Honoring your faith and trust in us by providing peace of mind and security through estate planning, estate administration, and asset protection strategies.
OUR MISSION
Longevity
Mike Riddle has helped families with estate planning and estate administration for over 35 years. Christine Butts has been with the firm since 1997 and rejoined the firm in 2019 after serving as a statutory probate judge for Harris County for 8 years.
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Experience
Mike Riddle, Christine Butts, and John Portnow have almost 70 years combined experience in the practice of law. Mike and Christine are Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate and John has an LL.M. in Taxation from Temple University.
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Our Practice Areas
RIDDLE & BUTTS, LLP
Estate Planning
Estate planning establishes a game plan in the event of your incapacity or death. We help you establish tax efficient and secure strategies to manage your wealth during your lifetime and distribute your wealth to those you love at your death.
Probate & Estate Administration
Probate is the process of administering the assets of a decedent's estate when the decedent died with a will or without a will. In Texas probate can be independent of court supervision or dependent upon court supervision, depending upon circumstances.
Asset Protection Planning
Asset protection planning through trusts and limited partnerships protects wealth from potential creditors, future judgments, and failed marriages. Most efforts to preserve wealth are aimed at protecting beneficiaries and securing their future.
Guardianship
Guardianship might be appropriate if an adult becomes incapacitated and no lesser restrictive alternatives to guardianship exist or if a minor child becomes entitled to assets or the parents of the minor child are no longer able to care for the child.
Business Succession Planning
We help business owners establish tax efficient, seamless, and secure strategies for transferring controlling interests and beneficial interests in businesses upon the retirement, incapacity, or death of the business owner.
Mediation
As a former statutory probate judge, Christine Butts, enjoys helping families find peaceful and creative solutions to settle disagreements with an eye toward preserving relationships and protecting wealth from costly legal battles.
Our Dedicated Team
OUR ATTORNEYS
45
YEARS OF EXPERIENCES
21
YEARS OF EXPERIENCES
5
YEARS OF EXPERIENCES
Peace of Mind Through Understanding
Helping to Guide You
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"Christine Riddle Butts remains an impressive jurist with stellar credentials and a track record of innovation in the courtroom. With the support of Harris County Commissioners Court, Butts, a Republican, established a pilot program in which investigators visit every single person under a guardianship in her court."
"When my wife and I decided to work on our estate planning, we visited with Mike Riddle and he prepared our estate plan. We have minor children and were concerned for their well-being. He made wise recommendations and encouraged us to consider augmenting our life insurance coverage, both to provide for the children and to protect our insurability."
"We have now have a solid estate plan in place and my concerns for the future of our family have subsided. Thank you Mike for your help and we were pleased with your staff as well."
"Christine is ethical and excellent, board certified and an example for what a lawyer should be."
"We got very good service from John Portnow. Everything was explained in a way we could understand. All in all a good experience."
"Just met with Christine. We found her to be professional, knowledgeable, and answered our questions alleviating all our concerns; giving us guidance and direction. She spent as much time as needed to consult with us. I would highly recommend her for your estate needs, wills, etc. A lovely young woman."
Attorney News
LATEST NEWS OF ATTORNEY
23
Jan
Office of Court Administration Publishes Findings on Texas Guardianship Reform
In January of 2019, the Office of Court administration released findings on initiative to enhance protections of ...
21
Jan
Descent and Distribution Texas vs. the Uniform Probate Code
According to the Uniform Probate Code, descendants claiming to be heirs of an intestate decedent take by ...
15
Jan
The Inheritance Rights of Non-Marital Children
In the distant past, at common law, non-marital children could not inherit by or through their mother or father and ...
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