Relating to decedents' estates and other matters involving probate courts.

Contracts

• Retainer Agreements: Update engagement letters for probate matters to explicitly state that costs for "qualified delivery" (courier/certified mail) of original wills during venue transfers are billable disbursements.
• Vendor Software: If utilizing third-party software for probate form generation, verify that the vendor will update the Inventory and List of Claims module to support "Community" vs. "Separate" property designations by August 2025.

Hiring/Training

• Docketing Staff: Train staff on the new 7-day hard deadline for filing proof of service after Letters of Temporary Administration are issued. This is a statutory deadline that requires immediate action upon appointment.
• Process Servers: Retrain process servers on Section 51.057. They can no longer move directly to service by publication for a deceased party; they must document attempts to serve the Personal Representative or Distributees first.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Inventory Templates: You must redesign your "Inventory and List of Claims" templates. For any married decedent, the form must now include specific columns or designations verifying whether each asset and claim is Separate Property or Community Property.
• Self-Proving Wills: Intake procedures must be updated to accept a copy of a will combined with a copy of a self-proving affidavit as sufficient for self-proving status; demanding the original for this specific preliminary validation is no longer necessary.

Fees & Costs

• Venue Transfer Costs: The applicant is now statutorily required to pay the cost of the "qualified delivery method" for moving the original will to a new court. Expect county clerks to reject transfer orders if this fee is not prepaid.