Family Law

Family Law cases are no doubt the most stressful and emotional types of cases facing our clients. While Paternity and Stepparent Adoptions are cases that may contain elements of joy because they create a new formal family relationship, family law may also involve the heartbreak of divorce. When you have Family Law legal matters to work through, your life may well be in turmoil, and you need the comfort of working with an attorney who understands all aspects of your problem. Get that help from an experienced lawyer who understands that this is your life and not just another case. While the legal process can be daunting, we will work with you so that you fully understand your options, and working as a partnership, we can pursue the best plan for you. We care about you, your family and your best interests—in both the short and long term.
Learn More

Probate

Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person, and resolving claims and distributing the decedent’s property. Obviously, it is much easier to do so under the terms of a legally valid Will, as compared with instances where there is no Will, the Will is defective, or where the family is fighting about the decedent’s property or the status of the documents. . It’s the probate court that decides at a hearing whether or not the Will meets the requirements of being a legally valid Will in the State of Texas. Assuming that the Will is legally valid, the Court will officially appoint the Executor named in the Will at the hearing and that person will be given Letters Testamentary. The named Executor will then have the legal power to dispose of the decedent’s assets according to the terms of the Will. Proper Estate Planning (done at an earlier time) will avoid potential problems with the Probate process, and the Probate process itself is best handled by a lawyer, due to the very many legal deadlines and formal notice requirements. The Law Office of Fonda G. Fitzgerald will be happy to help you with your probate matters in Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant Counties.
Learn More

Will and Estate Planning

Making plans now for an uncertain future is why many people visit the Law Office of Fonda G. Fitzgerald, in Carrollton, TX. Clients know they need to protect their families, but they often don’t go to attorneys because: 1) they don’t know who to go to; 2) they don’t know exactly what type of documents they need; 3) they don’t want to take the time to gather their personal and financial details; and 4) they just often don’t get around to it because they think they will have plenty of time to do so. What people don’t realize is that the Estates Code of the State of Texas has a plan for you— it’s just a plan than most people would not choose for themselves and their families. People don’t realize that this plan is not a particularly good one, and that it leaves their family members to deal with these issues at a grief-stricken time. In addition, it costs their families more to legally take care of things at that later date, rather than if you had done it yourself.

It doesn’t matter how large or small your estate is today; it is never too early to do Estate Planning. By taking care of this now, you are protecting the future for yourself and your heirs. In addition, many of the documents that we routinely do nowadays involve outlining your attitude toward life-support, and naming individuals as persons to exercise medical or financial decision-making authority (if you are not capable of making those decisions yourself). You must prepare these documents while you are competent and of sound mind—in other words, when you are able to presently handle things.
Learn More