Welcome to our Houston and Midland, Texas Family Law, Estate Planning Blog

When renting an apartment or home from a landlord, you will be subject to the terms of the contract that you both signed. However, even before this contract is signed, you have certain basic rights that cannot be refuted. If you are having difficulties navigating an issue regarding your tenancy or if a dispute has arisen, it is important that you take the time to understand the law in Texas.

The following are some of your basic rights as a tenant or a prospective tenant. These rights cannot be negotiated away by your landlord in a contract. If your landlord has violated your rights before or during your tenancy, you may be able to take legal action to address this.

There are so many things to consider in a divorce agreement that it can be easy to overlook certain parts. One factor that many experts say people tend to forget about is changing the beneficiaries on a person's various accounts. It is important that a divorced person ensures that his or her assets are left to the person of his or her choosing. The state of Texas makes some of this process a bit more simple for certain financial accounts, but there are others that a person experiencing a divorce will want to know about.

First, in Texas, a divorce automatically designates the contingency beneficiary as the valid one for certain accounts. That means if a person listed his or her spouse as the beneficiary for his or her IRA or life insurance, a divorce will void that arrangement and designate the next person listed as beneficiary. Those who haven't listed a contingent beneficiary will have assets transferred to the person's estate.

When people think of a will, they may get uncomfortable. This is understandable, as it is not pleasant to consider the end of one's life. However, it is a very important subject for Texas families to consider. There are several incorrect beliefs that people often have in regard to estate planning, but experts say that it is vital that people understand exactly how important having one in place can be for a person and his or her loved ones.

Many people believe that if they are not wealthy, they do not need to have a will. Experts point out that it is likely that most people have some assets, such as a home or small bank account. It is important to ensure that those assets are bequeathed to someone of that person's choosing. A will can even dictate who would care for the person's children, or how that person would like his or her remains to be managed after death.

Insurance is designed to help people out during some of the most difficult times in their lives. Unfortunately, some insurers fail to pay out legitimate claims to policy holders in the interest of saving the company money. It can be difficult to hold insurers in Texas accountable, but doing so is important for all of the people that the insurance company is supposed to cover. One out-of-state attorney is doing just that after his insurance claim for cancer treatment was denied by his insurer.

The attorney, who is a survivor of prostate cancer, attempted to file a claim for treatment back in 2017. Doctors recommended a proton beam radiation therapy because it would be more effective and not as invasive as other options. His insurer, UnitedHealthcare, denied his claim to cover the treatment, saying that the treatment was experimental. The man countered that the treatment was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration back in the 1980s.