Mr. Allen has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, listed in Best Lawyers in America, and selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers magazine for over twelve years. In addition, national directory of attorneys Martindale-Hubbell has awarded him it's AV Preeminent rating. A Texan, Mr. Allen serves as a member of numerous professional organizations and regularly teaches seminars on various aspects of business succession and estate planning. He is a graduate of Austin College and the Southern Methodist University School of Law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1976.
PERSONAL:
- Wife: Carol
- Daughters: Lindsay and Carly
- Grandchildren: Birdie, DD, Woods and Gracie
- Hobbies: Planting trees and tending cows
EDUCATION:
- B.A., Austin College
- J.D., SMU School of Law
PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:
- Board Certified - Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
- Best Lawyers in America - Trusts & Estates
- Texas Super Lawyer - 15 years Texas Monthly
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating
NON PROFIT BOARD SERVICE:
- Trustee - Austin College, Sherman, Texas, Senior Board
- Development Board - UTHNE, Tyler, Texas, Chair 2016 - 2018
- Member - Mercy Ships Operating Board
- Member - Samaritan Counseling Center of Tyler, Governing Board
- Member - University of Texas at Austin, Planned Giving Advisory Council
- Member - East Texas Communities Foundation, Governing Board (18 years)
- Trustee - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary 2000-2010
- Director - Texas Presbyterian Foundation, Development Chair 1994-2003
- Director - Fourth Partner Foundation 2008-2014
- Trustee, Elder, Deacon - First Presbyterian Church Tyler
TEXAS STATE BAR CLE PRESENTATIONS:
- Advanced Estate Planning: How Reasonable Minds Differ
- Advanced Drafting: Documenting Sales to Grantor Trusts
- Advanced Strategies: Advising in Hard Times & Changing Landscapes
- Advanced Drafting: Business Succession Drafting
- Advanced Estate Planning: Installment Sale Strategies
- Advanced Strategies: Planning Between Spouses’ Deaths
- Advanced Strategies: Representing Dysfunctional Families
- Advanced Estate Planning: Representing the Patriarch in Succession Planning
- Advanced Strategies: Life & Death of a Family Partnership
- Advanced Charitable Planning: Enabling Donors to Express Dreams
- Advanced Drafting: Limited Partnership Agreements
- Advanced Strategies: Imagining the Future of Estate Planning
- Advanced Strategies: Sophisticated Solutions for Family Wealth Transfers
- Advanced Strategies: Family Business Succession Planning
- Advanced Drafting: Formula Gifts of LP Interests
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ALI-ABA PRESENTATIONS:
- Family Business Succession Strategies programs in Chicago, Scottsdale, Boston, San Francisco and Toronto
Firm partner Michael D. Allen has more than 40 years of legal experience, focusing his practice on estate planning, probate and estate administration, business formation, and business succession planning. Mr. Allen is a Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate law, as certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
