Estate Planning Attorneys in Dallas, Frisco & Houston

Planning for the future can be difficult to think about. It requires honest conversations about family, health, finances, and what should happen if you cannot make decisions for yourself. A thoughtful estate plan gives you more than documents. It gives you clarity, protects the people you care about, and reduces the burden on them when something unexpected happens.

The estate planning attorneys at McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans help clients across North Texas and beyond put practical, enforceable plans in place. Our work ranges from straightforward wills and powers of attorney to more sophisticated trust structures and business succession planning. The goal is always the same: create an estate plan that reflects your values and works in real life, not just on paper.

Choosing the right estate planning lawyer matters. Your attorney will help you see issues you may not have considered, weigh options for your family and your business, and coordinate your plan with existing assets and advisors. Our team combines deep experience in probate, estate administration, business transactions, and family-related planning so your plan fits your whole picture, not just one piece of it.

Finding the Right Estate Planning Attorney for You

Estate planning is not a set of generic forms. It is a process that should reflect your family structure, your assets, and your comfort level with complexity.

When you work with our estate planning lawyers, we:

Start with a detailed conversation about your family, beneficiaries, and long-term priorities
Review existing documents, beneficiary designations, and business interests so nothing important is missed
Explain your options in plain language so you understand the trade-offs between a simple will, a revocable living trust, and more advanced structures
Give you a realistic sense of how your plan will function for your chosen executor, trustee, or agent, including the administrative burden and likely costs

For some clients, an efficient will-based plan with carefully drafted powers of attorney is the right solution. Others benefit from a trust-centered plan that simplifies future administration, addresses blended families, or protects a vulnerable beneficiary over time. Our estate planning attorneys focus on what you actually need, rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all package.

Comprehensive Estate Planning Services

McCathern’s estate planning practice provides a full spectrum of planning and related services, including:

Core Estate Planning Documents

Planning for Children and Other Dependents

Incapacity and Healthcare Planning

Durable financial powers of attorney so a trusted person can manage your affairs if you cannot
Medical powers of attorney and advance directives regarding end-of-life care
Living wills and related healthcare instructions
HIPAA/healthcare releases so providers can speak with the right people when it matters most

Asset Protection and Business Succession

Coordinating your estate plan with closely held businesses, professional practices, and investment entities
Structuring or updating buy-sell agreements and ownership restrictions in line with your estate goals
Planning for liquidity needs that may arise at death or disability
Working with your tax and financial advisors to consider income and transfer tax implications at a high level (without replacing those professionals)

Integration With Probate and Estate Administration

Designing plans that can simplify or, in some cases, avoid probate for certain assets
Aligning beneficiary designations on life insurance, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death accounts with your overall wishes
Preparing for the practical realities of future estate administration so your executor or trustee is set up for success

Because the firm also handles probate, guardianship, family law, corporate services, and real estate, our estate planning lawyers can bring in other attorneys from McCathern when a matter touches multiple areas. That collaboration is often critical for business owners, executives, and families with complex assets.

Experienced Estate Planning Lawyers at McCathern

McCathern’s estate planning team is anchored in Dallas and supported by attorneys in Frisco and Houston, with the ability to assist clients across North Texas and in other Texas jurisdictions as needed.

Dallas Estate Planning Attorneys

Partner Matthew Gilpin

Focuses on probate matters, estate administrations, inheritance issues, and estate planning for clients throughout North Texas
Advises clients on asset protection and drafts trusts, wills, directives, releases, and other estate planning documents
Emphasizes plans that are tailored to each client’s goals and circumstances, building long-term relationships and maintaining clear communication from start to finish

Partner Steve Green

Brings more than 25 years of experience in business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate work
Handles probate matters, trusts, and estate planning, including for LGBTQ+ clients and families who often face unique planning considerations
Offers a practical, problem-solving approach that connects estate planning with broader business and personal needs

The firm’s Highland Park office, located in the Knox Street district, is also known for its depth in family-related estate planning, probate, and guardianship matters, serving clients throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and surrounding North Texas counties, including Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Ellis.

Estate Planning in Frisco and Houston

From our offices at The Star in Frisco and in Houston, attorneys at McCathern provide estate planning services alongside family law and probate representation, helping clients coordinate their plans with ongoing business, litigation, and personal matters.

How Our Estate Planning Attorneys Approach Planning

We treat estate planning as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time transaction. In a typical matter, our estate planning lawyers will:

Begin with a structured meeting focused on your family, assets, concerns, and any prior planning
Identify gaps or inconsistencies in existing documents, beneficiary designations, or titling of real estate and business interests
Present planning options with an emphasis on function and simplicity, not unnecessary complexity
Draft customized documents and walk you through the signing process so you know exactly what you are executing
Provide guidance on how to store your documents, communicate your plan to key people, and update your plan after major life events

We are prepared to coordinate with our probate attorneys to anticipate how courts will view your plan, and with business and real estate lawyers when your estate includes closely held companies or significant property. That cross-practice perspective helps reduce surprises and promotes smoother administration when the time comes.

