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Overview

John’s trust and estate practice is focused on helping families.

John has provided private wealth services to clients since the mid-1980s, when he first began to handle trust and estate litigation as a young attorney. He cut his teeth on estate administration as well and went on to build a 40-year career in the field with the same boutique probate litigation firm in Dallas. From the beginning, John was fascinated by the complexity of probate law and the unique situations each estate presented, and he loved knowing that his work helped families in the midst of difficult circumstances.

In recent years, John’s practice has shifted from trust and estate litigation to a majority focus on estate administration, with John often serving as a court appointed administrator. He continues to oversee associates’ cases and trials and is particularly knowledgeable about guardianship matters, including seeking, establishing, contesting, and administering guardianships, as well as contested estate matters, such as common law spouse claims, disputed heirship claims, trustee community property issues, and the defense of executors and administrators. John and his colleagues joined Husch Blackwell in 2023 in order to offer more administrative support and greater legal resources to clients.

After four decades of experience, John knows probate law backwards and forwards, and there’s very little he hasn’t seen. Clients respect his honesty and his reputation as a straight shooter who clearly explains their legal situations. However, John is perhaps most known for his devotion to helping clients: he has long seen the heart of practice as simply helping people and their families.

Industry

Services

Recognition

  • Thomson Reuters' Texas Super Lawyers, 2003-2023
  • BL Rankings’ The Best Lawyers In America®, 1997-2025
    • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, 2011-2025
  • Dallas Bar Association Probate, Trusts & Estates Section Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021
  • Dallas Bar Association Probate, Trusts & Estates Section, Nikki DeSazo & Pro Bono Award, 2015
  • Judge William W. Treat Award of Excellence, 2020, National College of Probate Judges

Education

  • J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
  • B.B.A., University of Texas

Admissions

  • Texas

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
  • Dallas Bar Association; Probate, Trusts & Estates Section
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Dallas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas Volunteer Guardianship Program, Advisory Committee Chairperson, 1998-present
  • Certified by the State Bar of Texas to serve as Ad Litem in Guardianship Proceedings
Outside the Office

John enjoys photography, cooking, fishing, and traveling—generally wherever his wife wants to go. An active member of a fishing club east of Dallas, he also fly fishes in salt water whenever he has the chance.

Community Leadership

John supports Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas, where he helped found a guardianship program and continues to provide pro bono legal services to individuals who need to establish legal guardianships.