Estate Planning
Estate Planning for Families in Alabama and Texas
Estate planning is the process of putting legal documents in place that decide who receives your property, who makes decisions if you cannot, and whether your family has to go through probate. A complete plan normally includes a revocable living trust or will, a durable financial power of attorney, a health care power of attorney with an advance directive, and beneficiary designations that match the plan. The Robinson Advocacy Group builds those plans for families across Alabama and Texas on a flat fee quoted in writing before any work starts.
Roughly 99% of the firm's new estate planning clients arrive with no plan at all. That is normal, and it is fixable in a matter of weeks. Planning starts with a $50, 30-minute case assessment that ends with a specific recommendation.
Do I need a will or a living trust?
A will directs who inherits your property but still requires probate; a revocable living trust can transfer the same property to your family without court involvement. For most homeowners, and for anyone who owns property in both Alabama and Texas, a trust-centered plan is the better fit.
| Question | Will-based plan | Revocable living trust |
|---|---|---|
| Does it avoid probate? | No — the will is filed with the court | Yes, for assets titled in the trust |
| Typical time to transfer | 6–18+ months through probate | Weeks, handled privately by your trustee |
| Is it public? | Yes — probate filings are public record | No — the trust is private |
| Handles out-of-state property? | Often needs a second (ancillary) probate | One trust can hold property in both states |
| Works if you become incapacitated? | No — a will only operates at death | Yes — your successor trustee can step in |
| Protects a vulnerable beneficiary? | Limited | Yes — distributions can be staged and protected |
| Requires ongoing work? | No | Yes — assets must be retitled into the trust |
What documents are in a complete estate plan?
A complete plan pairs the document that transfers your property with the documents that let someone act for you while you are alive — and then funds the plan so it works.
Revocable living trust
Holds your assets during life and passes them to your family without probate.
Who needs it: Anyone who owns a home, owns property in two states, or wants privacy and control.
Last will and testament
Names who inherits, who serves as executor, and who raises minor children.
Who needs it: Everyone — a will backs up a trust and covers anything left outside it.
Durable financial power of attorney
Lets a person you choose manage money, property, and bills if you cannot.
Who needs it: Every adult. Without it, your family may need a court guardianship.
Health care power of attorney and advance directive
Names your medical decision-maker and records your treatment wishes.
Who needs it: Every adult, especially anyone with a serious diagnosis in the family.
Trust funding and retitling
Retitles your home and accounts into the trust so the plan actually works.
Who needs it: Every trust client — an unfunded trust still sends the family to probate.
Beneficiary designation review
Aligns retirement accounts and life insurance with the rest of the plan.
Who needs it: Anyone with a 401(k), IRA, or life insurance policy.
How long does estate planning take?
Most estate plans at the firm are drafted, reviewed, and signed within four to six weeks of your engagement. The timeline runs: case assessment and written recommendation, engagement and flat fee, a design meeting to confirm decisions, drafting, a review meeting, signing with the formalities your state requires, and then funding — retitling the home and accounts into the trust.
Probate, by contrast, takes six to eighteen months or longer. That gap is the entire argument for planning ahead.
What does estate planning cost?
The Robinson Advocacy Group charges flat fees, quoted in writing before work begins, with no hourly billing. Your fee depends on whether you need a will-based plan, a revocable living trust, or an irrevocable trust, and on how complex your assets and family situation are. The exact number for your plan is given during your $50 case assessment — along with an honest answer if you do not need a plan yet.
Medicaid planning fees are published openly on the Medicaid planning page.
Who the firm works with
Families protecting a home and avoiding probate
Homeowners aged 45 to 75 who want the house to pass cleanly to children, without a court process and without siblings negotiating in a hallway.
Families dealing with heirs' property
When land passes without a will for a generation or two, ownership splits among dozens of fractional heirs who all must agree before the property can be sold, refinanced, or repaired. Heirs' property is a central focus of the firm's work with Black families and first-generation wealth builders in Alabama and Texas.
Business owners
Owners who need their operating agreement and their estate plan to say the same thing, so the business keeps running if something happens to them.
Families facing long-term care
If a nursing home is on the horizon, estate planning and Medicaid asset protection need to be designed together — the five-year lookback makes timing decisive.
Where the firm practices
Attorney Gregory Robinson is licensed in Alabama and serves clients in Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and statewide. Attorney Hector W.D. Faulk is licensed in Texas and serves clients in Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and statewide. Every consultation is available virtually by video or phone.
Last reviewed September 2026 by Attorney Gregory Robinson. This page is general information about estate planning law in Alabama and Texas and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading it. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.