Protect Tomorrow
Wills and Estate Planning
Wills
Legal document that outlines how a person’s assets and property should be distributed after their death.
Probate
Texas court-supervised legal process for managing and distributing a deceased person’s assets.
Estate Planning
The process of arranging how your assets will be managed and distributed after your death or incapacitation.
Associate Attorney
Sydney Key, JD – Associate Attorney
Trusts, Estate Planning Attorney
We believe that your estate plan should do more than transfer wealth – it should reflect what matters most to you.
Sydney is a rising star in our firm, bringing passion and precision to her role in our Civil Division.
An alumnus of Texas A&M University School of Law, she focuses on wills, probate administration, and guiding families through legal formalities with sensitivity and ease.
She went the extra effort and earned her law degree with a focused concentration in estate planning.
Service Areas
Service Areas
Sydney Key and the Blizzard & Zimmerman team help families with wills, probate, and estate
planning throughout Abilene and the surrounding Big Country region of West Texas.
Abilene
Our home base in Taylor County, where we help Abilene families create wills, plan their estates, and guide loved ones through the probate process at the Taylor County Courthouse.
San Angelo
We regularly assist clients in San Angelo and throughout Tom Green County with estate planning, probate administration, and wills tailored to their families and assets.
Big Country
From Sweetwater and Brownwood to Clyde and Snyder, we serve families across the Big Country — bringing the same personal attention to wills, probate, and estate planning wherever you call home in West Texas.
Why this firm
Why Wills and Probate Attorney
Our mission is to help families prepare confidently for the future. We believe that thoughtful planning is one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones – providing clarity, protection, and peace of mind.
We take the time to understand each client’s goals, values, and concerns, crafting personalized strategies that safeguard assets, minimize uncertainty, and preserve legacies. From wills and trusts to comprehensive estate plans, we focus on practical solutions designed to protect both today and tomorrow.
Through careful planning and trusted guidance, we help our clients secure their family’s future and ensure that their wishes are honored for generations to come.
Testimonials
Trusted by those who needed us most
FAQS
Frequently Asked Questions
Estate planning ensures your wishes are carried out if you become incapacitated or when you pass away. For West Texans – many of whom own homes, possibly land, oil & gas interests, businesses, or family ranches – proper planning is essential.
A strong estate plan helps:
- Protect your family and property
- Avoid unnecessary court involvement
- Ensure your medical and financial decisions are handled by someone you trust
- Prevent family conflict
- Provide a clear roadmap for your loved ones during a difficult time
Estate planning isn’t just for people with large estates. It’s for anyone who cares about protecting their family and their legacy in West Texas.
Wills
- Take effect upon death
- Must go through the Texas probate process
- Name an executor to handle affairs
- Name guardians for minor children
Revocable Living Trusts
- Effective as soon as they are signed and funded
- Allow for smooth management of assets if you become incapacitated
- Can help avoid or streamline probate for assets placed in the trust
- Provide privacy because trust administration is not a public process
Download our Probate – Trusts informational brochure (pdf).
Many families in Abilene and West Texas choose a revocable trust to keep their affairs private and reduce the burden on their loved ones.
It depends on your goals.
A will alone may work if you’re comfortable with the probate process in Texas, which is generally simpler than in many states – but still requires court involvement.
A revocable living trust is often recommended in West Texas if:
- You want to reduce or avoid probate altogether
- You own rural property, mineral rights, or land in multiple Texas counties
- You want to protect blended-family relationships
- You want long-term control over how and when beneficiaries receive assets
- You want a smoother transition if you become incapacitated
Families with real estate or oil & gas interests often benefit greatly from a trust-based plan.
A revocable living trust is a flexible planning tool that allows you to manage your assets during your lifetime and designate how they will be distributed afterward – without court supervision.
Key benefits for Texans include:
- You remain in full control as trustee while you’re alive and well
- A successor trustee can step in immediately if you become incapacitated
- Assets properly titled in the trust can pass without probate
- It keeps your estate out of the public record
Trusts offer more privacy and ease than relying only on a will.
