Helen B. Wils

Shareholder
713-752-8634
hwils@craincaton.com

vCard

Experience

Board Certified in Estate Planning & Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Professional Activities and Associations

1.    State Bar of Texas, Guardianship Manual      Committee

• 2.    Disability and Elder Law Attorneys’ Association, President, 1995-1996
• 3.    Women Attorneys in Tax and Probate, Vice President, programming, 1989-1990; CLE Chairman, 1993
• 4.    Houston Bar Association: Probate, Tax, and Litigation Sections
• 5.    American Bar Association: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section

• Professional Honors

  1.    Texas Monthly Super Lawyer, 2003
• 2.    AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Publications/Speeches

• Author/Speaker:      To Heir or Not to Heir - That is the Question (Posthumously Conceived Children of the Dead, the Dying and the Divorced), Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Seminar Course, June 23-25, 2010.
• Author/Speaker:      "Mapquest" For Trustees (and Their Lawyers), South Texas College of Law, 24th Annual Wills and Probate Institute, September 24-25, 2009.
• Author/Speaker:       Elder Law; Jewish Community Center, June 18, 2009
• Author/Speaker:       Special Needs Calls for Special Planning, Alexander Institute, January 23, 2009.

Author/Speaker:     Guardianships: Guardianship of the Estate, Guardianship of the Person and Ad Litem Appointments; Jewish Family Service Alexander Institute, September 25, 2008.

Author/Speaker:    Fundamentals of Estate Planning; St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, June 8, 2008.

Author/Speaker:  Determination of Ownership of Assets in Estates; Texas Bankers Association in San Antonio, October 21, 2005

• Author/Speaker:      Getting Prepared: Legal Matters to ConsiderBefore Illness or Old Age; CBS Adult Educational Program, February 25, 2004.
• Author/Speaker:      Elder Care in Texas: Legal and Financial Issues; National Business Institute, October 16, 2003.
• Co-Author/Speaker:      Fundamentals of Estate Planning; St. Patrick’s Young at Heart, September 24, 2003.
• Author/Speaker:       Housing Options for Seniors; South Texas College of Law Elder Law Conference: Estate Planning, Special Needs Trusts and Guardianships, May 9, 2003.
• Author:      Tips for Selecting a Senior-Living Facility, Houston Chronicle, February 22, 2002.
• Author/Speaker:      Statutes of Limitations in Probate and Trust Matters, Women Attorneys in Tax and Probate, Houston, January 2, 2001.
• Speaker:      Dealing With Probate: Recognizing and Avoiding the Traps, University of Houston Law Foundation Course, Insurance Law for Agents, Adjusters and Attorneys Who Represent Insurers, December 14, 2000.
• Author/Speaker:      Tax Breaks For Seniors, State Bar of Texas Elder Law Course 2000, December 7, 2000, Houston; February 8, 2001, Dallas.
• Author/Speaker:      Estate Administration, Texas Probate and Estate Planning Skills for Paralegals, October 29, 1999.
• Speaker:      Duties of the Ad Litem in Guardianship Matters, Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, Ad Litem Seminar, September 3, 1999.
• Author/Speaker:      Statutes of Limitations in Probate and Trust Litigation, State Bar of Texas Course on Advanced Estate Planning & Probate, June 3, 1999.
• Speaker:      Probate and Guardianship Issues Under the New Discovery Rules, Disability & Elder Law Attorneys’ Association, February 15, 1999.
• Author/Speaker:      Special Needs Trusts Under the Texas Property Code and Texas Probate Code & Structured Settlements, Disability & Elder Law Attorneys’ Association, June 15, 1998.
• Author/Speaker:      Jurisdictional Problems Between District Courts and Probate Courts, Houston Bar Association, Wills & Probate Institute, February 7, 1997.
• Author/Speaker:      Legal Issues for Transplant Patients, HARC, Houston, Texas, April 16, 1996.
• Author/Speaker:     Jurisdictional Problems Between the Family Courts and Private Courts in Guardianship, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Texas, March 15, 1994.
• Author/Speaker:     A Practical Guide to Estate Administration in Texas, National Business Institute, August 19, 1993.
• Co-Author:       Current Case Law Developments in Guardianships, Estate Administration, and Miscellaneous Topics Affecting Probate, Trust and Estates Including Litigation; State Bar of Texas 1991 Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Course; June 1991.
• Co-Author:      Representing the Estate Beneficiary; University of Houston 1991 Wills and Probate Institute, August, 1991.
• Co-Author:      Duties of the Ad Litem; South Texas College of Law Wills & Probate Institute 1991, October 1991.