Employment Law & Estate Planning Counsel

The documents that hold an estate plan together

Estate law is written state by state. What works for a family in Houston won't always carry over to a family in New York or the District of Columbia, and the differences usually surface at the worst possible moment. We're licensed in all three jurisdictions and draft each document to the rules that will actually govern your home, your accounts, and the people who depend on you.

Wills

A will is the written instruction your loved ones and the probate court will follow after you're gone. It spells out who inherits, in what shares, and who steps in to raise your minor children. To be valid, it has to be signed while you're 18 or older and of sound mind, and witnessed under your state's rules. In Texas, New York, and D.C., a typed will must be signed and attested before two witnesses. After your death, the will is filed with the local probate court (a Texas county probate court, a New York Surrogate's Court, or the D.C. Superior Court Probate Division) so your executor can pay debts and pass on what's left. Without a valid will, your state's intestacy statute makes those choices for you, and the result may not reflect what you would have chosen.

Trusts

Think of a trust as a private container for your wealth. You transfer assets into it, appoint a trustee to manage them, and spell out who benefits and under what conditions. A revocable living trust allows you to retain complete control over your assets during your lifetime, and you can change anything at any time. A funded trust, one that has actually been retitled rather than signed and filed away, spares your family the Texas, New York, or D.C. probate process (assuming no significant assets are left outside the trust and no disputes arise over the trust itself) and keeps your financial life off the public record.

Powers of Attorney

A power of attorney allows you to proactively designate a trusted person to manage your finances if you become incapacitated. A durable POA keeps working even after incapacity, so the person you trust can pay the mortgage, file your taxes, or close on a sale without your family first having to ask a judge for guardianship. Each of our jurisdictions has its own required form: the Texas Statutory Durable Power of Attorney and the New York Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney (overhauled in 2021), while D.C. sets statutory execution requirements rather than a single mandated form. Banks, brokerages, and title companies regularly reject anything that doesn't match, so we draft to the version the institutions in your life will actually honor.

Health Care Directives

Medical directives require two distinct steps: naming someone to speak for you and writing down your specific care rules. The paperwork depends entirely on your home base. In Texas, you need a Medical Power of Attorney alongside a Directive to Physicians. If you live in New York, you will sign a Health Care Proxy and a Living Will. D.C. residents use a Health-Care Durable Power of Attorney. Regardless of the location, these documents remain completely silent until a medical professional confirms you cannot communicate.