Texas Health and Human Services has compiled the Texas forms for advance directives. These are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. Advance directive provide a way to communicate your wishes to family, friends and health care professionals, and to avoid confusion later on.
Visit the Texas Health and Human Services website to learn more about the Advance Directives law.
https://hhs.texas.gov/laws-regulations/forms/advance-directives
The American Bar Association's website offers a self-guided tutorial covering:
- Estate Planning Overview
- Wills
- Revocable Trusts
- Power of Attorney
- Living wills, Health Care Proxies, and Advance Health Care Directives
- The Probate Process
- Planning with Retirement Benefits
- Guidelines for Individual Executors and Trustees
- Lawyer's Role vs. "Do It Yourself" Estate Planning
- Asset Protection Planning
Learn more: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/real_property_trust_estate/resources/estate_planning/
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal help to low-income residents in 114 Texas counties throughout North and West Texas, with offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Brownwood, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Lubbock, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plainview, San Angelo, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wichita Falls.
Here are some resources for, and direct links to, common legal forms needed in Texas:
- Texas Attorney General Website
- Texas Health & Human Services Website
- General Information
- Wills and advance directives – Texas State Law Library
- Estate Planning - State Bar of Texas
- Health Care Directives - National Institute of Health
- Should I Sign New Estate Planning Documents When I Move to a New State?
- Beware of for-profit companies who try to sell you something you may not need!
- Texas Guide to Disposal of Remains
Established in 1987, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others. NAELA's mission is to educate, inspire, serve, and provide a community to attorneys with practices in elder and special needs law.
Learn more: https://www.naela.org/