Best Lawyers in Texas, United States for Trusts and Estates
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Emily B. Taylor’s work is a client-focused practice which includes estate planning & administration, long-term care planning, guardianship, elder law, and probate services for executors, trustees, heirs, and beneficiaries. Through her efforts she is able to prepare clients for the future and simplify the legal and financial challenges their loved ones will face during their time of grieving. She has experience in: Estate planning & administration Disability planning including in...
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...
Mr. Jones specializes in wills, estates and trust, and is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His practice is concentrated in litigation and controversies arising from wills, trusts, guardianships and powers of attorney. Mr. Jones has been named a Super Lawyer, sponsored by Thomson Reuters as printed by Texas Monthly magazine from 2003-2015, and has been named in The Best Lawyers in America. He is a fellow of the American College of Trust...
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...
Dulaney G. "Dee" Steer is a senior partner in the firm's Estate Planning, Probate and Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group. He has prepared numerous estate planning documents, including complex wills, irrevocable trusts, revocable trusts, prenuptial agreements, limited partnership documents, and limited liability company documents. Mr. Steer also works closely with clients in addressing their unique family and business issues. On behalf of various individual and corporate trustees and execu...
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...
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...
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...
Theresa A. Clarke is a Houston, Texas-based attorney at Kean Miller who works with individuals and families to address important personal and financial decisions so their estate and long‑term care plans function as intended for the people who matter most. Theresa’s practice focuses on Elder Law and Trusts and Estates, including estate planning, Medicaid planning, special needs planning, probate, and trust administration. She advises clients on planning strategies designed to support lon...
Laurel M. Smith is a litigation attorney with Kean Miller in Houston, Texas, focusing her practice on trusts and estates matters . She represents individuals, families, and corporate fiduciaries in probate, trust, and guardianship disputes, as well as in related court proceedings and mediations. Her work includes both contested and uncontested matters, from estate and guardianship administration to complex litigation involving fiduciary obligations. Litigation involving estates and family rel...
Caitlin S. Martinez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law: Arbitration and Mediation, Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Caitlin S., who practices law in Denton, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Caitlin S. 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.