Taught by Craig Hopper, Lauren Hunt, and Jason Scott.
The largest transfer of wealth in history is currently underway as the baby boomer generation passes on trillions of dollars in assets to their children and grandchildren using various estate planning strategies. As a result, litigation involving trusts and estates is on the rise and is expected to dramatically increase in the decades to come. This course will provide students with an introduction to this fast-growing practice area and is taught by three trust and estate litigation attorneys, each with decades of experience in the courtroom, who have been involved in some of the largest estate and trust disputes in Texas history. Students will be introduced to fundamental fiduciary law concepts while learning about the unique aspects of preparing for and trying trust and estate cases. The class will cover the specialized court system in Texas that handles most trust and estate disputes while exploring causes of action related to will and trust contests, undue influence, incapacity, self-dealing, misappropriation, and breaches of fiduciary duty. The course will also cover the remedies available in trust and estate cases as well as defenses including the application of the statute of limitations, exculpatory clauses, and no contest clauses. This is an advanced course. Co-requisite or Prerequisite: Wills and Estates.
Hunt, Lauren 