Get in touch
Tell me what happened
A first conversation costs nothing and doesn't obligate you to anything.
What happens to what you write here
I treat what you send me as confidential — whether or not we end up working together, and whether or not I can take your case.
Writing to me doesn't by itself make me your lawyer. That takes an agreement between us, and I'll tell you plainly if we get there.
One practical request: describe what happened, but hold off on sending documents until we've spoken. Inheritance disputes are a small world, and there is always a chance I already represent someone else with an interest in the same estate. A short conversation lets me check that first, which protects you as much as it protects me.
Writing to me first is usually better than calling. It lets me read what happened, look at the dates, and think about your situation before we speak — so when we do talk, I already have my bearings and the conversation is about your case rather than about getting me up to speed.
You also get to say it once, properly, without being interrupted or having to explain a complicated family situation to someone who's hearing it cold.
Tell me whatever dates you know: when they died, when the will was filed, when things changed. If you don't know those yet, that's fine — working out what to go find out is often the useful part.
One thing worth knowing
I generally take cases where a successful outcome would mean the client receives at least $500,000. That's about the cost of litigating one of these properly — a case that's expensive to try can consume most of a modest recovery, which helps nobody.
But don't rule yourself out on a guess. What was moved before the death — deeds signed over, accounts made joint, transfers under a power of attorney — can often be brought back into the estate, and an estate that looks nearly empty is sometimes the reason to look harder rather than walk away. Here's how to work it out. If your matter turns out to be below what I can take, I'll tell you quickly and point you somewhere useful.
If a deadline may be close
Say so at the top of your message, so I see it first. You can also call.
Dallas–Fort Worth: (214) 660-5700 · Houston: (713) 574-6400. Both numbers ring the same office. Use whichever is a local call for you.
Where I am
Lantana, Denton County, Texas
Principal office: Lantana, Texas in the DFW area. Cases handled throughout Texas. Most of what we do together happens by phone, video, and email — court appearances happen in the county where the estate is being probated.