Legal Solutions for You,
Your Family & Your Business
Find a Lawyer >
Wills, Trusts & Estates lawyers serving Tarrant County, TX >
William M. Stevens
Back to Search Results
William M. Stevens
Law Office of William M. Stevens
175 Miron Drive
Southlake, TX 76092
Phone: (469) 298-8451 | Fax: (972) 499-1119
http://www.stevenslawyer.com
Wills-Trusts-Guardianships-Estates-Probate-Litigation
Legal Topic
Wills, Trusts & Estates
Preferred New Clients
All areas of probate, trusts, guardianships, and commercial or business matters.
Sub-Categories
Wills, Trusts & Estates
- Nolo Document Review
- Credit Unions
- Savings & Thrifts
- Annuities
- Auto Accident & Property Claims
- Bad Faith
- Life Insurance
- Property & Casualty
- Capital Markets
- Commodities
- Private Placements
- Shareholder Disputes
- Warrants
- Audit Defense
- Estate Taxes & Gift Taxes
- Income Taxes
- IRS Disputes
- IRS Filing & Compliance
- Negotiating IRS Payments & Settlements
- Payroll Taxes
- Power of Attorney
- Property Taxes
- Sales Taxes & Use Taxes
- Tax Evasion Defense
- Tax Planning
- Charitable Giving
- Charitable Trusts
- Drafting Trusts
- Drafting Wills
- Estate Administration
- Estate Planning
- Living Trusts
- Living Wills
- Probate
- Asset Protection
- Guardianship
- Power of Attorney
- Business Succession Planning
- Special Needs Trust
- Supplemental Needs Trust
- Revocable Trust & Irrevocable Trust
Bar Admissions
TX, Jun 2008
Bar Number: 24063310
Specialty Certifications
College of the State Bar of Texas
Certified by the State Bar of Texas as an Attorney Ad Litem.
Other Court Admissions
All Texas Courts.
Association Memberships
American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
Dallas Bar Association
Tarrant County Bar Association/Business and Estate Section
Tarrant County Probate Bar Association
Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association
Continuing Education
I attend Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars on a variety of topics, including ethics, probate, estate planning, technology, and criminal law. I also serve as a grader for my alma mater's Bar Preparation course, which earns additional CLEs. In addition, I take on-line bar courses and use self-study to earn CLEs. The State Bar of Texas requires attorneys to attend no less than 15 hours of CLE each year. Because I am a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, each year I must acquire twice the usual amount of hours required. This year, as of May, 2009, I have acquired over 65 hours of CLEs.
Papers and Publications
Jurisdiction, Allegiance, And Consent: Revisiting The Forgotten Prong Of The Fourteenth Amendment's Birthright Citizenship Clause In Light Of Terrorism, Unprecedented Modern Population Migrations, Globalization, And Conflicting Cultures, 14 Tex. Wesleyan L. Rev. 337 (Spring 2008).
Example Cases
In one of my early probate cases, a client was referred to me by another attorney. After discussing the case with the client, I drafted and filed the application for probate of the will and issuance of letters testamentary. As we prepared for the hearing, the client shares with me that his previous answers had not been entirely accurate and he is not qualified to serve as executor. I redrafted the application for issuance of letters of administration and prepared various waivers and the Oath of Independent Administration for the newly selected Personal Representative. Shortly before filing the amended application, the client tells me that he no longer needs to probate the will. I wait several weeks. As a courtesy to the court, I contact the client, who assures me that he neither wants nor needs to probate the will, so I file a notice of non-suit. One day later, the client calls to tell me he needs something to give the title company to transfer the title for the house. We then prepare an application for a Muniment of Title. On the day of the hearing, we find out the court has made a policy change regarding Medicaid, effective that day. The judge apologizes and asks me to redraft the pleadings. At the same time, we find out the clerk never posted notice of the probate. Twenty days later, we arrive back at court and, finally, conclude the client's probate. With this one client I had prepared all three of the primary types of will probate proceedings in Texas.
Education
Degree:
Juris Doctorate
School:
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
City:
Fort Worth
State:
TX
Year:
2008
Honors:
Phi Delta Phi, Moot Court, and Law Review.
Focus and Accomplishments:
Law school requires a certain core curriculum that covers broad areas of law, such as torts, procedure, the constitution, contracts, crimes, property, business, and estates. Beyond these required areas, I chose elections in European Union Law, Partnerships, Mergers, and Corporate Governance. I also served as a Teaching Assistant and was active in Moot Court as a contestant and a competition judge. I served as the Law Review Symposium Editor and my Law Review article was selected for publication in the school's Spring 2008 volume.
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
School:
LeTourneau University
City:
Longview
State:
TX
Year:
1998
Honors:
I was a Class Representative and graduated with honors.
Focus and Accomplishments:
Business Management.
Number of Attorneys
1
State Licensed In
Texas
Firm Focus and History
Many of my clients are business owners and professionals. I focus on the areas of law they need and I have the most familiarity with: business litigation and transactions, corporate formations and governance, technology and privacy, probate, estate planning, wills, trusts, and other areas of elder law.
I began practicing law as a solo practitioner in June of 2008. Before that, as a law clerk, I handled a variety of civil litigation and corporate transactions working with Storey Legal and software companies such as PorticoSoftware. After becoming licensed, I met the requirements to serve as an Attorney Ad Litem and was assigned probate cases as an Attorney Ad Litem in Tarrant County Probate Courts. In addition to probate and business matters, I have handled a variety of family, personal injury, property, consumer, and other miscellaneous cases.
