Bexar County Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person. In Texas, the probate process begins with the filing of a petition for probate with the appropriate probate court. The petition must include the decedent’s will, if one exists, and a list of the decedent’s assets and liabilities. The court will then appoint an executor, who is responsible for overseeing the administration of the estate.
The executor’s first task is to give notice to all interested parties, including heirs and creditors, that probate has begun. They will also be responsible for collecting and inventorying the decedent’s assets, paying any outstanding debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the heirs according to the terms of the will or state law.
If the decedent died without a will, the court will determine the rightful heirs according to Texas’ laws of intestacy.
It’s important to note that probate can be time-consuming and expensive process, and in Texas, the court process can take anywhere from several months to several years to complete. Additionally, probate proceedings are public records and anyone can access them.
Probate can be avoided by creating a trust, or by transferring assets to beneficiaries through other means, like payable on death accounts, joint tenancy with right of survivorship and beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement accounts and annuities.