Category Archives: Estate Planning

March 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We’ve reached another Friday!  There is certainly no shortage of agricultural law news recently. * Synagro releases independent study in Johnson County, TX concluding fertilizer did not cause PFAS contamination.  You may recall from this prior blog post that Johnson County landowners have filed several lawsuits related to PFAS contamination of their land allegedly caused by Synagro biosolid fertilizer.  This week Synagro issued a press release announcing the results of an independent study conducted on the Johnson County land.  The study, done by Parsons Corporation and Dr. Linda… Read More →

March 7, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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Happy March!  We are here with another rundown of some of the biggest agricultural law stories in the news from the past couple of weeks. * Treasury department announces suspension of Corporate Transparency Act reporting for US citizens and domestic companies.  It would not be a weekly round up if we did not include news about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).  The US Department of Treasury announced that it will not be enforcing or assessing penalties for those failing to comply with the reporting requirements of the CTA at… Read More →

2025 Federal Estate and Gift Tax Limits

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Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced the 2025 estate and gift tax exemption amounts.  Generally speaking, these amounts change slightly each year, and are an important consideration in a person’s estate planning process. Background As we have discussed numerous times on this blog and our Ag Law in the Field Podcast, Congress sets an amount of assets that a person is allowed to give during their lifetime or at death without incurring estate or gift tax liability. This is known as the lifetime exemption.  The IRS adjusts… Read More →

February 7, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We are back with another weekly round up of agricultural law news from around the country. * Texas law requires confirming homestead exemption status every 5 years. A new law, passed in 2023, requires appraisal districts in Texas to determine eligibility for a homestead exemption every 5 years. Appraisal districts will do this by sending out a letter seeking confirmation of homestead status.  It is critical that homeowners do not ignore this letter! [Read article here.] *Senate agriculture committee advances nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture.  A… Read More →

January 24, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been quite the week with much of the country facing cold temperatures and snow!  Beyond the weather-related news, there were a number of important ag law stories as well. * SCOTUS weighs in on Corporate Transparency Act reporting; a nationwide injunction remains in place.  The litigation surrounding the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act continued this week.  On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court lifted the nationwide injunction in Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland.  [Read article here.]  Although that stay is no longer in place, there was… Read More →

Case Highlights Requirements for Handwritten Will

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A recent case from the Austin Court of Appeals, Wilson v. Franks, highlights the requirements for a handwritten (“holographic”) will to be valid in Texas. [Read Opinion here.] Background When Robert Franks died, his cousin, Susan Franks, asked the court to declare her and another cousin as Robert’s heirs and that he died without a will.  Valerie Wilson, who claimed to have a long-term, live-in relationship with Robert, objected and applied for the court to probate a handwritten document she claimed was a holographic will.  Susan objected to the… Read More →

November 1, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome to November!  I am not sure how we’ve reached this point in the year, but here we are.  Let’s get caught up on the lasted agricultural law news.  * Texas sues federal government over listing freshwater mussels under Endangered Species Act.  The State of Texas has filed suit against the federal government challenging US Fish and Wildlife’s listing of several species of freshwater mussels as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.  Specifically, Texas alleges the federal government violated the Endangered Species Act, Administrative Procedures Act,… Read More →

August 23, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome back to another Weekly Round Up where we get you caught up on some of the biggest stories in ag law news around the country. *Federal court finds FTC ban on noncompete agreements unlawful, sets rule aside in nationwide order.  A federal judge in Texas held that the FTC’s recent rule prohibiting most noncompete agreements is unlawful.  The court held that the rule went beyond the FTC’s authority and was arbitrary and capricious.  The judge issued an order setting aside the rule on a nationwide basis.  This… Read More →

August 2, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a fast and furious summer here, and we have fallen behind on our bi-weekly round ups.  We are here today to help get you caught up on the biggest ag law news around the country! *Court rules Massachusetts’ Question 3 is not preempted by Federal Meat Inspection Act.  A Massachusetts federal court recently ruled that Massachusetts’ Question 3, a ballot initiative banning the sale of pork that is not raised in accordance with certain practices, is not preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act as… Read More →

Do You Have a Flight Plan?

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We recently published a new fact sheet asking the question, “Do you have a flight plan?” Taking time to gather documents and build a flight plan is an important, but often overlooked part, of an estate plan. To learn more, click here.