Texas Estates Code 1155.053 – Compensation for Services to Recover Property
(a) Subject only to the approval of the court in which the estate is being administered and except as provided by Subsection (b), a guardian of an estate may convey or contract to convey a contingent interest in any property sought to be recovered, not to exceed one-third of the property for services of attorneys.
(b) A guardian of an estate may convey or contract to convey for services of attorneys a contingent interest that exceeds one-third of the property sought to be recovered under this section only on the approval of the court in which the estate is being administered. The court must approve a contract entered into or conveyance made under this section before an attorney performs any legal services. A contract entered into or conveyance made in violation of this section is void unless the court ratifies or reforms the contract or documents relating to the conveyance to the extent necessary to cause the contract or conveyance to meet the requirements of this section.
Terms Used In Texas Estates Code 1155.053
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Court: means and includes:
(1) a county court in the exercise of its probate jurisdiction;
(2) a court created by statute and authorized to exercise original probate jurisdiction; and
(3) a district court exercising original probate jurisdiction in a contested matter. See Texas Estates Code 22.007 - Estate: means a decedent's property, as that property:
(1) exists originally and as the property changes in form by sale, reinvestment, or otherwise;
(2) is augmented by any accretions and other additions to the property, including any property to be distributed to the decedent's representative by the trustee of a trust that terminates on the decedent's death, and substitutions for the property; and
(3) is diminished by any decreases in or distributions from the property. See Texas Estates Code 22.012 - Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) In approving a contract or conveyance under Subsection (a) or (b) for services of an attorney, the court shall consider:
(1) the time and labor that will be required, the novelty and difficulty of the questions to be involved, and the skill that will be required to perform the legal services properly;
(2) the fee customarily charged in the locality for similar legal services;
(3) the value of property recovered or sought to be recovered by the guardian under this section;
(4) the benefits to the estate that the attorney will be responsible for securing; and
(5) the experience and ability of the attorney who will be performing the services.