Boutique estate planning and wealth law solutions
Whatever the size or complexity of your estate, the estate-planning and wealth-management attorneys at The Houser Law Firm have seen it all before. Protecting legacies of wealth is what they do. And they’ve being doing it for years. Bill Houser, Michael Graham, Marisol Trottier in Dallas, and Candace Sandifer and Ann Claire Corbett in Southlake have partnered with hundreds of clients to provide innovative and sophisticated legal solutions no matter how simple or how complex their estate.
“Our clients work incredibly hard to achieve their successes,” Candace said. “And we understand how difficult it can be to place that hard-earned success in the hands of someone else. We genuinely care about each client, their family’s future, and working with them to assure their legacy will endure.”
Because the Houser attorneys focus on estate planning, trust and estate litigation, and asset protection, they are equipped to handle estates of any size, no matter how large or modest. They have a special heart for working with veterans, first responders, and teachers and even offer variable pricing when appropriate. But they also handle multimillion-dollar estates with lots of moving parts.
That all begins with complete transparency. “There’s a need for trust in the attorney/client relationship,” Candace said. “We can only plan for what we know about. We’re under obligation to keep anything we discuss to ourselves, but you have to be willing to share every aspect of your estate with us if we are to create a truly customized estate plan tailored to your exact needs.”
Houser Law Firm attorneys begin by listening to all your goals and concerns before reviewing your estate’s assets. After developing a deep understanding of the complete picture, they work to design a strategy that serves in the best interests of you, your family, and your business. As your situations evolves, they work with you to make appropriate adjustments to that strategy, “But our plan is only as good as the information you offer,” Candace said.
You may have noticed lots of options for DIYing your estate plan, but this is rarely a good idea. While it may seem like a great way to save money by avoiding attorney fees, the average person is unaware of all the complexities involved in creating an effective estate plan. “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation,” Candace said. “Estates can be very complex, and each one is unique in many different ways. Your $99 will could end up costing your family tens of thousands of dollars in probate.”
In Texas, each county has its own constantly changing processes and requirements. These DIY kits you see online or at Office Depot do not consider those requirements and changes. On the other hand, professional estate planning offers the expertise and knowledge of a trained estate-planning attorney who can provide customized advice and guidance and is only a phone call away. These attorneys ensure your estate-planning documents comply with state and county laws and are legally valid and enforceable. And they reevaluate them, as law codes change. They’re trained to identify and address complex legal and financial issues often overlooked in DIY estate planning and provide ongoing support and advice as your circumstances change over time. In short, while you might want to DIY that landscaping project in your yard, it’s probably a bad — and costly — idea to DIY your estate planning.
The Houser Law Firm also partners with family-owned businesses, including family ranches and farms, to handle mergers and acquisitions, business succession strategy and implementation, entity formation and strategy for choice of entities, insurance planning, contract negotiation and preparation, and many more business-related legal services. Often, they offer comprehensive planning for a family and their business.
“Family and business are often one and the same,” Candace said. “Estate planning for the family usually necessitates succession planning for the family business as well. Understanding these dynamics allows us to create optimized plans for all our clients — for their business needs and their family estate-planning needs — and it can be nice for them to have all their representation under one roof.”
Attorneys Bill Houser and Candace Sandifer are more than experienced estate-planning and wealth-management attorneys. They are parents and spouses and active members of our community.
Bill has been in private practice his entire career, except for a brief period when he served as vice president and general counsel for a telecommunications company. He is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He’s a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, and the North Texas Estate Planning Council. He speaks frequently on the issues of gift and estate taxation, and is past chairman of the board of the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of Rockwall Economic Development Corporation.
Candace brings with her invaluable experience from her time at both a judicial clerkship at Prince George’s County Maryland and a position at the office of the attorney general for the District of Columbia. She’s a member of the State Bar of Texas, State Bar of Texas REPTL Section, Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, and the Tarrant County Bar Association. Passionate about community service, Candace has served on the boards of various universities, chambers of commerce, schools, sports teams, and service organizations. She is the future 2025 chairman of the board of the Colleyville Chamber of Commerce.
“Our goal is for each client to leave our office with a sense of relief knowing they have us in their corner,” Candace said. “Let’s walk through everything and have the hard conversations now. Then, once we clearly understand the direction you want to take, we can make the estate-planning process more streamlined and palatable, and you can leave with peace of mind knowing your estate is airtight.”
Visit HouserFirm.com to find out more.
“Our clients work incredibly hard to achieve their successes. And we understand how difficult it can be to place that hard-earned success in the hands of someone else. We genuinely care about each client, their family’s future, and working with them to assure their legacy will endure.”
