Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Texas

The trust should provide authority for someone to take action. Trusts are used to eliminate the necessity of probate. Whoever prepared the trust should be able to answer your questions. My condolences on the loss of your mother.

Not exactly. The trust should set out the identity of the trustee. The trustee would control the trust. If there is property that isn't in the trust, then you will need to probate her will (typically called a 'pour over' will because it will capture any property that your mother didn't title to the trust and 'pour it over' into the trust.) For this, there will be an executor, whose sole job is to follow the will's instruction (transfer property over to the trust).

You cannot, under any circumstances, obtain a power of attorney for a person who is deceased.

Dave

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Please see my disclaimer:

http://leonlaw.com/askalawyer/disclaimer

Any trust with 11 trustees is complex enough to justify review by a lawyer.

Regarding the power of attorney, some trustee duties cannot be delegated. Generally these are the decision making ones. You need to have an attorney review the documents to advise you.