Dallas Estate Planning Lawyer

Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney

Estate planning representation grounded in 13 years of practice and recognition from Super Lawyers, serving Dallas and the surrounding area.

You have been meaning to do this for a while. Maybe it took a health scare, a new baby, or watching a family member go through a difficult probate to make it feel urgent. Whatever brought you here, you are in the right place, and the process is more straightforward than most people expect.

Our Dallas, TX estate planning lawyer has been helping clients form their estate plans since 2004. Ellen Williamson Law, PC handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, and guardianship matters for Dallas individuals and families. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.

Estate Planning Lawyer Dallas, TX

You Probably Have More Questions Than You Realize

Most people come in thinking they need a will. Some do. Others need a trust, or a combination of documents they had not considered yet. The right plan depends on your situation, your family, your assets, and what you actually want to happen.
Every consultation starts the same way: we listen. You tell us what you have, who you want to take care of, and what’s been keeping you up at night. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of what documents make sense for your situation, what they’ll cost, and what the path forward looks like.

Without a plan, Texas intestacy law makes those decisions for you, with fixed rules that do not account for blended families, a child with special needs, a business partner who needs to know what happens next, or anything else that makes your situation yours.

From The Blog: What Does It Mean to “Go Through Probate” in Texas?

Types of Estate Planning Cases We Handle in Dallas

A complete estate plan typically includes some combination of the following, depending on your situation:

• Wills. A will controls who receives your assets and names the person responsible for carrying out your wishes. It is the foundation of most plans.
• Trusts. Trusts serve different purposes depending on your goals. They can help your estate avoid probate, hold assets for a minor or someone with special needs, or carry out distributions over time rather than in a single transfer.
• Living Trusts. A living trust allows your assets to be distributed to beneficiaries after your death without going through probate. For families who want to avoid that process, it’s often a meaningful part of their plan.
• Revocable Trusts. A revocable living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and distributes them at death without going through probate. It can be amended at any time. Not everyone needs one, but for families who want to avoid probate or manage distributions over time, it is often a meaningful part of the plan.
• Powers of Attorney.
  • A durable power of attorney authorizes someone you trust to handle your financial and legal affairs if you become incapacitated. Without this document, establishing that authority requires a court proceeding.
  • A medical power of attorney designates someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf when you cannot make them yourself. This is a separate document from the financial power of attorney.
• Living Wills. An advance directive, sometimes called a living will, records your preferences for end-of-life treatment. This document matters most to the people around you, who would otherwise have to make difficult decisions without knowing what you would have wanted.
  • A HIPAA authorization designates who can access your medical records.
• Guardianship. For clients with minor children, an appointment of guardian designates the people you’d trust to make decisions for your children if both parents were to die or become incapacitated.
• Elder Law. Planning needs change as people age. We work with older clients and their families on incapacity planning, asset management, and the legal issues that tend to arise during major life transitions.

From the Blog: Incapacity Planning Checklist: What to Do When a Parent or Spouse Can No Longer Manage

Why Choose Ellen Williamson Law, PC for Estate Planning in Dallas, TX?

How We Approach These Cases

We have practiced exclusively in estate planning, probate, and guardianship since 2013. That focus matters. We are not a general practice firm that handles estate planning on the side: this is all we do, which means we have seen enough situations to know where plans tend to go wrong and how to build ones that hold up.

Ellen Williamson has been licensed in Texas since 2004. She earned her J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law and holds a finance degree from Texas A&M. Before founding Ellen Williamson Law, PC in 2013, she spent over seven years at the SBA’s disaster loan processing center. That work has everything to do with explaining complicated legal processes to people who were overwhelmed, stressed, and needed clarity and not confusing legal jargon. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Dallas Probate American Inn of Court, serves on the Probate Council for the Dallas Bar Association’s Probate, Trusts & Estates Section, and holds the distinction of Fellow with the Texas Bar Foundation. Super Lawyers has recognized her since 2024.

Flat-Fee Billing Structured Around Experience

We also work on flat fees. After your consultation, you will receive a quote that covers your matter through completion, not just the drafting, but through the signing meeting and trust funding if applicable. You know the full cost before you commit to anything.

Most estate planning attorneys bill hourly, but our fees are customized to your needs. If your situation is straightforward, your fee reflects this simplicity. If it’s more complex, we’ll tell you what to expect before we begin.

