Theressa Hollis
Fitzwater Law
I’m a partner with Fitzwater Law and have practiced with this firm for 22 years. My practice emphasizes legal issues unique to the elderly and their families, including guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, probate estates, trust administration, and estate planning. Some of my favorite cases are the emergency (“temporary”) guardianships and conservatorships. I received my J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 1998.
I value helping people in times of crisis by making the legal system understandable. I pride myself on being reliable and thorough in my work, while striving to take the mystery out of the legal process.
Elder law and estate planning is a perfect fit for me. Since my time as a psychology major at Linfield College I have enjoyed helping people in need. I am a frequent volunteer at the Legal Aid Service’s Senior Law Project providing pro bono legal help to seniors. I also enjoy teaching other attorneys to practice elder law. I am a faculty speaker for the Oregon Law Institute and the Multnomah Bar Association on the issues of probate administration and guardianships. I am currently the Treasurer of the Executive Committee for the Elder Law Section of the Oregon State Bar.
I enjoy applying my knowledge and skills to assist my community. I am the second-term President and founding board member of Guardian Partners, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating abuse and neglect for our elderly and disabled populations. I was a Co-Editor of the Oregon State Bar’s Elder Law Handbook (2017). Also in 2017, I was awarded the Oregon State Bar President’s Public Service Award for my volunteer service. I am a member of the following organizations: Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS), Clackamas County Elder Abuse Coordinated Community Response Team, Guardian/Conservator Association of Oregon, and Oregon Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardianship Stakeholders (WINGS).
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Elder Law
- Guardianship/Conservatorship
- Trust Administration
- Wills
- Trusts
- Powers of Attorney
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Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
We generally bill hourly but some estate planning is handled on a flat fee basis. Please contact me for more information.
- Oregon
- Oregon State Bar
- ID Number: 982626
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Partner
- Fitzwater Law
- - Current
- Associate Attorney
- Scalf & O'Halloran
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- Associate attorney in a general practice firm handling probate, guardianship and estate planning cases.
- Willamette University College of Law
- J.D. (1998) | Law
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- Linfield College
- B.A. (1992) | Psychology & Spanish
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- President's Public Service Award
- Oregon State Bar Association
- Public Service Award Criteria: The nominee must have volunteered for the activity involved; must be an active or emeritus member of the Oregon State Bar; and must have made significant contributions to the public through recent efforts in one or more of the following areas: pro bono legal service to individuals or groups, law-related public education, coordination of public service law-related events (such as those associated with Law Day), service with community boards or organizations, or similar activities which benefit the public.
- Guardian Partners
- Board Member, Immediate Past President
- Current
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- Guardian/Conservator Association of Oregon
- Member
- Current
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- Oregon Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardian Stakeholders (WINGS)
- Member
- Current
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- Oregon State Bar Association # 982626
- Member
- - Current
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- Oregon State Bar Elder Law Section
- Immediate Past President
- - Current
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- Oregon Stare Bar Estate Planning and Administration Section
- Member
- - Current
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- Elder Law Handbook
- Oregon State Bar
- Health Ed 2019, Portland, Oregon
- PESI, Inc.
- Fitzwater Law attorneys value giving back to Oregon’s social work community. On Friday, May 31 attorneys Wes Fitzwater, Chris Ray and Theressa Hollis will present at Oregon Elderlaw 2019. This all-day Health Ed presentation put on by PESI, Inc. (Professional Education Systems Institute) benefits social workers, nurses, case managers, psychologists and other professionals working with, caring for & advising the elderly & their families. Topics covered will include planning for health and financial decisions, the impact of the Affordable Care Act on Medicare, recent updates on Medicaid eligibility, understanding guardianship and conservatorship, and elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
- Super Lawyer
- Super Lawyers
2016 Oregon Conference on Aging - Elder Justice
- Q. How to find out if I'm in my father's will after his death in Tillamook, Oregon?
- A: Unfortunately, there is no place that Oregon Wills are kept. If a probate had been filed then you would have found those records at the courthouse. It sounds like your father was married when he passed. It's possible that he did not own any probate assets because all of his assets were held jointly with his wife. In that case, even if you were included as a devisee in his Will, you would not receive anything because the Will only controls assets that are in the Decedent's name alone. It is also possible that your father signed a Revocable Living Trust and transferred his assets into the Trust. This type of Trust avoids probate. If the Trust said that all of the assets go to your ... Read More
- Q. How do I find out if my late father had a will in Oregon and if anything was left to me?
- A: If you have not received notice of a probate in the mail, then it’s possible that your father may have had a revocable living trust at his death. His sister may be the trustee of the trust with authority to sell the house. If you give me a call I can check for a probate in the Oregon court system and also order the deed for the house to see how it is titled. This will give you some more information.
- Q. How to file for non-responsibility for husband's death in Oregon without access to documents?
- A: There is nothing in Oregon called “non-responsibility.” If your husband died with no Will his estate is controlled by Oregon Intestate Law which means that his probate assets will go to you after his bills are paid (assuming he has no children who are not yours). If you want you can choose to handle his estate. If you do not want to be responsible for his estate, simply do not file probate documents with the Court. I wish you the best.
