Archive for October 13, 2016

A power of attorney should be a part of your estate plan.  In Texas, the document most commonly used is referred to as a statutory, durable power of attorney.  In this document, you can and should name a person (and at least one alternate) to serve as your agent to take care of your business matters, such as paying bills, filing taxes, making bank deposits, and other activities that are necessary in all of our lives.

Some people put off signing a power of attorney, because they are worried about losing

We are happy to welcome Tisa L. White to the firm. Tisa is graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law, where she was a member of, and was published in, the Texas Tech Law Review. Tisa practiced litigation with Jackson Walker, L.L.P. upon graduating from law school and now is returning to active practice after taking time to care for her four children. Look for more about Tisa coming soon on our firm website.

What will you do if a parent or other loved one is diagnosed with a disease, like Alzheimer’s, that will destroy that person’s ability to make decisions?  Who will make medical decisions for your mom, if she didn’t sign a medical power of attorney?  Who will sign the necessary paperwork if dad must be moved into a memory care facility, if he didn’t sign a statutory durable power of attorney?  What will happen to your parents’ estate if they didn’t sign wills?

If this situation arises, you need to act quickly. 

I’m an adult leader with our local Scouts. As you probably know, the motto of Scouting is “Be prepared.” This applies to your divorce, too. Why? Because of Standing Orders. Let me explain.

Standing Orders are orders that come into play immediately after a case is filed. Here in Rockwall County, ours are called “Rockwall County Standing Order Regarding Children, Property And Conduct Of The Parties.” That’s quite a mouthful, I know. Before you file for divorce, though, you need to read them. Carefully. You can here: Rockwall Standing Orders .

These orders are

So, you are getting a new job.  Congratulations.  Did your new employer ask you to sign a covenant not to compete, what most people call a “noncompete,” when you were hired?  If so, you probably have questions and have gotten a lot of advice from people about what to do.  Many people seem to believe that noncompetes cannot be enforced in Texas.  This is not true.  You should be very careful about signing a noncompete.

The Texas Business and Commerce Code sets out the rules for whether or not a covenant

The White Law Firm helps parents collect past due child support.  Many times, our clients have tried to get assistance from the Attorney General’s Office, before they come to us, but have fallen victim to the fact that the A.G.’s office has roughly five times the caseload that it can effectively handle.  This is a hard reality to face, but it is true.  However, with a private attorney like The White Law Firm, you can go after past due support that you need to take care of your kids.

We generally

Attached to this blog post is a link to a form that you can use to jump start your estate planning. It asks for the basic information that our office needs to help you draft a will and other important estate planning documents.  We hope that you will find it useful and that this is the year you get your will signed and your family protected from a complicated administration.  Click the link and get started.  Our office will be glad to help.

2016 Estate Sheet