Practice Areas

Overview of my services

Estate planning is what I do – no civil litigation, no divorces, no bankruptcies – and keeping my focus on estate planning allows me to provide you with top-notch service at fees that are fair and reasonable. I have the knowledge and experience to help you develop estate planning strategies that are carefully designed to protect you and your loved ones, preserve your assets and save taxes.

One of Austin’s Most Trusted Probate Lawyer and Estate Planning Legal Attorney

Are you concerned about paying for your elderly parents’ long-term care? Do you want to make sure your estate avoids probate in the event of your death? Do you want to make sure you and your parents’ assets are protected? Are you concerned about an elderly loved one’s ability to make safe decisions?

20+ Years of Legal Experience

If the answer to any of the above is yes, you need the services of Teresa Shapiro Law Office. I have been providing estate planning and probate services since 2000.

Power of Attorney

Having a Living Will without a Medical Power of Attorney is kind of like giving away your car but hanging onto the keys.

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Probate & Guardianships

Probate

Probate is the process that gives legal authority to a Will. Unless the Will is probated, accepted by the Court, and Letters of Testamentary are issued, the Will and the Executor have no legal authority to administer the estate. Probate is usually not a complicated, expensive, or lengthy process in Texas. The ease of this process depends, however, on correctly drafted wills and court documents. If the Will is not drafted correctly, the Court may not accept it into Probate, and the estate will be administered, instead, as an intestate estate.

In Texas, a guardian has control over the person and makes personal and health care decisions for the incapacitated person. A conservator has control over the finances and property of an individual who has been determined unable to manage their own finances.

In most cases, an attorney must apply with the Court to have the Will accepted. The application is required to be filed within four years after the death. While this process is relatively easy in Texas, there are still formalities and necessary steps that must be taken under the Texas Estates Code. An attorney who has experience in this area of the law can handle these matters without difficulty.

When someone in your family dies, you should determine if there is a Will. Then talk to an experienced Probate attorney to determine if the Will needs to be probated, if an attorney is required, and to assist you with proceeding with this process. Teresa Shapiro has twenty-one years of experience in handling probate matters throughout the State of Texas.

Guardianship

Guardianship becomes necessary when a person becomes legally unable to handle their financial affairs or their physical needs, and does not have effective powers of attorney. In Texas, there are two guardians, one who controls the estate and one who controls the person of the Ward. Guardianship is needed when a special needs child reaches adulthood, when an adult suffers an illness or injury that causes them to be incapacitated or incompetent, or when an elderly person reaches a time when they have become unable to manage their affairs or their health. The complexity of the process, emotional and stressful situations that initiate the need for a guardian, and the resulting opposition can cause many issues for the family. For this reason, Texas requires that attorneys who handle guardianship be certified to practice in the area. Teresa Shapiro has been certified since the requirement was initiated and continues to maintain that certification.

Elder Law

Experienced Elder Law Attorney

I am experienced in elder law issues. I am a member of the Texas chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). I help seniors, disabled persons and their family members with health care decisions, long-term care planning, end-of-life decisions and estate planning matters.

What is Elder Law?

Elder Law is a branch of Estate Planning that focuses on life planning, meaning we assist our clients in ensuring that they will be prepared for future needs throughout their lives. We plan for disability, incompetence, and incapacity. Teresa Shapiro has twenty years of experience assisting clients looking toward the future potential for facility care, preparing for a disabled child or spouse, and solving the mysteries of governmental benefits.

Medicaid, Medicare, VA benefits, and Social Security are often complicated even to know what questions to ask, much less to find the answers. Teresa can help you figure out what you might qualify for and assist you in applying for those benefits. Elder Law attorneys specifically study and practice in these areas to assist our clients with knowledge and experience that other attorneys do not have because this isn’t the focus of their practice.

Blended families can often complicate this planning. Teresa can help you design a plan that will provide for you and your spouse, your disabled child, and still allow distributions to children and stepchildren to eliminate unnecessary disagreements and discord in the family.

The earlier we begin this planning process, the more options and better outcomes are available. Too often, families wait until someone needs facility care on an emergency basis before they start to plan. While there are still options, they are more limited and usually less beneficial than earlier planning can provide.

Life Planning means looking to the future and understanding the potential needs for future care, family preparation, and peace of mind that these issues are resolved.

Contact this Austin Attorney

Contact the Teresa Shapiro Law Office for your estate planning, probate, estate administration, or elder law needs. I offer cost-effective, reliable and experienced service to clients throughout the Austin area. Whether you have a young family and are planning for your future, or you are concerned about protecting one of your elders, I can help.

Experience you can trust

(512) 964-7872

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What will happen when you die?

(512) 964-7872

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Estate Planning

What will happen to your estate when you die? The first question most people think about when they begin estate planning is how to distribute their possessions. While this is an important question, there are many other aspects to an estate plan. There is a lot of discussion about trusts and how they are the best plan to have. A trust may be the right choice, but people often select them because they want to avoid a tedious, expensive probate process. In Texas, the probate process is simple and relatively inexpensive. Often a simple will, or maybe a more complex will, can accomplish your intentions for your estate. In some cases, you may not need a trust or a will, as there are many ways to transfer assets to your heirs without using either method. A consultation will provide you with your options and help you make the right decision for you and your estate.

A poorly drafted document that does not meet the requirements of the Texas Estates Code will not be accepted into Probate (the Court proceeding that gives legal authority to your will).

In addition to determining and establishing what happens to your estate when you die, estate planning should also provide you with other documentation that will ensure that you and your finances are protected if you become unable to take care of these matters for yourself. Financial and Medical Powers of Attorney are essential in allowing you to determine who is to provide care for you and management of your finances if you become disabled or incompetent in the future. Other forms guide your family or the Court regarding potential medical treatment, disposition of your remains, organ donation, and possible guardians.

A poorly drafted document that does not meet the requirements of the Texas Estates Code will not be accepted into Probate (the Court proceeding that gives legal authority to your will). It is essential that the person preparing these documents for you has extensive experience and can provide you with properly prepared documents, answer your questions regarding your estate planning, and assist you in making the best choices for you and your estate. Teresa Shapiro has over twenty years of experience exclusively in this area of law. She would be happy to assist you and your family in making the right choices and ensuring that you and your family will be prepared for the future.

Contact this Austin Attorney

A Trusted and Experienced Probate & Estate Planning Attorney

Please contact me for your estate planning needs.

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Still have questions? Feel free to contact me

A Trusted and Experienced Elder Law & Estate Planning Attorney

CONTACT

Teresa Shapiro Law | Attorney at Law | Round Rock, TX
Phone: (512) 964-7872

Located in Austin, TX, Teresa Shapiro Law represents clients throughout Austin, including Georgetown, Cedar Park, Lakeway, and Round Rock

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