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Feature TYLA Project

TYLA’s Probate Passport
By:  Rebekah Steely Brooker, Attorney, Passman & Jones, A Professional Corporation

I had only been licensed for a year and a half, when I received “the call”. The person on the other end of the phone was my grandmother, and she had several questions about probate. She really needed to probate my grandfather’s estate, and since I was now an attorney, she thought I could help her.

At that point in my career, my days were busy working on business litigation cases, and my exposure to probate was some distant memory from my bar exam preparation. But, who can say “no” to their grandmother? I hesitantly agreed to help.

I immediately called a partner at my firm who practiced in the estate planning/probate section and begged for some assistance. He fortunately agreed to walk me through the process (thanks again, Greg Sampson!). After talking to my grandmother, and seeing the estate planning documents that my grandfather had prepared, I realized that a traditional probate was not necessary, and that my grandfather’s estate could be probated as Muniment of Title. Okay, honestly, had it not been for my law partner’s guidance, I would not have known that a Muniment of Title was the way to proceed. Truthfully, I had completely forgotten how a Muniment of Title operated. Long story short, I was able to successfully assist my grandmother with my grandfather’s estate. She still thanks me by making my favorite oatmeal cookies every time I go back home to Huntsville, Texas.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to walk down the hall and ask a law partner for assistance when they receive “the call”, and not all Texans know who to contact with probate questions. Never fear, TYLA has made it a priority to guide practitioners through the probate process, and provide basic estate planning information by creating the Probate Passport: A Guide to Probate & Estate Planning in Texas. The Probate Passport not only walks you through what steps are needed when someone passes away, but also discusses probate alternatives. The guide is a fantastic reference for attorneys and the general public, and will be available for distribution in October of this year.

If you would like to request or download a copy of TYLA’s Probate Passport once published, please visit the TYLA website.