Latest & Greatest – O’Connor’s Texas Probate Law Handbook

By Craig Hopper and D’Ana H. Mikeska

Published by O’Connor’s

KFT 765 .H67

The newest edition to the library’s collection of O’Connor’s books, O’Connor’s Texas Probate Law Handbook, guides the user through the probate process in Texas. The authors begin their book with an overview of Texas probate law and some initial matters that should be considered following a person’s death, including the steps taken after the death, the information that needs to be gathered, gaining access to safe-deposit boxes and personal documents, protecting personal property, and the handling of nonprobate assets. The authors then move onto the nuts and bolts of settling a decedent’s estate, tackling such procedural topics as filing a probate proceeding, opening an administration, and filing and paying any taxes. They detail the rights, duties, and powers of personal representatives and explain how a personal representative administers an estate in a dependent administration and in an independent administration. A chapter is devoted to the legal requirements that a will must satisfy to be admitted to probate. What if there is no will? No worries. The authors spend an entire chapter discussing the laws governing intestate succession. Will contests and alternatives to probate are also addressed in detail.

As is typical with many of the publications from O’Connor’s, the charts are immensely helpful and clarify many of the more confusing issues. These include: determining the appropriate procedure when there is a will and when there is no will, an overview of the intestacy laws, proving proper execution of the will, the personal representative’s duty to file federal tax returns, the priority of payment regarding creditors’ claims, and many more.

If you are looking for a little guidance in handling your next estate administration, come to the Harris County Law Library and have a look at O’Connor’s Texas Probate Law Handbook. You can find it at the reference desk.

Legal Tech Institute Legal Tech Collection

The Harris County Law Library's Legal Tech Collection is a growing library of print resources, located at the Reference Desk, that address tech topics relevant to to the practice of law. Books in the collection include several titles in the "One Hour" series. iPad in One Hour for Lawyers, Facebook in One Hour for Lawyers, and LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers, are just a few of the available titles. Other books in the collection focus on encryption, digital privacy, e-discovery, social media, Adobe Acrobat, and how to use Google more effectively for legal research. 

One of the featured books in the collection is an updated edition of a popular publication from the ABA Law Practice Division -- The Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide: Critical Decisions Made Simple. The Law Library recently acquired the 11th edition (published in 2018), which, surprisingly, is a much slimmer volume than the 2016 edition that it will replace. At just under 200 pages, the 2018 edition is nonetheless chock full of useful content for any solo and small firm practitioners in need of guidance in selecting the best technology options for more efficient and effective legal work.

In the introduction to The 2018 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide, the authors explain that this year's edition is more narrowly focused on the core technologies of the law office. It is therefore more condensed and compact. Readers requested a book that presents just the essentials of law office technology, making it easier to use and to read. This feedback from readers demonstrates an important point -- that even the most tech savvy users of legal tech tools still like to consult print resources for guidance.

Our interactions with Law Library patrons certainly show a high demand for traditional books in print, which in turn motivated our decision to create a legal tech collection of print materials There are of course many excellent online resources including legal tech blogs, how-to videos on YouTube, recommendations via social media from colleagues and fellow users, vendor websites, and so much more, but many times a compact, single-volume handbook is just what a new tech user needs to get acquainted with an unfamiliar resource. In addition to our print resources, we link to several other useful digital legal tech resources via our Legal Tech Institute web pages, and, when consulted in tandem with our print resources, these online digital sources are also excellent tools for gaining a toehold in the sometimes overwhelming world of legal tech. 

Latest & Greatest – Texas Real Estate Forms Manual, Third Edition

A Project of the Real Estate Forms Committee of the State Bar of Texas

Published by TexasBarBooks

KFT 568 .S7 2017

The Texas Real Estate Forms Manual, Third Edition is here! Prepared and written by Texas attorneys specializing in real estate law, Texas Real Estate Forms Manual is a go-to guide for handling real estate transactions. Almost every chapter features handy and useful forms and practice notes that discuss and analyze the issues and topics addressed in that chapter. In this manual, you will find explanatory material and forms relating to the preparation, execution, and recording of documents, real estate sales contracts, deeds, promissory notes, deeds of trust, security agreements, foreclosure documents, construction contracts, lien documents, and much more.

Come to the Law Library and ask for Texas Real Estate Forms Manual, Third Edition at the reference desk.

Tax Law Resource Month

April is Tax Law Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library. All month long, you will find materials on federal and Texas taxes on display in the Law Library and on our website.

Self-Help Resource: Nolo's Stand Up to the IRS

Written by tax attorney Frederick W. Daily, Nolo’s Stand Up to the IRS is an excellent resource to answer your questions about the IRS, tax returns, audits, federal tax liens, taxpayer advocates, fraud and tax crimes, and penalties and interest.

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Neighborhood Tax Center Tax Clinics

NTC tax clinics are held every third Thursday of each month at Baker Ripley Neighorhood Tax Center for persons seeking assistance with IRS issues.  Walk-In legal advice clinic.  The first 6 people will be seen 

At a legal advice clinic, applicants meet with a licensed Texas attorney one-on-one and receive free advice on their legal issue. Individuals needing continued representation beyond the legal advice clinic generally must be residents of Harris County and have a household income of no greater than 250% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. 

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Low Income Taxpayer Clinic

LITC clinics are held once a week at the Houston Volunteer Lawyer's office. They are by appointment only. Please call 713-225-1TAX to schedule an appointment. 

At the appointment, applicants will meet with a HVL staff attorney one-on-one and receive free advice on their IRS tax issue. Individuals needing continued representation beyond the legal advice clinic generally must be residents of Harris County and have a household income of no greater than 250% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Free Tax Return Preparation for Qualifying Taxpayers

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

In addition to VITA, the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors. The IRS-certified volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS.

Latest & Greatest – A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs: Federal and State

By Michael Whiteman & Peter Scott Campbell

Published by William S. Hein & Co., Inc.

KF 105.9 .W49 2017

We all like things that make our life easier, especially if they are things that save us time, money, or effort. In the case of this particular Latest & Greatest post, we have something that quite possibly satisfies all three. A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs: Federal and State is a compilation of sources that a legal researcher can consult when trying to track down court records and briefs. The authors recognize that these resources can be quite valuable, yet quite difficult to locate, so they’ve done the tough work and compiled the addresses and telephone numbers of the clerks of court and court libraries and researched the availability and possible fees associated with accessing any electronic holdings of these documents. Arranged in four sections, A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs: Federal and State includes pertinent contact information for the United States Supreme Court, United States Circuit Courts of Appeals, State Final Appellate Courts, and State Intermediate Appellate Courts.

Next time you are in the need of appellate briefs or records, consult A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs: Federal and State first. It will make your job easier, and who doesn’t like that?