Harris County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
201 Caroline, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77002
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Attorney of record required
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Harris County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Harris County? →Settling an estate in Harris County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Texas
Free Texas forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Texas.
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Last Will and Testament
In Texas, a will is signed before 2Tex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyTex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Texas allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Health & Safety Code § 166.164Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Texas requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityTex. Est. Code § 751.0021Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryTex. Est. Code § 751.0021Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Texas
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Texas: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Texas.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Texas, four years at a public university cost about $76,292NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax; Tex. Const. Art. VIII, § 26 (added Nov. 4, 2025 — HJR 2, 89th Leg., R.S., approved as Prop. 8) constitutionally prohibits any state estate, inheritance, or death tax. Former inheritance tax (Tex. Tax Code Ch. 211) repealed by SB 752 (84th Leg., R.S. 2015), effective Sept. 1, 2015; pick-up tax inoperative since EGTRRA 2001.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Texas runs $4,130Estimate: 10 hours at $413, Clio's Texas Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,195Estimate: 15 hours at $413, Clio's Texas Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Texas Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Texas Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Texas is a community property state, so the surviving spouse already owns half of what the couple acquired during the marriage. Without a will in Texas, descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationTex. Est. Code § 201.101Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and an heir must survive the decedent by 120 hoursTex. Est. Code § 121.052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source to inherit.
Check the Rules