If your plan includes a trust, assets need to be transferred into it after the documents are signed. A trust that has not been funded does not do what you built it to do. We flag this, walk you through it, and make sure it actually happens.

Understanding Estate Planning Cases in Dallas, TX

Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do

People often come in thinking estate planning means there is only one document to establish. However, this process can entail several tools, and each one does something different.

• Will: Controls the distribution of probate assets and names the person responsible for carrying out your wishes. Also the document to designate guardians for minor children.
• Revocable living trust: Holds assets during your lifetime, distributes them at death outside of probate, and can be amended at any time. Understanding what belongs in a complete plan is important before deciding whether a trust makes sense for you.
• Durable power of attorney: Authorizes a named person to handle financial and legal decisions if you are incapacitated. Without this, getting that authority requires a court hearing.
• Medical power of attorney: Separate from the financial POA, this is specifically for healthcare decisions when you cannot make them yourself.
• Advance directive: Sets your preferences for end-of-life treatment. There is a distinction between advance directives and DNR that many people don’t realize exists.
• HIPAA authorization: Designates who can access your medical records.

Important Aspects of an Estate Planning Case

The process of establishing an estate plan is unique for the individual and/or family involved. Every person has their own ideas, preferences, and needs. Here are questions to ask yourself when devising your estate plan documents:

• Is anyone in your family likely to challenge your plan?
• Do you own real property in another state? If so, that may require separate planning.
• Do any of your intended beneficiaries have a disability that could affect their eligibility for government benefits?
• Are there specific assets that you want distributed to certain family members or loved ones after your passing?

Estate Planning Case Timeline – What to Expect, Start to Finish

Consultation: You explain your situation, your assets, and your goals. We listen and ask questions. This determines what documents you need and what they will cost.

Engagement: You sign an engagement agreement, pay the flat fee, and provide the information we need to draft your documents.

Drafting: Typically one to three weeks depending on complexity.

Review: You read the drafts and ask questions. We revise until the documents reflect what you actually want.

Execution: You sign in a formal signing meeting that satisfies Texas’s witnessing and notarization requirements.

Funding (if applicable): If your plan includes a trust, assets need to be transferred into it. We make sure it does not get skipped.

What to Bring to Your Estate Planning Consultation

You do not need everything perfectly organized. A general sense of the following is enough:

• What you own, real property, financial accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests.
• Who you would want handling your affairs if you could not, and who your beneficiaries are.
• Whether you have minor children and who you would name as their guardian.
• Whether any beneficiaries have circumstances that might require a different approach, a disability, a complicated family situation, or a history that gives you pause.

Questions People Ask Before Scheduling

Do I need a will or a trust?

It depends on your situation. Some people need both. We will tell you honestly what makes sense for you, including when the answer is simpler than you expected. We have no problem telling you when a more cost-effective solution will cover your needs than what you came in asking for.

What happens if I die without a plan?

Texas intestacy law decides who receives your assets and, if you have minor children, a court may become involved in decisions about their care. The result may not be what you would have chosen.

Is estate planning only for wealthy people?

No. It is for anyone who has people who depend on them, assets they want to go somewhere specific, or decisions they want to make for themselves before someone else has to make them.

What is the difference between a medical power of attorney and an advance directive?

A medical power of attorney names the person who makes decisions for you. An advance directive records the decisions themselves, specifically around life-sustaining treatment. Most people need both.

What does trust funding mean, and do I have to do it?

Funding means transferring your assets into the trust after it is signed. If this step is skipped, the trust does not control those assets. We walk every client through this process.

Texas Legal Resources for Estate Planning Cases

Texas provides official resources that can help you start understanding the legal landscape before your consultation. These aren’t substitutes for legal advice, but they’re worth looking into for additional information.

• Texas Legislature Online: Where you’ll find the Texas Estates Code, which governs wills, trusts, probate, and related matters in the state.
• Texas State Law Library: Maintains a plain-language estate planning and probate resource page designed for individuals who are not attorneys.
• Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Publishes information on advance directives and medical decision-making under Texas law.
• Dallas County Probate Courts: Handles estate and guardianship matters for Dallas County residents.
• U.S. Administration on Aging: Provides elder law resources relevant to clients planning for incapacity or long-term care.

