Lakeway Estate Planning & Probate Attorney

Looking for an estate planning attorney in Lakeway? Henington Lewis Law Firm helps families in Lakeway, The Hills, Rough Hollow, Flintrock Falls and the rest of the Lake Travis area protect their homes, savings and families with clear estate plans, and helps loved ones through probate when the time comes.

Estate Planning for Lakeway Retirees and Families

Many of the Lakeway clients we meet are retired or nearing retirement, often with a lake home, retirement accounts and family spread across several states. As your Lakeway estate planning attorney, we help you answer the questions that come with that stage of life.

Keeping your homestead exemptions

Moving your house into a revocable living trust does not have to cost you your homestead or over-65 property tax exemptions. Texas Tax Code Section 11.13 lets a qualifying trust hold your residence homestead, and we draft the trust and deed with that in mind. Read more in Do I need a trust if I own a home in Texas?

Lake homes and property in other states

If you own a home here and real estate in another state, a will alone can mean a probate case in each state. Holding both properties in a funded trust usually avoids the second case and keeps your family from hiring lawyers in two places.

Planning for incapacity

A statutory durable power of attorney, medical power of attorney, directive to physicians and HIPAA release let the people you choose step in if you can’t manage your affairs, without a court guardianship. For many Lakeway families, this is the most important part of the plan.

Simpler tools when they fit

For some homeowners, a lady bird deed or a transfer on death deed is enough to keep the house out of probate. We’ll tell you when the simpler tool fits.

Probate Help for Lakeway Families

Lakeway is in Travis County, so probate cases are heard in the Travis County Probate Courts. If you are handling a parent’s or spouse’s estate, we will tell you whether you need probate with independent administration, title probate or probate with dependent administration, and what each takes in time and cost. If someone died without a will, we can help establish the heirs through an affidavit of heirship or a court heirship proceeding.

Estate Planning and Probate Services for Lakeway

Every plan is designed and reviewed by a Lakeway estate planning attorney on our team. Our services include:

• Wills, including pour-over wills that work with your trust
• Revocable living trusts, with help retitling your home and accounts into the trust
• Statutory durable powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney, directives to physicians and HIPAA releases
• Asset protection and planning for business interests
• Probate: title probate, probate with independent administration and probate with dependent administration
• Heirship and affidavits of heirship when someone dies without a will
• Contested probate and will contests

Why Lakeway Families Choose Our Estate Planning Attorneys

• You work with an attorney. Samantha Lewis or Turner Henington meets with you, designs your plan and walks you through every document before you sign.
• Planning and probate under one roof. We write estate plans and we handle probate, so we draft knowing what actually happens in Texas courts after a death.
• A clear price up front. You get a flat-fee quote for your estate plan before you commit.
• Free community seminars. We teach free estate planning seminars around the Austin area, so you can learn the basics before you ever book a meeting.
• Meet in person or by video. Plan from home if that is easier, and come in once to sign.

Read what clients say in the reviews on this page, or call (512) 737-8404 to talk with an estate planning attorney who serves Lakeway.

How Working With a Lakeway Estate Planning Attorney at Our Firm Works

1. Consultation. We learn about your family, your property and your goals, and answer your questions.
2. Plan design and quote. We recommend a will-based or trust-based plan and give you a flat fee.
3. Draft review. You review the drafts with your attorney and we make changes until they fit.
4. Signing and trust funding. You sign with a notary and witnesses, and we help move your home and accounts into your trust so it actually works.

Meeting With Us From Lakeway

Our office is at 1101 S. Capital of Texas Hwy, Bldg G, Suite 150-C, Austin, TX 78746, on Loop 360. From Lakeway it is a straight drive in on RR 620 and Bee Caves Road. We also meet by video for clients who prefer to plan from home, and we can help arrange signings.

Call (512) 737-8404 or send us a message to set up a consultation with a Lakeway estate planning attorney on our team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my homestead or over-65 exemption if I put my house in a trust?

Not if the trust is drafted correctly. Texas allows a qualifying trust to hold a residence homestead, and you may need to file a new homestead application with the Travis Central Appraisal District after the transfer. We walk you through that step.

We own a lake house here and a home in another state. Will our family face two probate cases?

With only a will, often yes: one case in Texas and another where the out-of-state property sits. Putting both properties in a funded revocable trust usually avoids the second case.

What happens if one of us develops dementia?

If you have signed a statutory durable power of attorney and a medical power of attorney, the people you named can act for you. If your assets are in a trust, your successor trustee can manage them. Without these documents, your family may need a court guardianship.

Is a lady bird deed enough instead of a trust?

For some Lakeway homeowners, yes. A lady bird deed keeps the house out of probate and lets you keep full control during your life. It does not cover your other assets or plan for incapacity, so we look at your whole picture first.

Where is probate handled for a Lakeway resident?

Lakeway is in Travis County, so probate is filed in the Travis County Probate Courts.

Can we sign our documents without driving into Austin?

We are a short drive from Lakeway, and we can meet by video for planning. Signings need a notary and, for some documents, witnesses, and we can help arrange those.

Other Areas We Serve

• Austin estate planning and Austin probate
• Travis County probate and estate planning
• Williamson County probate and estate planning
• Hays County probate and estate planning
• West Lake Hills estate planning and probate
• Bee Cave estate planning and probate
• Dripping Springs estate planning and probate
• Cedar Park estate planning and probate
• Round Rock estate planning and probate