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Robert A. Ray, Attorney at Law

Robert A. Ray is an attorney who has more than 30 years experience. A lawyer who knows the laws about unfair wills, inheritance disputes and other contested probate matters.

If you feel that you have lost an inheritance or are going to lose an inheritance; need to remove a Trustee due to a mismanaged estate or due to unscrupulous relatives; or, if you are considering contesting a will, we would be happy to give you a free, confidential review of the merits of your case.

Please click on the "Contact Us" tab at the top of the page, where you can fill out a short questionnaire or call us at the phone numbers listed. Our principal office is in Tyler, Texas.

We handle contested probate cases throughout Texas.

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Children - natural born, adopted or adopted by estoppel

Picture of mother reading to her adopted children who are her heirsThere are natural children, adopted children, and children adopted by estoppel, also called equitable adoption. What do these terms mean?

  1. Natural children are, of course, the children born to the deceased.
  2. Adopted children are children that were adopted by the deceased through the legal system.
  3. "Adoption by estoppel" sometimes called "equitable adoption" or "adoption status" means those children who were not adopted through the legal system but are nevertheless recognized by... the law as the adopted children of the deceased. This usually involves children who were raised by somone other than their parents and established a parent child relationship with the person who raised them. It is legally similar to a common law marriage.
See the discussion of informal adoptions like adoption by estoppel, equitable adoption or adoption status here.
 

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This site does not give legal advice. This site does not create an attorney client relationship.

The use of the Internet, this site or email for communication with this firm or any individual member of this firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Before we represent any client, the client and the attorney will sign a written retainer agreement. If you do not have a written, signed retainer agreement with us, we are not representing you and will not be taking any action on your behalf.