Montgomery County Probate Courts Rules of Administration (mental-health / Health & Safety Code cases) (adopted July 7, 2026)

High confidence· verified September 23, 2026Local RulesMontgomery County Probate Courts Rules of Administration (adopted July 7, 2026) (TOPICs reg. doc 3036)

Summary

The Statutory Probate Court's rules of administration governing Texas Health and Safety Code (mental-health) proceedings in Montgomery County Probate Court No. 1, adopted July 7, 2026 by Judge Claudia Laird (statutory-probate administrative judge / PC1) under Gov't Code § 25.0022(d)(1), TRJA 10, TRCP 3a, Rule 2 of Presiding State Statutory Probate Judge Administrative Order 2025-2, and the county Rules of Administration; these constitute standing orders of the Statutory Probate Courts and knowing or intentional violation may be sanctioned. They supersede the mental-health portion of the December 16, 2022 probate-cases rules. Contents: definitions (Ancillary Matter; Board of Probate Judges; Clerk = County Clerk); Rule 1 the local administrative statutory probate court judge; Rule 2 docket and scheduling (court-set hearings; contested motions in writing with a SEPARATE proposed order; movant schedules and serves notice stating oral vs. submission; responses in writing at least 24 hours before consideration, with leave assumed if the court rules without further setting; submission-vs-hearing at the court's discretion unless law requires oral); Rule 3 filing per TRCP and local e-filing; Rule 4 attorney and mental-health attorney ad litem responsibilities (reasonable efforts to meet/advise clients before any hearing, notify the court and County Attorney if unable; waivers encouraged filed by 8:00 p.m. the day before, e-filed or emailed, as a request not an order); Rule 5 continuances (agreed filed promptly; contested per TRCP 251 et seq., set for submission with 24-hour notice, grounds stated, emergencies on less notice showing the emergency); Rule 6 conduct of hearings (per Health & Safety Code chs. 573/574, TRCP and Evidence; patient/proposed-resident rights honored; professional conduct with reasonable court-imposed time limits); Rule 7 courtroom attire (respectful dress, no obscene/offensive clothing; attorneys need not wear suits; no hats/head coverings except religious or medical; HOSPITAL GOWNS, medical attire, or facility-issued clothing PERMITTED for proposed residents/respondents/patients/witnesses appearing from hospitals or treatment settings; no denial of participation or adverse inference from medically-required attire; dignity preserved); Rule 8 professionalism and civility (Texas Lawyer's Creed); Rule 9 compliance and enforcement (sanctions for non-compliance); Rule 10 modification at any time; Rule 11 adoption/amendment (effective on TRCP 3a posting; amendable by majority of the Statutory Probate Judges; recorded in the Minutes of Montgomery County Probate Court Number One).

Applies to

Texas > Montgomery County > Probate Court No. 1 (Judge Claudia Laird) — Texas Health and Safety Code (mental-health) proceedings before the statutory probate court. Promulgated under the statewide Presiding State Statutory Probate Judge Administrative Order 2025-2 (a statewide framework, recorded separately) and the county Rules of Administration; supersedes the mental-health administration in the 2022 probate-cases rules.

Source of truth

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PROBATE COURTS RULES OF ADMINISTRATION Purpose The purpose of the Montgomery County Probate Courts Rules of Administration is the management of the court dockets uniformly, sensibly, efficiently, fairly, and in order to promote justice. These rules are to be an aid to the just disposition of cases without unnecessary delay or expense. Supplemental information, including Court p

Official source: TOPICs — Texas local rules registry (topics.txcourts.gov)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 24, 2026
Effective date: July 7, 2026
Last verified: September 23, 2026benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21

Reviewer note: Image-only registration (internal pages 1-6, rendered within a 17-page bundle that prefixes the statewide AO 2025-2) read through the vision lane across the operative rules and the signature page; operative provisions quoted verbatim. Signed by Judge Claudia Laird (PC1 / statutory-probate administrative judge) July 7, 2026. The bundled statewide AO 2025-2 (also registered as doc 2929) is recorded as a statewide-framework reference, not composed as Montgomery practice. Composed benchpath-ajr2-p2. [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 41a11d9e11d6..., 17 page(s), image-only scan; the OCR layer used as a typing base and corrected word by word from the page) read against the rendered file; verbatim, source typos kept, stamps/signatures bracketed; the earlier abstract replaced by the full instrument; confidence high. benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21]

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