PATRICIA T. BARNES, Partner
Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
phone: 512-328-8355
fax: 512-328-8413
email: barnes@bls-legal.com
Education:
University of Texas at Austin JD 1983
University of Texas at Austin BA Philosophy 1969
Professional Associations and Memberships:
State Bar of Texas, Member 1983 – present
State Bar of Texas, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section
Austin Bar Association
ABA Estate Planning and Probate Section
Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
Pat's legal career spans over two decades and encompasses a broad range of client needs, from basic wills and trusts to sophisticated tax planning for large estates, as well as guardianship, special needs trusts and probate and guardianship administration. A frequent speaker to both professional and lay groups, she enjoys educating people about the need for comprehensive planning for their estates to prepare them and their families for the unexpected as well as the inevitable.
Pat has served on the boards of directors of the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Travis County Bar Association and the Estate Planning Council of Central Texas. She is a member of the Texas Guardianship Association. She has also advanced the missions of Austin Ballet and the American Cancer Society through service on those boards, and on the planned giving committees of numerous organizations, including Hospice Austin. Currently you will find Pat volunteering on the advisory board of the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.
Pat has lived in Rollingwood (a residential community near the heart of Austin by Zilker Park) with her husband, Philip, and four children for nearly 20 years. Pat served as Rollingwood's presiding municipal judge for more than four years, which Pat and her teenage daughters found to be a powerful and prestigious position among the traffic-ticket-conscious neighborhood teenagers.
.................................................................................................................................................
BARBARA J. LIPSCOMB, Partner
Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
phone: 512-328-8355
fax: 512-328-8413
email: lipscomb@bls-legal.com
Education:
University of Texas at Austin JD with Honors 1980
University of Texas at Austin BA Government 1976
University of Texas at Austin Special Student, Dept. of Art History 1995-1998
Professional Associations and Memberships:
State Bar of Texas, Member 1980 – present
State Bar of Texas, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section
State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section
Austin Bar Association
ABA Estate Planning and Probate Section (Board of Directors 2002-2006, Chair, 2005-6; Chair-Elect, 2004-5;
Treasurer, 2003-4)
ABA Litigation Section
Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
Travis County Women Lawyers’ Foundation
Barbara has over twenty-five years’ experience representing clients in the areas of wills and trusts, estate planning for small, medium and large estates, probate, guardianship and trust law. She started her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas, representing state agencies in federal and state court litigation, appeals and administrative proceedings. She entered private practice in 1983 and currently provides counsel on a wide range of matters including tax planning, trusts, family law and issues facing non-traditional families.
Barbara has a statewide litigation practice, handling contested matters including complex litigation in the areas of will contests and will construction, cases by and against executors and trustees, and contested guardianships.
She volunteers regularly, taking pro bono legal cases for Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Family Eldercare, and the Women’s Advocacy Project. She currently serves on the Board of Family Eldercare, Inc., a non-profit agency that provides essential services for elders, adults with disabilities and those who care for them.
.................................................................................................................................................
ELLEN P. STEWART, Partner
phone: 512-328-8355
fax: 512-328-8413
email: stewart@bls-legal.com
Education:
Baylor University Law School JD 1996
Southwestern University BA Magna Cum Laude 1993
Professional Associations and Memberships:
State Bar of Texas, Member 1996 – present
State Bar of Texas, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section
State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section
Austin Bar Association
ABA Estate Planning and Probate Section (Board of Directors
2007-present)
ABA Litigation Section
Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association (Co-Chair, Membership)
Ellen’s practice areas are estate planning and both uncontested and contested probate and guardianship matters. She has a depth of litigation experience gained from her work representing clients in commercial lawsuits. Her practice also encompasses all areas of estate administration, representing executors, heirs and beneficiaries, and creditors, in routine estate administrations as well as complex and contested matters.
Away from the office, Ellen works pro bono with Family Eldercare, Volunteer Legal Services and the Travis County Women Lawyers Association on projects involving estate planning, probate and guardianship cases. Her volunteer work also includes serving on the Texas Wellness Conference Planning Committee (2006), special projects for St. Thomas More Catholic Church, and she currently serves as local president of the Greater Austin Alumni Association of Southwestern University. |