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County Court at Law No. 1 Standing Administrative Order Setting an Ad Litem Deposit — Fort Bend County. The operative requirements are quoted verbatim from the governing document (registered/posted 03/12/2026); the document in custody is the controlling text.
Texas > Fort Bend County > County Court at Law No. 1
CAUSE NO. 26-CPR-000001 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER § IN THE COUNTY COURT § LOCAL ORDERS FOR PROBATE AND § GUARDIANSHIP MATTERS PENDING § AT LAW NUMBER ONE (1) IN COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1 § AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH TEXAS § ESTATES CODE §53.104 AND §1054.001 § FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS ST ANDING ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER SETTING AN AD LITEM DEPOSIT IN PROBATE & GUARDIANSHIP CASES On this day, Fort Bend County Court at Law No. I (the "Court") considered in chambers, the issues surrounding attorney ad litem fees. It is the Court's duty to ensure that estates of decedents and wards pay only for "reasonable and necessary" attorney's fees and expenses, including the fees and expenses of an attorney ad litem. See Texas Estates Code §§ 53.104 and 1054.00 I. The factors to be considered in determining the reasonableness of attorney fees are set forth in Rule 1. 04 of the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct. One factor is the customary hourly rates of attorneys with similar education and skills performing similar services. The Court recently studied these rates and the issues surrounding payment of attorney ad !items. Therefore, the Court finds that the ad I item deposit is required for the services of an attorney ad litem. It is THEREFORE ORDERED and DECREED that unless an affidavit ofindigency is filed with an application, effective March 12, 2026, each application filed thereafter requiring the appointment of an attorney ad litem will be required to deposit into the registry of the Court $750.00 toward the services of the attorney ad litem. The following applications or motions require an ad litem deposit: Application for Appointment of Guardian, Application for Appointment of Temporary Guardian, Application for Appointment of Independent/Dependent Administrator and Determination of Heirship, Application for Determination of Heirship, Application for Sale of Property of a Minor by a Parent or a Ward without Guardianship of the Estate and/or an Application for Attorney Ad Litem. It is FURTHER ORDERED and DECREED that the ad !item deposit will be used as payment of the Court ordered Attorney Ad Li tern fees in the above-referenced cases. If the Court orders payment of less than $750.00, the excess will be refunded to the applicant. If the Court orders payment of more than $750.00, the order will indicate how the additional fee will be paid. Upon order of this Court, the Fort Bend County Clerk's Office shall release the ad !item deposit, minus any interest accumulated, as outlined in the Court's order. Any interest accumulated from the ad litem deposit will be returned to the applicant or upon request of the applicant, deposited into the Fort Bend County General Fund. Signed on /,,2. day of March, 2026 HON. CHRIST HER G. MORALES COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1 FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS c:> a:,
Reviewer note: Complete document text quoted verbatim (whitespace-normalized); the registered document (sha256 939ee903e134…) is the controlling custody copy. Cause 26-CPR-000001 (Estates Code §§ 53.104, 1054.001); supersedes the earlier deposit orders (TOPICs docs 241/1774).
Tenth (10th) Court of Appeals — Standing Order No. 1, as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/01/2023). The operative requirements are quoted verbatim; the registered document is the controlling text.
Tenth (10th) Court of Appeals — Standing Order No. 2, as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/01/2023). The operative requirements are quoted verbatim; the registered document is the controlling text.