Crain & Wooley

Estate planning focus in Dallas-Fort Worth

Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, probate, and guardianship form the main body of Crain & Wooley's work. The firm also handles trust litigation, probate litigation, Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, tax planning, disability planning, and business succession. This gives families access to planning services and help with court proceedings under one firm.

Crain & Wooley serves the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area through offices in Plano and Mansfield. The firm also meets clients in Fort Worth by appointment. Clients can choose in-person or virtual consultations across the region.

In my opinion, the clearest feature of the firm is its concentration on estate planning and related legal needs. Its stated services cover document preparation, later-life planning, estate administration, and contested proceedings. The firm reports more than 15 years of experience in estate planning.

How the legal team is built

Four attorneys appear on the firm's website. Justin T. Crain is the managing partner, and Jacob Wooley is a partner. Jeremy Crew is a senior attorney, while Connor Martin is an attorney.

Justin Crain's professional background

Justin Crain is originally from Odessa and Lubbock, Texas. He holds a Texas law license issued by the Supreme Court of Texas. His memberships include the State Bar of Texas Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law Section, the National Elder Council, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Crain has also held licenses as a risk manager and an agent with the Texas Department of Insurance. He holds the associate risk manager designation through the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters. That background relates to risk, insurance, and property concerns that can arise during estate and succession planning.

Jacob Wooley and the wider team

Jacob Wooley lives in Mansfield and graduated from Mississippi College School of Law. He holds licenses to practice in both Texas and Arkansas. His work addresses estate planning for families and businesses.

The website identifies Jeremy Crew and Connor Martin by name and role. It also states that attorneys work with paralegals and support staff. The published team structure shows defined responsibility at the managing partner, partner, senior attorney, and attorney levels.

Planning documents and lifetime needs

A typical estate plan draws several documents together. A will generally directs the transfer of probate assets and names people for key duties. A trust sets terms for property placed under its control, while a power of attorney gives another person authority to handle specified matters.

Estate planning commonly starts with an inventory of assets, ownership records, family circumstances, and existing beneficiary designations. The client then chooses decision-makers and states how property should pass. Lawyers turn those choices into documents that work together under the governing law.

Planning for incapacity and care

Crain & Wooley lists disability planning among its services. This work can address who manages financial or personal matters when illness or injury affects a person's ability to decide. Powers of attorney and trust provisions may each have a role, depending on the person's assets and goals.

The firm also lists tax planning as part of its estate planning work. Tax questions can depend on asset type, ownership, transfers, and the structure of a family business. A planning review may examine these facts alongside the client's will and trust documents.

Probate, guardianship, and estate disputes

Probate places estate administration under court supervision. The process can involve filing the will, identifying the proper representative, gathering estate property, addressing valid claims, and distributing assets. Court filings and deadlines shape the order of that work.

Crain & Wooley handles probate matters as well as probate litigation. A routine administration and a disputed case call for different types of legal work. Litigation may concern the validity of a will, the conduct of a representative, ownership of property, or the proposed distribution of estate assets.

Trust litigation and guardianship

The firm's services also include trust litigation. Trust disputes can involve the meaning of written terms, a trustee's administration, accountings, distributions, or claims raised by beneficiaries. The trust document and records of the trustee's actions often guide the dispute.

Guardianship involves a court's decision about whether to appoint someone to manage another person's personal or financial affairs. The court reviews evidence about capacity, current needs, and the proposed guardian. Lawyers may prepare petitions, gather supporting records, and take part in hearings.

These court-based services connect with the firm's planning work. Estate documents may later guide an executor, trustee, family member, or court. The firm's listed practice areas cover both the preparation of those documents and disputes about how they operate.

Long-term care and Medicaid planning

Long-term care planning asks how a person will obtain care and manage the related legal and financial decisions. Crain & Wooley lists both Medicaid planning and long-term care planning. It also handles emergency Medicaid matters.

Medicaid eligibility can depend on income, assets, transfers, care needs, and state rules. The timing of an application can affect which records and explanations the applicant must provide. Planning may involve financial statements, property records, benefit information, and existing estate documents.

Family members often take part when age or disability limits a person's ability to collect records or make decisions. Powers of attorney, trusts, and guardianship proceedings can affect who has authority to act. The firm's combination of these service areas gives it a stated role in several parts of that process.

Business succession for family companies

Family businesses create estate planning questions about ownership and control. Crain & Wooley assists with business succession for family companies, and Jacob Wooley's work includes planning for businesses. This is the firm's clearest connection to business law.

A succession plan commonly identifies who will own the company, who will manage it, and what happens after an owner's death or incapacity. The work may draw on company records, ownership agreements, estate documents, and insurance information. Each document needs terms that align with the intended transfer.

The firm's estate planning focus allows business succession to sit alongside wills, trusts, tax planning, and disability planning. Justin Crain's risk management and insurance background also appears in the professional record published by the firm. Crain & Wooley offers consultations in person and virtually across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.