The strategic goals of the Travis County Probate Court are (1) to thoughtfully and expeditiously handle our incoming caseload of whatever type (probate, guardianship, mental health, civil litigation, or condemnation) and (2) to carefully monitor our ongoing guardianships and dependent administrations. We also want to help those who interact with the Court understand the processes of the Court so that hearings and other interchanges with the Court can be as efficient and pleasant as possible for everyone involved.
See below for Court contacts. Please contact the Court Coordinator for the respective court when you’re not sure about the right person to call.
Note: Court staff can tell you about the services of the Court and can answer questions about how the Court works, but Court staff cannot give legal advice or answer legal questions. If you need someone to research the law and give you legal advice, you should hire an attorney.
When to call the Travis County Clerk instead of the Court?
Call the Probate Division of the County Clerk's Office at (512) 854-5958 with questions about fees or filing (including questions about e-filing or the status of filings) or to order new letters of guardianship or letters testamentary. Inventories, attorneys’ fees, and routine applications are held at least 10 days before review, so wait at least 11 days before calling the Clerk’s Office to ask if an order has been signed. For a small estate affidavit, please wait at least 3 weeks.
Court Coordinators:
Email the corresponding court's email to schedule or change a hearing or jury-trial setting.
Jennifer McGaffeny
Probate Court No. 1, Judge Guy Herman
[email protected], (512) 854-9258
Samantha Knueppel
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
[email protected], (512) 854-5512
Contact the Court Coordinator:
- When you have a question about the judge's calendar
- To contact Judge Herman or Judge Chu (when allowed by the rules)
- To schedule or change a hearing or jury-trial setting, this includes:
- Sales Docket
- Ordering/Returning Jury Panels
- Hearing requests (including cancelations)
- Court 2: Uncontested Non-Record & Status Conference Zoom Settings
- only cases with out-of-county witnesses
- To schedule a wedding
- When you’re not sure about the right person to contact
Staff Attorneys
Alexandra Jones-Lafont, Senior Staff Attorney
Probate Court No. 1, Judge Guy Herman
[email protected] , (512) 854-9283
Alexandra Leissner, Staff Attorney
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
[email protected] (512) 854-4355
Contact with questions about:
- Hearings set on the Regular & Uncontested dockets for probate matters (including continuances & cancelations)
- Applications for probate matters, including applications for successor trustees (except for court-created trusts)
- Heirships
- Temporary Administrations
- Identifying which pleadings necessitate a hearing and which can be signed upon submission
- Inquiries about pleading requirements and submission procedures for scheduled matters
- Matters concerning witnesses in scheduled hearings
Court Investigator (Attorney):
Ophelia Enamorado
Probate Court No. 1, Judge Guy Herman
[email protected], (512) 854-4978
Emily Rickers
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
[email protected], (512) 854-5512
Contact the Court Investigator with questions about:
- Uncontested Guardianship Docket
- Anything involving potential guardianships/current investigations
- Before you file for a temporary guardianship
- Applications for management trusts & payment of claims without guardianship
- Applications for successor trustees of court-created trusts
- Show cause for guardians of the person
- Any other issues in ongoing guardianships of the person except annual reports
Guardianship Legal Assistant (Paralegal):
Samantha Balandran
[email protected]
(512) 854-9359
Contact the Guardianship Legal Assistant with all questions about annual reports, such as:
- Annual Reports, including due dates
- Needed annual report forms & how to answer a question on the form
- Compliance docket for annual reports
- Any other questions re: Guardians’ annual “report on the condition and well-being of a ward”
- Guardianship Coordinator:
Social Workers:
Al Benedict, BSW
[email protected], (512) 854-4359
Contact the Guardianship Coordinator with questions about:
- any issues in ongoing guardianships of the person except annual reports
- the volunteer Court Visitor Program
- Probate Court visits in ongoing guardianships
Marsha Karrass, LCSW
[email protected], (512) 854-4359
Court Auditors:
Alesia Henderson, Senior Probate Auditor
Probate Court No. 1 & 2
[email protected], (512) 854-4358
Monica Limon, Auditor
Probate Court No. 1 & 2
[email protected], (512) 854-9755
Attorneys (and their staff) may contact the Probate Auditors with questions about:
- accountings, including management-trust accountings
- bonds
- safekeeping agreements
- commissions
- reimbursements
- Applications and orders to close and discharge
Note: The [email protected] email address is the email to use when submitting back-up or when contacting either of the Probate Auditors unless you're replying to an email from one of their individual email addresses.
Business Analyst
Kirby Hernandez
Probate Courts No. 1 & 2
[email protected], (512) 854-9579
- Condemnation proceedings
- Odyssey Portal for Probate Court matters
Planner
Maggie Holt
[email protected],
- Court Projects
- Odyssey Portal for Probate Court matters
Court Administrator:
Angelica Torres
Probate Court No. 1 & 2
[email protected], (512) 854-5513
Contact the Court Administrator (for either Court No. 1 or No. 2) with questions about . . .
- County-paid services
- Department Budget and Financial Management
- Docket Management (Odyssey & Jury Calendars)
- Judicial Support & Personnel Matters
- Statutory Probate Judge Requests for Assignments & Reimbursements for out-of-county matters
Associate Judges:
Associate Judge Tom Ruffner
Probate Court No. 1, Judge Guy Herman
[email protected], (512) 854-9559
Please contact Assoc. Judge Tom Ruffner for cases regarding Court No. 1
Associate Judge Dan Prashner
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
[email protected], (512) 854-9258
Please contact Assoc. Judge Dan Prashner for cases regarding Court No. 2
Emailed Communication (only attorneys may email Associate Judges)
- In contested cases: only non-contested procedural questions (not strategy questions) about the matters listed below.
- In non-contested cases: procedural or substantive questions about the listed matters:
-
- inventories
- attorneys’ fees
- monthly allowances
- the Sales Docket
- emergency funeral and burial expenses
- access to safety deposit boxes
- settlement agreements
- applications to partition
- applications for partial distribution
- miscellaneous motions sent to the Court on submission, including motions to substitute or withdraw
Contact the Associate Judge in Court 1 for:
- Attorney Ad Litem Appointments (both Court 1 & Court 2 cases)
- Small Estate Affidavits (only Court 1 cases)
Contact the Associate Judge in Court 2 for:
- AOT Docket matters
- Requests for Court-approved rates (both Court 1 & 2 cases)
- Small Estate Affidavits (only Court 2 cases)
Court Reporters:
Kim Showers
Probate Court No. 1, Judge Guy Herman
[email protected], (512) 854-9086
Roxanne Davenport
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
[email protected], (512) 854-5511
- Contact the Court Reporter when you need a hearing transcript.
Mental Health Public Defenders for Civil Commitment Proceedings:
Jamie MacLean
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
(512) 419-2720
Daniel Garza
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
(512) 854-9257
Mental Health Public Defender for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program:
Belinda Roberts
Probate Court No. 2, Judge Nicholas Chu
