Latest & Greatest – Texas Probate Forms & Procedures

By M. Keith Branyon

Published by James Publishing

KFT 1244 .A6 B73

January is Wills and Probate Resource Month here at the Harris County Law Library, so we are featuring various resources to assist you with your wills drafting, estate planning, and probate administering needs. In this regard, we are pleased to announce the acquisition of a new title: Texas Probate Forms & Procedures. Featuring more than 200 sample forms, this book covers the steps of the probate process from the initial client interview and engagement through the closing of the administration and so much more. The author begins by discussing the considerations involved in choosing the appropriate types of proceedings and administrations as well as the proper venue and court. He pays particular attention to the various administrations that exist here in Texas, such as temporary, independent, and dependent administrations and explains the steps involved in the process from the preparing and filing of the initial application to the hearing and the attendant duties that fall upon the representatives in each type of administration. The author also focuses upon other proceedings and probate alternatives, such as: muniment of title, determination of heirship, small estate affidavits, and orders of no administration. You can also find chapters devoted to emergency procedures, such as emergency applications prior to probate and examination of documents, the procedures involved with probating a foreign will, the handling of creditors and their claims, tax considerations, and will contests.

Be sure to have a look at Texas Probate Forms & Procedures and all of other wills and probate law resources the next time you visit the Harris County Law Library.

New Year, New Laws for Texans

As the new year begins, Texans are seeing a handful of changes in the law. Many of the legislative developments of the last Congressional session took effect on September 1, 2017 (including the right to carry swords and machetes in public and the prohibition on texting while driving), but a few additional laws -- 26 to be exact -- were slated to launch on January 1, 2018, along with specific sections of eight additional bills. Milk transport, prepaid calling cards, property appraisals, credit card transactions, bingo halls, and the transfer of motor vehicles are all impacted by the changes. To learn more about the 85th legislative session and the laws that took effect on January 1st, visit the websites listed here.

Latest & Greatest – Friedman and Smith on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property

By Milton R. Friedman & James Charles Smith

Published by Practising Law Institute

KF 670 .F7 2017

With the recently-released, Friedman and Smith on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property, author and editor James Charles Smith took on the monumental task of revising one of the key treatises in the area of real estate law. Ever since its first publication in 1954, the original Friedman on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property, written by the late Milton R. Friedman, has been an authoritative reference resource for real estate attorneys and has been a reliable source for instructing lawyers as to what they should and should not be doing.

Divided into three volumes, Friedman and Smith explores practically every aspect of a real estate transaction from the contract of sale to the closing process and everything in between. Featuring over 140 sample forms, clauses, and checklists, Friedman and Smith also includes in-depth discussions of issues such as misrepresentation, mortgages and other encumbrances, marketable title and title examination, adverse possession and prescription, easements, covenants, and remedies for defaults. The text does not focus merely on one party to the transaction, but rather provides information that is useful to both buyers and sellers.

Before you take part in that next, or perhaps your first, real estate transaction, have a look at Friedman and Smith on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property. It may just have all of the essential information you need.