What Our Clients Say

“After my wife of 42 years passed away it quickly became clear that I was in need of an estate lawyer. I called Ellen Williamson Law. Beginning with the first consultation, Ellen treated my case with respect and urgency. She listened carefully, asked the right questions, and crafted a strategy that made me feel protected and informed at every turn. After successfully handling the initial matter I asked her to prepare an Estate Plan so in the future I could be assured that every contingency would be covered. Her professionalism is matched only by her empathy. I never felt like “just another client”—I felt like a priority. If you need an attorney who combines expertise with genuine human care, Ellen is the one you want in your corner.”

– Jay K.

From the Blog

• Lifetime Gifting: The Overlooked Piece of Estate Planning (UPDATED for 2026)
• Want to Become an Organ Donor? Here’s How
• What’s the Difference Between an Advance Directive and DNR, and What Do I Need?
• Why Choosing the Right Bank is Part of Estate Planning
• Top Misconceptions About Estate Planning

Ready to Build Your Plan? Reach Out to Ellen Williamson Law, PC

Ellen Williamson Law, PC handles estate planning in Dallas, TX at flat fees customized to each case. You do not need to have everything figured out before you call. You just need to decide it is time. We will take it from there. Contact us to get on the calendar and get your plan moving.

Estate Planning Statistics in Dallas

Dallas is aging and building wealth at the same time, and both trends point in one direction: more households here have something worth protecting and someone who depends on them. City data shows a population that owns homes, raises children, and increasingly includes older adults who may one day need someone to act for them. Those are the exact situations a plan is built to address.

The same numbers explain why probate matters locally. When a Dallas resident owns real property or financial accounts and dies without a will, Texas intestacy rules decide who inherits, and the estate is administered through the county courts. A plan lets you make those calls yourself instead of leaving them to a statute.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures for Dallas city:

• About 11.8% of residents are 65 or older, the group most likely to need incapacity documents alongside a will.
• Roughly 23.9% of residents are under 18, so a large share of households should be naming a guardian for minor children.
• The median value of an owner-occupied home is $320,700, an asset that transfers far more smoothly with planning than without it.
• Around 42.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and every one of those titles has to go somewhere at death.
• The city has roughly 533,915 households, each of which fares better under its own plan than under default rules.

Questions to Ask an Estate Planning Attorney Before Hiring

A short conversation tells you most of what you need to know before hiring an estate planning lawyer in Dallas, TX. These questions help you compare a firm that focuses on this work against someone who drafts wills between other matters.

1. Do you concentrate on estate planning, or is it one service among many? A firm that works in this area daily has seen how plans fail and how to build ones that hold up.
2. How do you charge, and will I know the full cost before we start? Our firm quotes a flat fee after the first meeting, so the price is settled before any drafting begins.
3. Does the fee cover the signing meeting and trust funding, or only the drafting? Ask where the engagement ends. A document that is drafted but never signed or funded protects no one.
4. Which documents will my plan include, and why each one? The right combination depends on your assets and family, whether that means a will or trust or a fuller set of directives.
5. Will you move my assets into a trust if I create one? Funding is the step that makes a trust work, and it is the step other offices most often skip.
6. What happens to my plan when my life changes? Marriages, births, new property, and moves all affect a plan, and you want an attorney who expects to revisit it.
7. Who handles my file, and how will you keep me informed? You should know who to call and roughly how quickly you can expect an answer.
8. Are you familiar with the courts where my estate might be handled? A Dallas estate planning attorney who practices in the local probate courts already knows how the judges and clerks operate.

If the answers are vague on cost, on funding, or on who does the work, keep looking. Good planning is specific from the first conversation.

Dallas Estate Planning Lawyer FAQs

We hear the same practical questions in most first meetings. Below are answers to the ones that come up most often for people planning an estate in Dallas, TX.

How much does an estate plan cost in Dallas?

Our firm works on flat fees for most matters, customized to what your situation requires. After the initial consultation, you receive a quote that covers the work through completion, including the signing meeting and, when a trust is involved, funding. If your circumstances are straightforward, the fee reflects that. If they are more involved, we tell you what to expect before any work begins, so there is no guessing at the total later.

Does a living trust avoid probate in Dallas County?