Previous Employment Summary
Before becoming an attorney, I worked in the software and design construction industries as a business executive and consultant. Immediately before attending law school, I was a licensed security consultant and owned a security and technology consulting firm serving architects, financial institutions, and individuals.
Activities and Awards
I have done many hours of pro bono work. During law school, I performed over 30 hours of pro bono work in family and social security benefits matters in the Texas Wesleyan Law Clinic. After being licensed, I accepted cases for indigent clients through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program.
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
Education is always a benefit. Educated clients can better assist the attorney in preparations for their case or transaction, and better preparation often translates into higher quality and lower cost.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
Although it is rarely advisable for a client to attempt to prepare his own legal documents, I would rather have the document reviewed by an attorney as opposed to having the client use the document with no legal expertise at all. I must stress, however, that reviewing someone else's document is often more time-consuming than preparing a document. Further, a review will only address form, not substance. Without interview and discussion, the reviewing attorney cannot know whether the purpose of the document has been met. He can only tell the client if something is improper as to form.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
Much as in reviewing a document prepared by the client, it is better the client be coached than to go in it alone, but one choice is only marginally better than the other. No amount of coaching can substitute for the training and experience unique to an attorney. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to anticipate every eventuality that may occur, even a well-coached pro se litigant could find himself in a procedural, logical, evidentiary, or legal conflict for which he is unprepared.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
I love the law and always have. That alone, however, didn't get me to law school. My own personal experiences with the legal system helped me realize that there is a real need for attorneys that can actually help clients in a way goes beyond simply representing them in litigation. The Supreme Court of Texas granted me a license as Attorney and Counselor of Law. The Counseling is the part of my practice from which I derive the most personal satisfaction.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
My business experience taught me many things, including how to negotiate, how to interact with people who have different goals than I do, how to work on behalf of other people, and how to find common ground in what at first My business experience taught me many things, including how to negotiate, how to interact with people who have different goals than I do, how to work on behalf of other people, and how to find common ground in what at first seems to be polar opposite positions. My management experience brings not only business know-how, which is important for both of my primary practice areas, but also people skills. My experience as a consultant gives not only the technical knowledge of the subject matters I once practiced in, but also guidance and counseling experience gained from interacting with clients.
My business education is helpful in understanding and anticipating the many financial and operational issues that come up in my practice, from annuities in settlements, to breach of contract, to investment strategies in estate plans. My education also facilitates the important interaction I must have between the client, myself, and financial matter experts such as CPAs, CFPs, and CEAs.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
I chose my primary areas of practice based on my pre-law education and experience along with my own personal interest in elder law. All my life I have heard stories of misfortune and missteps in business, probate, estate planning, personal guardianships, and wills. These are areas of life I understand, have experience in, and can help clients plan for and make better choices.
What do you like best about your career?
I enjoy the planning, the thinking ahead, and most of all, the ability to make a difference and help my clients in areas of law, business, and life that are both complex and have far-reaching consequences.
Tell us about your law firm:
I am a solo practitioner, so all of my clients deal directly with me.
What are your strengths and style?
I listen well—not out of any natural talent, but because I've studied, trained for, and cultivated good listening skills. I am analytical and thorough, which gives me the ability to deal with the many small details that are so important in the law. It also allows me to see patterns, details, and implications that others sometimes miss. I am also good at explaining legal matters in plain English, which helps clients gain a meaningful understanding of the work I do on their behalf.
When I was in business, my management style was functional and transformational. I saw my role encompassing not only the traditional areas of planning, leading, and organizing, but also as a facilitator of group effectiveness and cohesion through teaching and coaching, motivating, and intervening actively in the group's work. Many of these style functions, especially the teaching and coaching, have continued on in my legal practice. While I no longer manage subordinates, I do work with other legal and financial professionals, clients, and the employees of clients. My leadership style is often at the forefront of my day-to-day interactions with others.
Personal Interests:
My personal interests are health, science, nutrition, my wife and children, history, jazz, kung fu, and life-long learning.
Fax
(972) 499-1119
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
Portuguese
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
Because no two cases are ever the same, it is not possible to offer fixed fees without setting them such that most people would likely pay more than is necessary. I do have guidelines for approximate fees, based on the type of matter the client has. While my estimates are usually accurate, there are cases, such as the probate case I discussed above, that end up being far more complex than anyone would foresee.
Hourly Rates
Hourly rates are, unfortunately, a part of most law practices. The challenge for the client and the attorney is in understanding that all hours are not equal. The hourly rate, by itself, is not a unit that should be compared between attorneys. It is entirely possible that a $400/hour attorney could cost less than a $100/hour attorney. What's important is not the hourly rate but rather the total cost of the legal services provided. Also, most attorneys can do far more in an hour than many people would expect. My rate is $225/hour.
Free Initial Consultation?
I try to minimize the time the client must expend to obtain legal services. I offer a free initial consultation over the phone, because most of the time, it is possible to evaluate the general nature and viability of a client's case in 10 or 15 minutes of discussion. When more information is needed, such as documents or photographs, I will meet with the client to interview further. Whether on the phone or in person, I do not charge for the initial evaluation. Once the client and I have made the determination as to whether to proceed, the client engages me as his attorney, pays a retainer, and we begin work on the matter or case.
Typical Retainer
Typical retainers range from $500 to $2,500, varying by type and nature of the matters brought to me. After the initial consultation, I will estimate the amount of effort necessary to properly address the matter, discuss options and strategies with the client, as well as budget and economics of the action. From this discussion I arrive at a retainer.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
