About Bill

I have practiced estate planning and probate law since 1993, with over 5,000 clients throughout the state. The estates that I have planned range from estates of very modest means to 150 million dollars.  I have done 15 estate tax returns, with no audits. I regularly use sophisticated estate planning techniques, such as family limited partnerships, life insurance trusts, and limited liability companies to help clients lower their taxes and protect assets from court judgments.  I regularly use trusts for clients who have children who are spendthrifts, or who have children with special needs.

 

I have two law degrees.  I obtained a Juris Doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston in 1993.  In 1998, I obtained a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in taxation from the University of Houston.  I obtained a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston in 1976.

 

I became an attorney in 1993. I have been a certified public accountant since 1981.  I also have an insurance license.

 

Prior to becoming an attorney, I was an accountant for M.W. Kellogg construction company in Houston for 13 years.  I am married with two adult children.

 

I meet clients throughout the state on a regular basis.  I have recently begun to take pictures of old courthouses during my travels throughout the state.  Many of the courthouses pictured on this website are still in use, and I have practiced in those courthouses.  You have a real sense of history when you are in a courtroom that has fireplaces for heat, and tall ceilings and fans that were used to cool the courtroom before the days of air conditioning.  In one rural county, a dog and a cat live in the courthouse, and I have had the cat jump up on the desk for everyone to pet during a probate hearing.