Best Lawyers in Texas, United States for Trusts and Estates
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Mr. Osborne is the managing partner of Osborne, Helman, Scott, Knisely & Stanton, LLP. Mr. Osborne practices primarily in the area of trust and estate planning, with an emphasis on taxation, asset protection, and international transactions. Mr. Osborne is an author and frequent lecturer on numerous wealth transfer topics. He has made presentations and published articles nationally and internationally on the subjects of asset protection, foreign tax compliance, international inheritance ri...
Andrea Barr is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Andrea, who practices law in Sugar Land, Texas, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andrea is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mike Stukenberg assists clients in preparing and developing their estate plans and structuring their family businesses. He also represents clients in income and estate tax audits and probate and trust matters. Mike’s clients include companies and individuals involved in ranching and farming, oil and gas exploration and development, banking, real estate, construction and retailing. EDUCATION B.A., Princeton University, 1973 J.D., Vanderbilt University, 1976 – Executive Editor, Vand...
Jason concentrates his practice in trusts, estates, and taxation. Jason builds estate plans for individuals, keeping in mind their family values, goals and needs, and desire to protect and care for their family and loved one while minimizing taxes. Jason also assists individual fiduciaries and professional trust companies with probate, trust and estate administration, family settlement agreements, and all matters related to trusts and estates. Jason enjoys pre-liquidity event planning for ent...
Mrs. Stanton is a partner of Osborne, Helman, Scott, Knisely & Stanton, LLP. Mrs. Stanton specializes in probate and estate planning law and she is board certified in these practice areas. Her practice includes the representation of individuals with respect to their estate planning needs and the representation of fiduciaries and beneficiaries with regard to the administration of trusts and estates. She advises with regard to testamentary and lifetime gift and generation–skipping pla...
James M. McNeel maintains a litigation practice exclusively in the areas of estates, trusts, contested guardianships, and other related litigation. Jim handles claims by and against estate administrators, trustees, beneficiaries, and closely held family businesses in all areas relating to estate, trust, guardianship, and tax-related litigation. Jim also represents clients in mortgage resolution matters, including mortgage related litigation and advises as to appropriate methods of limiting li...
Doug focuses his practice on estate planning through the use of trusts, family business entities, and life insurance. His experience includes charitable planning, asset protection planning, and planning to mitigate transfer tax and income tax. He is an expert in charitable planning, asset protection planning, and planning for mitigation of transfer tax and income tax.Doug is a frequent speaker as various estate planning organizations and associations including: Austin Financial Planners Assoc...
Scott Sherman practices in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust law. EDUCATION B.A., Dartmouth College, 1973 J.D., Southern Methodist University, 1977 — Member, Phi Delta Phi Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, since 1983 PROFESSIONAL AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®for Litigation Trusts & Estates and Trusts & Estates Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas, the Un...
Duncan E. Osborne is a partner of Osborne, Helman, Knebel & Scott, LLP. He graduated from the University of Texas Law School (JD, with honors, 1971). His core practice is domestic and international estate planning with an emphasis on asset protection planning. A former adjunct professor of law at The University of Texas School of Law, Mr. Osborne devotes significant energy to lecturing and writing in his practice area as well as helping clients with regard to all aspects of their estate p...
Phillip W. McCrury is the chair of the firm’s Estate, Trust, Probate, and Asset Protection section. He assists individuals, families, and family offices with all varieties of estate planning, generational wealth transfer strategies, trusts, life insurance strategies, and asset protection planning. In addition, he is involved in probate matters throughout Texas, including contested probate matters. Mr. McCrury is an active member of a number of bar sections involving estate and probate m...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.