Estate and gift taxes can dramatically impact what your family actually receives after your passing. Without thoughtful planning, federal and state tax obligations can consume a significant portion of wealth you’ve worked a lifetime to build. At The Goodson Firm P.C., we help individuals and families across Texas structure their estates to minimize tax exposure while ensuring their wishes are carried out.
We understand that tax planning isn’t one-size-fits-all. Family dynamics, business interests, charitable goals, and personal values all shape the right strategy for your situation. Our process begins with listening—understanding what matters most to you, then designing a plan that reflects those priorities while addressing tax efficiency.
Estate and gift tax planning is the deliberate structuring of your assets and transfers to minimize the tax burden on your family.
We can help you with:
The goal is straightforward: preserve more wealth for your family, reduce administrative burden on your heirs, and accomplish this while maintaining full legal compliance and control during your lifetime.
Wealth planning solutions tailored to your life, family, and goals.
Federal estate taxes apply to estates exceeding the current exemption threshold. Through techniques like irrevocable life insurance trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), and grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), we structure your affairs to take full advantage of exemptions and reduce taxable value.
Annual gift exclusions ($19,000 for 2026) offer a valuable planning opportunity. Strategic gifting can reduce your taxable estate while allowing you to see your wealth benefit loved ones during your lifetime. We coordinate gifting with your overall tax plan to maximize efficiency.
If you own a business, succession planning directly impacts taxes. Techniques such as family limited partnerships, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and valuation strategies can reduce the taxable value of your business interest when it passes to heirs, preserving more of what you’ve built.
The right trust structure can provide significant tax savings. Qualified personal residence trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and grantor retained annuity trusts each serve different goals—we match the structure to your situation.
For married couples, coordinating exemptions between spouses and using portability elections ensures that neither spouse’s exemptions go unused. This is a critical planning element that many couples overlook.
We start by understanding your financial picture—the value and nature of your assets, your family structure, your business interests, and your goals. This isn’t a rushed intake form. Leigh will spend time with you to understand what matters and where your concerns lie.
Based on what you’ve shared, we analyze your current estate tax exposure, identify vulnerabilities, and explore which strategies align with your situation. We’ll explain the federal and state tax landscape in plain language—not legal jargon.
We present specific recommendations, explaining the mechanics and tax benefits of each approach. You’ll understand not just what we recommend, but why we recommend it and what alternatives exist.
Once you’ve approved the strategy, implementation moves forward—whether that’s drafting and executing new trusts, restructuring entities, coordinating with your financial advisors, or documenting gifting transfers.
All strategies are formalized in proper legal documents. We coordinate with your accountant, financial advisor, and other professionals to ensure the plan functions as intended and tax reporting aligns with your structure. We will also schedule periodic reviews to ensure your plan remains effective as the law changes.
Ms. Leigh Goodson was fabulous in giving me advice for my father's situation. She was a wealth of knowledge and recommendations. We will be using her for further estate planning.
Leigh prepared estate documents for myself and my husband, and she did a fantastic job. Everyone at her office was friendly and easy to work with. The process was quick and easy, and we feel so much better knowing our affairs are in order. If anyone needs any estate planning help, I would 100% recommend Leigh and her office!
I knew from my experience working with attorneys for over 30 years that with a blended family my husband and I needed professional estate planning. Ms. Goodson provided us with excellent options and did a very thorough explanation of the pros and cons of each of them. She offered non-judgmental opinions and legal information about the equitable division of our blended families small estate. We chose to go with the more expensive trust option because it would be a simpler and less expensive probate for our children who almost all live out of state. She and her assistant made extra efforts to accommodate our schedule and the entire process was quickly completed. We highly recommend The Goodson Firm. P.C. for your estate planning and probate legal services.
Leigh Goodson is a professional attorney. She is available to clients and is responsive in urgent and standard matters. Her expertise has been very helpful. Highly recommend, The Goodson Firm.
Leigh Goodson is the attorney I trust to take care of my clients, friends, and family. She knows the law and works with her clients to make sure their priorities are addressed appropriately.
The right time to protect your legacy is before you need to. Schedule a confidential consultation and take the first step toward protecting everything you have built and the people who matter most.
Locations in Tyler, Dallas, Plano, The Woodlands, & Bee Cave, Texas
