Terry Garrett advises people in Central Texas who are preparing for and enjoying their retirement years and people with special needs and their families. Her clients range from couples who are just starting out and people who want to stay in charge during retirement to families with multinational businesses. Having worked and studied in Asia for many years, she also enjoys advising on transnational planning. Terry Garrett graduated with honors from Cornell University. She was on the Dean's List at Wharton Business School. She earned her J.D. at Columbia Law School, receiving the Parker Award and a Melon Fellowship. She attended the Harvard Law School Negotiation Program and earned every certificate offered by the New York Institute of Finance. She is active in the Texas and Austin Bar Associations and a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She is an Approved Guardianship Attorney and is appointed by Central Texas courts in heirship proceedings. She handles pro bono cases for Volunteer Legal Services, the Austin Bar Association and the Women's Resource Fair. Mother of a child with special needs, she also teaches for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Over the years she has volunteered for the Council on Adoptable Children, the AFS foreign exchange student program, Cornell Cares, Hands on Housing and as an officer of the Harmony PTO.
- Columbia University
- J.D. (1983) | law
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- Honors: Parker Award, Mellon Fellowship
- Activities: President, International Law Society; International Law Review, Environmental Law Review; Chinese and Japanese law study groups
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- The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC
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- Illegal Skilled Nursing Facility Discharges: Appealing Medicare Notice of Nonpayment
- Texas Elder Law Flash
- Noncitizens and Public Benefits, 2020 UT Special Needs Trust Conference, Austin, Texas
- University of Texas School of Law
- Approved Guardianship Attorney
- State Bar of Texas
- Top Elder Lawyer
- Austin Monthly
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
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- National Guardianship Association
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- Texas State Bar # 24048146
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- Austin Bar Association
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- New York
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- Texas
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- Credit Cards Accepted
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Elder Law
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Special Needs Planning
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Q. If an uninsured patient dies after being hospitalized, will her estate be responsible for the bill?
- A: The first $15,000 of medical bills of the last illness are payable as a Class 1 claim. Anything above that is payable as a Class 8 claim. All are payable before anything is distributed to beneficiaries. COBRA costs. But if she does die with big medical bills, that could cost her estate more.
- Q. My husband died in Oklahoma with no will. Who is entitled to his property (home, motorcycle, land, etc.)?
- A: If all his children were yours, likely you are. Hire a local probate attorney to help you get appointed to settle the estate.
- Q. How to get my name on the deed to my dads house after his passing
- A: Hire a local probate attorney to file an application for succession.
Pet Trusts and Tips
With a pet trust, you can plan for your pet’s future and ensure your companions are taken care of in the event something unexpected happens to you. Paying for their care may make it easier to find someone to provide that care.
How To Pay Your Estate Planning Lawyer Less
These three simple steps will help you save on both legal fees and taxes...if you start now. They'll also help you get your documents organized and stay organized. You’ll pay yourself well for the time you spend by having to pay your estate planning lawyer less. The earlier you start, the more you can do.
Whats So Special About Special Needs
People with special needs can be included and lead meaningful lives with the right services and support. We can help someone grow and contribute to and enjoy life by helping them put those supports and services in place.
Best Gifts for Grandma and Gramps
This year, instead of socks and perfume, consider gifts which will make life better all year round for your grandparents. Gifts which make it easier, safer and more enjoyable to live at home are available for every budget. Consider these 19 best gifts for grandparents this holiday season and all year.
Estate Planning: How To Save the Family Home
In Texas, you can leave your home to your children free of Medicaid Estate Recovery and still have control of it while you are alive.
Make Room for Baby
The nursery is ready. Are you? Children may be our greatest treasure. Even before they arrive, we begin to protect them. When they do arrive, we often get so caught up in being parents that we forget to take some very important steps.
Special Needs Trust
Creating a trust to benefit a person with special needs is important whether your family member became disabled as a child or you became disabled as an adult. Watch this video for more information on a Special Needs Trust.
General Legal Tips - Probate
Probate sounds like such a scary word, like reprobate or probation, but all it really means is settling your estate, proving what you have, proving who you owe, and distributing the rest to your heirs. In Texas, it can be relatively simple. Watch this video for more information on probate in Texas.
5 Easy Things - Legal Documents Every Texan Should Consider
Five legal documents every Texan should consider.