A properly funded living trust lets the assets it holds pass to your beneficiaries outside the Texas probate process. That protection only reaches assets you actually transfer into the trust, so funding is what makes it work. An unfunded trust controls nothing, which is why we walk every client through the transfers rather than handing over documents and wishing them luck.

Who can I name as my executor in Texas?

You can name a trusted individual, and many people choose a spouse, an adult child, or a close friend, with an alternate in case the first choice cannot serve. When a will is drafted correctly, most Texas estates qualify for an independent administration, which keeps court supervision to a minimum. We talk this through during planning so the person you name understands the role before it ever falls to them.

I own property in another state. Does that affect my plan?

Yes. Real estate is generally governed by the law of the state where it sits, so property in another state can require a separate court proceeding there after death. We account for that during your estate planning in Dallas, whether through a trust or another approach, so your family is not surprised by a second process in an unfamiliar jurisdiction.

How often should I update my estate plan?

A quick review about once a year is reasonable, along with a closer look after any major change: a marriage, a divorce, a birth, a death, or a significant new asset. Small changes may not call for new documents, but you want to confirm the plan still names the right people and directs assets the way you intend. We build plans with room for the future and are glad to review one created elsewhere.

What happens to accounts with a beneficiary or a joint owner?

Accounts with a payable-on-death beneficiary or a right of survivorship pass directly to the named person and are not controlled by your will. That can be useful, or it can quietly undo your plan when the designations do not match the rest of your documents. We review these during planning so your accounts and your will point in the same direction rather than working against each other.

Important Resources for Dallas Estate Planning Cases

Dallas County Probate Court and Local Resources

Estate matters for Dallas residents are handled through the Dallas County Probate Courts. The county runs three statutory probate courts, housed together in the George Allen Courts Building at 600 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. These courts probate wills, appoint executors and administrators, declare heirs when someone leaves no will, and establish guardianships for incapacitated adults and minors. Two of the three hear probate matters exclusively, while the third also handles mental health cases. Understanding where and how these courts work is part of building a plan that moves smoothly for the people you leave behind. Court details are available on the official Dallas County Probate Courts page.

What Are Important Local Resources for Dallas Estate Planning?

Beyond the courts, several Dallas County offices and organizations support families working through estate, incapacity, and elder-care questions. The following are starting points, listed for convenience only:

• Dallas County Clerk, Probate Courts Division: maintains probate court records and issues certified copies. Phone: (214) 653-7099.
• Elder Financial Safety Center: a Dallas County collaboration that assists older adults with financial safety, exploitation concerns, and guardianship questions. Phone: (214) 525-6130.
• The Senior Source: a longstanding Dallas nonprofit offering money management, guardianship services, and aging-related support. Phone: (214) 823-5700.

Ellen Williamson Law, PC is not affiliated with these organizations and does not endorse them. Contact each office directly to confirm current hours, services, and any fees.

About Ellen Williamson Law, PC

Ellen Williamson Law, PC grew out of a family that measured success by whether people came back. Our founder, Ellen Williamson, watched her grandfather run a small dealership where the goal was never a single sale but a lasting relationship, and she built her practice on that same idea. She leads a small Dallas estate planning practice concentrated on wills, trusts, incapacity planning, and guardianship matters, and she has shared guidance on the work through legal-industry podcasts, including the Lawyerist podcast. Outside the office, she is active in leadership within her Diocese and church. Clients work directly with the attorney handling their plan, which is part of why families come back to us as their circumstances change.

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“Ellen and her team are fantastic! The process was smooth, thorough, and efficient. Ellen’s experience made us feel comfortable and well-informed to make the best decisions for our family. We highly recommend Ellen for your family planning estate needs!” — Christa Dillard

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Additional Resources for Dallas Estate Planning Cases

• When Your Stuff or Your People Change, Your Plan Should Too
• The Gift of Transparency
• How Marriage Changes Your Estate Plan
• Understanding Multi-Party Accounts
• Choosing a Guardian for Your Children

Contact Ellen Williamson Law, PC

When you are ready to put a plan in place, we make the next step simple. Ellen Williamson Law, PC handles estate planning in Dallas, TX on flat fees customized to each matter, so you know the cost before you commit. Your first meeting is a working conversation about what you own, who depends on you, and what you want to happen. You do not need every document gathered or every decision made in advance. Someone from our firm follows up promptly and tells you exactly what comes next. Contact us to get your plan started.