Serves Harris County and the surrounding Houston area from Timmons Lane near the Galleria. Represents executors and trustees through probating the will, administering the assets, filing a federal estate tax return where required, and distributing to individuals or trusts, and represents beneficiaries protecting their interests. Both partners are board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
Probate in Montgomery County
Probate Court Record
Montgomery County Probate Court No. 1 (statutory probate court)
Montgomery County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in Montgomery County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Montgomery County? →Settling an estate in Montgomery County →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Montgomery County
Houston firm on Kirby Drive representing executors, heirs, and beneficiaries through probate and trust administration, heirship determinations, intestacy, and creditor claims against estates, serving Harris County and surrounding counties. The attorneys carry over half a century of combined experience and take qualifying contested will cases with no upfront fees.
Houston firm founded in 1981 whose Trust, Probate, and Estate Planning group serves business owners, executives, and their families in Harris County and the surrounding metro. Handles estate and trust administration, probate disputes, creditors' claims, and the fiduciary duties of executors and trustees, and drafts wills, family and charitable trusts, and business succession agreements.
Boutique Houston firm in the Galleria area serving Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Brazoria counties. Settles estates through probate and the administration of wills and trusts, and handles guardianship, asset protection, and business succession alongside estate planning. Partner David A. Jackson is board certified in estate planning and probate law. Complimentary initial consultation.
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.
Rockwall solo practice serving Rockwall, Dallas, Kaufman, and Collin counties, and Texas statewide since 1994. Michael Cramer drafts wills, revocable living trusts, and special needs trusts, handles trust administration, and litigates will and trust contests. Services are offered in English and Spanish, and the initial case evaluation is complimentary.
All 11 Texas trust administration firms serving Montgomery 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.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Texas, a pour-over will is signed before 2Tex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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 Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Texas happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteTex. Prop. Code § 111.001 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
In Texas, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Tex. Prop. Code Ann. § 114.061Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Texas: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysTex. Estates Code §§ 309.001, 309.051, 309.056, 309.101Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsTex. Estates Code §§ 308.051-308.056, 355.001-355.004, 355.060, 355.064, 355.102Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Texas has no state income tax, so only the federal final Form 1040 is due for the decedentTex. Const. Art. VIII, § 24-a (added by Proposition 4, Nov. 5, 2019; former § 24 repealed)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Inherited assets in Texas take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces no state capital gains taxTex. Const. Art. VIII § 24-b, CAPITAL GAINS TAX PROHIBITED (added Nov. 4, 2025) — "the legislature may not impose a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust"; and § 24-a, INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX PROHIBITED (added Nov. 5, 2019)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
