Having regularly practiced in Denton County’s Probate Court it is clear that most non-lawyers are not aware that there is both a Probate Judge and an Associate Probate Judge. One is elected – the Probate Judge – the other is not and answers to the Probate Judge. In Denton County, the Associate Probate Judge handles uncontested matters related to estates, guardianships, and mental health commitments – subject to review and approval of the Probate Judge. The Probate Judge concentrates on contested matters – or lawsuits – and oversees the Associate Probate Judge. The lawsuits before the Probate Judge are related to a deceased person’s estate (i.e., a will contest), a ward (i.e., a fight between kids over who is going to be the guardian over mom’s person and her money), actions by or against a personal representative of a deceased person’s estate, and actions by or against a guardian of a ward. Usually these are high stakes, big dollar cases with a lot of emotion from those involved.
The above lawsuits are the ones that Bonnie Robison has been involved in for the almost twenty years I have known her. These lawsuits are not your garden-variety probate or guardianship matters. These lawsuits involve several parties and lawyers and hundreds of thousands of dollars or more worth of assets. She is involved in these high-stakes lawsuits because of her credentials and experience. Bonnie Robison has been practicing law since 1982, board-certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law since 1997 and a CPA since 1982. This is the very type of person Denton County needs as its next Probate Judge.
Larry Collister
Denton, TX