Practice Areas
Elder law is a legal practice addressing the needs of aging persons, their caregivers/ and their families. Thompson & Tiemann LLP is a multifaceted practice that includes Estate Planning, Probate, Life Care Planning, and Veteran’s Benefits.
Estate planning allows individuals to make choices for the disposition of their estates/assets at death, whether through Last Will and Testaments, Revocable Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, and different types of Supplemental Needs Trusts. If individuals have the mental capacity to execute powers of attorney and other advance directives, successful preparation of the documents protects them in later cases of incapacity from having to be under a court ordered guardianship.
Probate in Texas can be simpler and less expensive than in other states, where Dependent Administrations are required for all matters. In Texas under certain circumstances, the Court can authorize an Independent Administration, where once appointed the Independent Executor has authority to act without bond and is only required to present an Inventory, Appraisal and List of Claims to the Court. After receiving Letters Testamentary, the Executor is able to handle the business of the estate, pay debts, make distributions under the Will without the supervision of the Court.
The Veterans Administration provides means tested benefits to qualifying individuals who served in the military. A qualifying veteran or the “widow of a qualifying veteran in need of ‘aid and attendance’ who is unmarried, with no dependents,” can receive additional monthly income.
Through Life Care Planning, we help seniors and their families create a safety net of information, services, and necessary legal documents to prepare for and protect themselves on the aging journey.
