Sharon B Gardner
Estate Planning
Our Estate Planning section offers extensive experience in all areas of estate and trust planning. Members of this section are experts in structuring the ownership of clients' assets and in assuring effective and trouble-free transfer of wealth upon death or disability, while seeking to minimize income, gift, estate, "kiddie" and generation-skipping transfer taxes.
Firm lawyers routinely prepare wills and trusts of all degrees of complexity, medical and financial powers of attorneys, directives to physicians, designation of guardians, and other planning documents; assuring that these documents are properly executed and easily retrievable.
Members of this section ensure that each document reflects all changes in the applicable substantive and tax law. Firm lawyers work closely with a client's accountants and financial planners to devise and execute a tailor-made estate plan.
The Firm guides clients through estate administration and the preparation of federal estate and state inheritance tax returns. The Firm's experience with fiduciary matters also provides expertise in fiduciary accounting, income tax planning and the management and disposition of assets.
The Firm also actively assists its clients with probate matters, trust and estate administration (including preparation and filing of federal and state estate tax and fiduciary income tax returns), guardianship matters, will contests, fiduciary liability actions, and other litigation relating to the estate and probate area.
Probate, Trust and Guardianship
The Firm actively assists its clients with probate, trust and estate administration and settlement (including preparation and filing of federal and state estate tax), guardianship matters, and litigation relating to these areas.
Firm lawyers routinely represent executors, administrators, and trustees in all aspects of estate and trust administration and settlement including seeking appointment, carrying out his or her duties, preparing death tax returns, and matters relating to the settlement of the estate and trust, and also represents beneficiaries relating to their interest in estates and trusts. In addition, Firm lawyers represent creditors of estates in matters relating to their enforcement of their claims.
In guardianship matters, the Firm is often engaged to assist in seeking or defending against a guardianship. The Firm routinely represents court appointed guardians in all aspects of guardianship proceedings including preparing inventories and accountings.
Various members of this section are often appointed by the courts to serve as a temporary guardian, temporary administrator, attorney ad litem, guardian ad litem, mediator and in other capacities relating to estates, trusts and guardianships.
Members of this section of the Firm have advanced degrees, and speak to professional and lay organizations concerning probate, trust and guardianship matters.
The Firm's attorneys are frequently requested to lecture on issues related to probate, trust and guardianship matters at numerous continuing legal education seminars of the State Bar of Texas and other state and local legal organizations. Sharon B. Gardner and Sarah Patel Pacheco are co-authors of the Texas Probate Practice Guide published by West Publishing. Sharon B. Gardner is the editor of the Texas Guardianship Manual. Sarah Patel Pacheco is the co-author of Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning published by West Publishing. Darlene Payne Smith is the author of the Probate Claims Section of the Texas Collection Manual.
Fellow - American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
Sharon B Gardner
Crain, Caton & James PC
5 Houston Center - 17th Floor
1401 McKinney St
Houston TX 77010-4035
Tel: 713 752-8626; 877 658-2323
Fax: 713 658-1921
E-mail: sgardner@craincaton.com
Practice Areas
* Fiduciary Litigation
* Probate, Trust and Guardianship
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