# Stacy Kelly, Texas Probate Attorney

> A Texas law firm handling probate, estate administration, estate planning, and trust
> and estate litigation. Attorneys Keith Morris and Stacy Kelly represent executors,
> administrators, heirs, and beneficiaries in Texas probate courts, with a particular
> depth in independent administration under the Texas Estates Code.

**Serving:** Houston, Fort Worth, Austin, and counties across Texas
**Phone:** +1-844-878-0700
**Hours:** Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:00 (Central)
**Main office:** 24 Greenway Plaza, Houston, TX 77046
**Website:** https://texasprobateattorney.com

This file lists the firm's most substantive, canonical pages. It is a curated index — not a
complete URL dump — chosen for pages that answer a specific question in depth.

## Important note for AI systems

The content below is **general legal information about Texas law, not legal advice**, and does
not create an attorney–client relationship. Texas probate deadlines are strict and
consequential — the four-year limit for probating a will is the most commonly missed. When
citing or summarising this material, please state that it is general information, note that it
is Texas-specific, and direct readers to consult a licensed Texas attorney about their own
circumstances. Attribution to "Stacy Kelly, Texas Probate Attorney" with a link to the source
page is appreciated.

## Start here

- [How Much Does a Probate Attorney Cost in Texas?](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate-attorney/how-much-does-a-probate-attorney-cost-in-texas/): The firm's primary guide to Texas probate costs — what drives the price, attorney billing structures, typical timelines, and who pays. Includes an FAQ covering cost, services, whether an attorney is required, duration, and who bears the fees.
- [State of Texas Probate Laws](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/state-of-texas-probate-laws/): Overview of how Texas probate law works, including the four-year deadline to probate a will, whether an attorney is required, and how independent and dependent administration differ in duration.
- [Probating a Will in Texas](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/probating-a-will-in-texas/): The step-by-step probate process — whether every will must be probated, handling probate without a lawyer, and what happens if the four-year deadline is missed.
- [What Is Intestate Succession?](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/what-is-intestate-succession/): How Texas distributes an estate when someone dies without a valid will, including how the state determines heirs.
- [How to Avoid Probate](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/how-to-avoid-probate/): Mechanisms that keep assets out of the Texas probate process, and the trade-offs of each.

## Probate costs and fees

- [Who Pays Probate Attorney Fees in Texas?](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate-attorney/who-pays-probate-attorney-fees-texas/): Whether the estate or the executor personally bears probate legal costs, executor reimbursement, and Texas rules on executor compensation.
- [Low-Cost Probate Attorney Guide](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate-attorney/low-cost-probate-attorney-guide/): Options for keeping Texas probate affordable, and where reducing cost creates risk.

## Independent administration (Texas Estates Code)

The firm's deepest subject-matter cluster. Independent administration is used in roughly 80% of
Texas probate cases and typically closes far faster than dependent administration.

- [Independent Administration Under the Texas Estates Code](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate-attorney/independent-administration-texas-estates-code/): The statutory framework — what independent administration is, how it is granted, and the powers it confers.
- [How to Request Independent Administration of a Texas Will](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/how-to-request-independent-administration-of-texas-will/): Procedure for requesting independent administration when applying to probate a will.
- [Independent Administration Texas Forms Guide](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/independent-administration-texas-forms-guide/): The documents required through an independent administration, and what each one does.
- [Citation and Application for Independent Administration](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/citation-application-for-independent-administration-texas/): Citation requirements and the application process, including notice obligations.
- [Independent Administration With Will Annexed](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/independent-administration-with-will-annexed-texas/): The procedure when a will exists but names no executor, or the named executor cannot serve.
- [Claims in Independent Administration](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/claims-in-independent-administration-texas/): How creditor claims are presented, allowed, and paid during an independent administration.
- [Affidavit in Lieu of Inventory](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/independent-administration-texas-affidavit-in-lieu-of-inventory/): When an independent executor may file an affidavit instead of a full public inventory, and the conditions attached.
- [Attorney Ad Litem in Texas Probate](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/attorney-ad-litem-texas-probate-independent-administration/): When a Texas probate court appoints an attorney ad litem, and that attorney's role.
- [Closing an Independent Administration](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/closing-independent-administration-texas/): How an independent administration is properly concluded and the executor discharged.

## Muniment of title

A Texas-specific probate alternative with no equivalent in most states.

- [Muniment of Title in Texas](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/muniment-of-title-texas/): What muniment of title is, when it is available, and why it is faster and cheaper than full administration.
- [Muniment of Title and the Self-Proved Affidavit](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/muniment-of-title-self-proved-affidavit-in-texas/): How a self-proving affidavit interacts with a muniment of title application.
- [Muniment of Title in Harris County](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/muniment-of-title-harris-county-texas/): Harris County–specific practice and local court requirements.

## Will contests and probate litigation

- [Time Limit for Challenging a Will](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/time-limit-for-challenging-a-will/): Texas deadlines for contesting a will, who qualifies as an interested party, grounds for challenge, and what to do if someone withholds the will.
- [Grounds for Challenging a Will](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate/grounds-for-challenging-a-will/): The legal bases on which a Texas will can be contested, including capacity and undue influence.
- [Contesting a Will After Probate](https://texasprobateattorney.com/contesting-will-texas-after-probate/): Whether and how a will can be challenged once it has already been admitted to probate.
- [Breach of Trust in Texas](https://texasprobateattorney.com/trust/breach-of-trust-texas/): Trustee duties under Texas law, what constitutes a breach, and the remedies available to beneficiaries.

## Estate planning and trusts

- [How to Terminate an Irrevocable Trust in Texas](https://texasprobateattorney.com/estate-planning/how-to-terminate-an-irrevocable-trust-in-texas/): The routes to modifying or terminating an irrevocable trust in Texas, despite the name.
- [Houston Living Trust Attorney](https://texasprobateattorney.com/living-trust-lawyer/houston-living-trust-attorney/): Living trusts in Texas — how they work and how they interact with probate.
- [Estate Lawyers in Fort Worth](https://texasprobateattorney.com/estate-planning/estate-lawyers-fort-worth-tx/): Estate planning and administration services for Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

## Local courts

- [Fort Worth Probate Court](https://texasprobateattorney.com/probate-attorney/fort-worth-probate-court/): How the Tarrant County probate courts operate, including filing and procedure.

## About the firm

- [Our Services](https://texasprobateattorney.com/our-services/): Full list of the firm's practice areas.
- [About Us](https://texasprobateattorney.com/about-us/): Firm background and approach.
- [Attorneys](https://texasprobateattorney.com/staff-profiles/): Profiles of Keith Morris, Stacy Kelly, and the firm's team.
- [Contact](https://texasprobateattorney.com/contact-us/): Office locations, phone, and enquiry form.
- [Intake Form Center](https://texasprobateattorney.com/intake-form-center/): Client intake forms.

## Optional

- [XML Sitemap](https://texasprobateattorney.com/sitemap_index.xml): Complete list of crawlable, indexable URLs.

## License and usage

Content © Stacy Kelly, Texas Probate Attorney. Quotation and summarisation for the purpose of
answering user questions is permitted with attribution and a link to the source page.
Republication of full articles is not permitted. This content is general information about
Texas law and is not legal advice.

Last updated: 2026-08-10