Serving Clients Across North Texas and Beyond

While many of our estate planning clients live and work in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, our attorneys regularly assist individuals and families throughout North Texas and in other parts of Texas when the situation calls for it.

Our clients include:

Business owners and entrepreneurs who need estate plans that align with company structures and succession plans
Professionals and executives with complex compensation, retirement benefits, and equity interests
Families with blended or multigenerational dynamics that require more careful planning
Individuals seeking to support charities, religious organizations, or other causes as part of their legacy

Whatever your background, you can expect candid advice, attention to detail, and a plan designed to make things easier for the people who will carry out your wishes.

Estate Planning Resources and Next Steps

It is common to delay estate planning because it feels overwhelming or uncomfortable. In practice, most clients feel a sense of relief once they understand their options and see a straightforward path forward.

A conversation with an estate planning attorney can help you:

Understand how Texas law handles property, guardianship, and decision-making if you die or become incapacitated without a plan
Identify which documents are most important for your situation in the near term
Clarify who would serve as executor, trustee, guardian, and agents under your powers of attorney
Begin aligning beneficiary designations, account titling, and business agreements with your overall estate plan

Estate planning is highly fact-specific, and general information on a website cannot substitute for legal advice about your situation. If you would like to discuss your goals with one of our estate planning lawyers, please contact us through the firm’s contact page or reach out to our Dallas, Frisco, or Houston offices directly.

PROSPER ISD PARENTS QUESTION DISTRICT RESPONSE TO BUS DRIVER ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING STUDENTS

December 15, 2025

Author: Rebecca Lopez with WFAA Watch the interview here. PROSPER, Texas — Parents of two young girls who say they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a Prosper ISD school bus driver are speaking out about what they describe as serious failures by the district — including delayed notification to families and promised safety changes they say were never fully implemented. The parents asked that they not be identified to protect their children, who were just elementary school age at the time of the abuse. In a lawsuit filed in 2023, the girls — identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 — allege former bus driver Frank Paniagua assaulted them repeatedly during the 2021–2022 school year. According to the lawsuit, Paniagua would wait until other students exited the bus, then assault the girls, sometimes holding one child back so he could take her to the rear of the bus. Attorneys say the abuse occurred over several months and was captured on bus surveillance video. How the abuse was discovered The girls’ mother said the abuse came to light after their grandmother noticed troubling comments about gift cards offered by the bus driver. When the mother later questioned the girls again, they disclosed what had been happening. Prosper ISD police reviewed surveillance video from the bus in May 2022. Paniagua was arrested two days later and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and indecency with a child. Paniagua later died after jumping from the second floor of the Collin County Jail while awaiting trial. Concerns about delayed notifications Attorneys for the family say more than 100 days passed after Paniagua’s arrest before Prosper ISD publicly acknowledged the allegations — a delay parents say may have prevented other potential victims from being identified. At a packed school board meeting, Prosper ISD parent Morgan Grahovec, a child psychologist whose daughter attended the same school as the victims, told trustees that delays in notifying parents can have serious consequences. “Children who are victims of abuse need to be identified and interviewed as soon as possible because memory fades over time,” Grahovec said. “The longer you wait, it’s harder to get a child to report abuse accurately.” Parents at those meetings called for Superintendent Holly Ferguson’s resignation, arguing district leaders should have acted sooner and communicated more transparently. Ferguson did not step down, instead promising changes to safety protocols. District response and former statement In an earlier written statement to WFAA, Prosper ISD said it took appropriate action once allegations surfaced: “We are horrified that an employee violated the trust of our families and students, as Prosper ISD’s foremost priority is to protect our students’ safety and well-being at all times. We strongly condemn the actions of any adult who would cause mental or physical harm to a child, and we do not tolerate such behavior.” The district has declined additional comment, citing pending litigation. Disputed claims about safety changes Prosper ISD previously told parents it would implement additional safeguards, including increased supervision during bus drop-offs, a volunteer “bus buddy” program, and improved monitoring of bus surveillance video. But the parents and their attorneys say those changes were not consistently put in place. Attorney Levi McCathern says the district does not regularly review bus surveillance footage — even though video captured the alleged abuse in this case. “You would think the first thing you would do after this happens is change your monitoring program,” McCathern said. “They don’t monitor them at all.” McCathern and co-counsel Kristin Hecker say the lawsuit is aimed at forcing policy changes rather than seeking financial gain. Questions about oversight and leadership The case has also raised broader concerns about district leadership and oversight. Prosper ISD’s school board president later resigned in an unrelated child abuse case, further shaking confidence among some parents. Families have also questioned the independence of the district’s internal review, noting that the law firm hired to investigate the district’s response is also defending Prosper ISD in the lawsuit. “All we want is an independent investigation,” McCathern said. Parents push for accountability and change The parents say their children remain enrolled in Prosper ISD, but they continue to press for reforms they believe could prevent similar abuse. “We want justice for our kids,” the girls’ mother said. “But we also want changes to happen at the district so that this doesn’t happen to other children.”

Estate Planning Attorneys in Dallas, Frisco & Houston