Leslie Turnage, Attorney at Law

YOUR STORY. 

MY ADVICE.

Planning for the Future

Thoughtful planning can protect your family, preserve your legacy, and reduce the risk of future probate, fiduciary, or guardianship disputes.

As Texas Fiduciary, Probate, and Guardianship Counsel, I help individuals and families create practical estate plans that clearly document their wishes, appoint trusted decision-makers, and prepare for incapacity or death.

Essential Planning Documents

• Last Will and Testament

• Durable Power of Attorney

• Medical Power of Attorney

• Directive to Physicians

• HIPAA Authorization

• Appointment of Guardian

• Declaration of Guardian

• Revocable Living Trusts, when appropriate

Each plan is tailored to the client’s family circumstances, assets, priorities, and long-term objectives.

Schedule a Estate Planning Strategy Consultation to begin building a plan that protects your family and your future.

YOUR INHERITANCE.
MY ADVOCACY.

Representation for Heirs and Beneficiaries

When a loved one dies, heirs and beneficiaries may have questions about the estate, their inheritance, or the actions of the executor, administrator, or trustee. You may need independent legal counsel even when no dispute has arisen.

Leslie Turnage represents heirs and beneficiaries in probate and estate administration matters. The firm does not represent the executor or administrator. This focused approach allows Leslie to advise you concerning your individual rights and interests throughout the administration process.

Representation may include:

• Explaining your rights as an heir or beneficiary
• Reviewing wills, trusts, inventories, accountings, and probate filings
• Monitoring the administration of an estate
• Requesting information from an executor, or administrator
• Addressing delays in administration or distribution
• Evaluating proposed distributions, settlements, or family agreements
• Protecting inheritance and estate-property interests
• Addressing concerns regarding fiduciary conduct
• Negotiating disagreements before litigation becomes necessary
• Representing heirs and beneficiaries in contested probate proceedings

A Strategic Approach to Probate Matters

Not every heir or beneficiary needs to begin with litigation. Some matters require careful monitoring, clear advice, and timely communication. Others involve significant conflict, withheld information, delayed distributions, disputed property, or concerns about how the estate is being managed.

Leslie evaluates the circumstances, explains the available options, and develops a strategy appropriate to the level of conflict. When possible, she works toward a practical resolution through direct negotiation, mediation, or a structured collaborative process. When court intervention is necessary, she provides focused advocacy to protect the client’s rights and inheritance.

You do not have to rely solely on the estate’s attorney for information about your individual rights. The attorney for the executor or administrator represents the fiduciary, not the heirs or beneficiaries.

Schedule an Heir or Beneficiary Strategy Consultation to discuss your rights, concerns, and available options.

YOUR RIGHTS.
MY ADVOCACY.

Representation for Proposed Wards and Concerned Family Members

A guardianship proceeding can affect a person’s independence, finances, living arrangements, medical decisions, and other fundamental rights. It can also raise serious concerns for family members who disagree about whether guardianship is necessary, who should serve as guardian, or how a loved one’s care and property should be managed.

Leslie Turnage represents proposed wards and family members whose rights, relationships, or interests may be affected by a Texas guardianship proceeding. The focus is on protecting the vulnerable person, preserving dignity and autonomy, and ensuring that the court receives a complete and accurate understanding of the circumstances.

Guardianship Representation

Representation may include:

• Representing a proposed ward in a guardianship proceeding
• Explaining the proposed ward’s rights and available options
• Evaluating whether guardianship is necessary or a less restrictive alternative is available
• Protecting the proposed ward’s expressed wishes, preferences, and independence
• Representing family members concerned about a proposed guardianship
• Addressing disputes over who should serve as guardian
• Challenging an unnecessary, overly broad, or inappropriate guardianship
• Addressing concerns about a guardian’s conduct or management of property
• Seeking modification, restoration, removal, or other appropriate relief
• Negotiating family disagreements and participating in mediation
• Representing interested persons in contested guardianship proceedings

Protecting the Person at the Center of the Case

Guardianship should be tailored to the individual and should restrict no more rights than necessary. Every case requires careful consideration of the person’s abilities, expressed wishes, support system, safety, finances, and available alternatives.

Leslie provides independent, strategic guidance to proposed wards and concerned family members navigating these difficult decisions. When an agreed solution is possible, she works to reduce conflict and preserve important family relationships. When court intervention is necessary, she provides focused advocacy for the client’s rights and concerns.

Schedule a Guardianship Strategy Consultation to discuss your rights, concerns, and options in a pending or anticipated guardianship proceeding.

YOUR FUTURE.
MY GUIDANCE.

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative divorce offers couples a private, structured alternative to courtroom litigation. Each spouse works with collaboratively trained counsel and, when appropriate, neutral financial and mental health professionals to develop practical, lasting agreements.

I guide clients through the process with thoughtful preparation, clear communication, and a focus on protecting children, preserving dignity, and helping families transition into their next chapter.

Collaborative Divorce Services

• Advising and representing clients throughout the collaborative process

• Coordinating with neutral financial and mental health professionals

• Negotiating property division and financial arrangements

• Developing parenting plans and child-related agreements

• Preparing settlement documents and final divorce pleadings

• Creating durable, family-centered solutions outside the courtroom

Collaborative divorce allows spouses to maintain greater privacy and control over important decisions while reducing conflict, protecting relationships, and avoiding the financial and emotional cost of contested litigation.

Schedule a Collaborative Divorce Strategy Consultation to discuss whether the collaborative process may be the right approach for your situation.

Fiduciary Counsel and Disputes

Executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians have important legal responsibilities. Disputes may arise when heirs, beneficiaries, or interested parties question how assets are managed, protected, accounted for, or distributed.

As Texas Fiduciary, Probate, and Guardianship Counsel, I advise fiduciaries, heirs, and beneficiaries regarding their rights, responsibilities, and available legal remedies.

Fiduciary Counsel and Dispute Services

• Advising executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians

• Representing heirs and beneficiaries

• Reviewing inventories, accountings, and distributions

• Addressing delayed administration or distributions

• Resolving disputes involving estate, trust, or guardianship property

• Evaluating alleged breaches of fiduciary duty

• Pursuing or defending removal and surcharge claims

• Negotiating private resolutions when appropriate

Fiduciary matters often involve significant assets, sensitive relationships, and complex legal duties. Clear and strategic counsel helps protect the client’s interests while working toward a legally sound resolution.