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Attorney Full name
Helen B. Wils
Shareholder
713.752.8634
hwils@craincaton.com

Experience

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

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: GuardianshipsGuardianship 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.

Professional Activities

  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

Honors

  1. Included in the list of Texas Super Lawyers for 2003 by Thomson Reuters
  2. AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

PRACTICE AREAS

EDUCATION

  • South Texas College of Law, J.D.
  • Purdue University, M.A. in English
  • State University of New York, B.A. in English

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Five Houston Center, 17th Floor  |  1401 McKinney Street, Suite 1700  |  Houston, TX 77010  |  713.658.2323