Best Lawyers in Texas, United States for Trusts and Estates
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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...
Omar Leal is a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate Group. His practice focuses on estate planning, asset protection planning, probate, guardianship and trust administration. He regularly assists and advises clients concerning wealth preservation issues, including estate and gift tax planning, asset protection, incapacity planning and business succession. His work includes substantive contested estate, trust, and guardianship matters, including community and separate propert...
Wesley E. Wright is a native Houstonian, and has been practicing law in the Houston area since 1982. He is a graduate of the University of Houston and South Texas College of Law. Mr. Wright is a Board Certified attorney in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. His legal practice focuses exclusively in the areas of elder law, Medicaid planning, estate planning with an emphas...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Larry D. George is a Houston-based attorney and shareholder at Crain Caton & James. Larry focuses on corporate and tax planning, estate planning, trust structure, and probate law for high-net-worth individuals, multi-generational families, privately owned companies, and charitable organizations. Larry advises clients on wealth preservation, strategic wealth transfers, and minimizing gift and estate tax exposures. Key areas of practice include structuring family limited partnerships (FLPs)...
Molly Dear Abshire has been licensed to practice law in the State of Texas since 1993 and is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. She received a J.D. from South Texas College of Law and her B.A. in English from Texas A&M University in 1989. Ms. Abshire has authored professional papers and Houston Chronicle articles, which typically focus on topics such as estate planning, Medicaid planning, elder law and special needs trusts. She is a former President o...
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...
Frank N. Ikard, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Frank N., who practices law in Austin, Texas, has been recognized since 1983. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Frank N. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.