Richard Kevin Spencer

Kevin loves being in the courtroom. His practice encompasses all aspects of courtroom and appellate work, primarily, in the area of estates, trusts, guardianships and estate, and trust administration. Most importantly, Kevin has worked hard to become known in Texas in this area of the law. Rest assured, hiring Kevin will get you the experience you need during the most trying times in your life, i.e., the loss or incapacity of a loved one or when a fiduciary abuses their position.

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LocationDallas, Texas

Phone 214-965-9999

Fax214-965-9500

Emailkevin@dallasprobate.com

Kevin Spencer graduated from Cistercian Preparatory School in 1985 and earned a B.A. in Business and a B.A. in Psychology from Austin College in 1989. Then, Kevin then left Texas to study law at the University of South Dakota – School of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1992. Kevin began his law practice in August 1992 and was licensed to practice law in Texas on May 7, 1993. After practicing with and becoming a partner at a prominent estate and trust litigation firm for more than 15 years, Kevin started his own law firm on September 1, 2007, as a solo practitioner and his practice has grown to 4 attorneys.

Kevin has experience in all aspects of litigation and has, himself, tried cases before judges and juries to verdict and has argued to appellate courts. Kevin appears in court almost every week from proving up wills, administrations, or guardianships to arguing more complex and contested matters. Kevin is ready to go trial in any case, which adds value to his clients’ cases for settlement purposes. Consequently, he has had great success in negotiating settlements both in and outside the mediation process. Further, Kevin has also been certified as a mediator in Texas since 2012 and attempts to facilitate settlements for others as well. In addition, Kevin is dedicated to providing pro bono services to the poor and indigent and has taken numerous case referrals from the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and Legal Services of North Texas.

Kevin has devoted a large amount of time to writing scholarly papers, law review articles, and speaking to various bar sections; in that regard, he has assisted in writing brochures for indigent or pro se parties.

Kevin was a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ Leadership Class of 2002, which was instrumental in organizing, in conjunction with the 7-11 Corporation, the Education is Freedom Luncheon with Bob Dole held on October 9, 2003; a charitable event. The latter has lead him into leadership positions. Kevin currently serves on the Dallas Bar Association – Probate, Trust and Estates Section Committee and is its current Program Chair.

Kevin is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and a Lifetime Fellow of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation. He is also a former President of the Cistercian Alumni Association.

Kevin enjoys intellectual endeavors and discussions, reading and spending time with his family, particularly in tropical locales.

Education

University of South Dakota School of Law, Vermillion, South Dakota – 1992 – Juris Doctorate
Austin College – 1989 – BA in Business and BA in Psychology
Cistercian Preparatory School – 1985 – HS Diploma

Bar Admissions

Texas, 1993
U.S. District Court – Northern District of Texas, 1995
Pro Hac Vice – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2013
Pro Hac Vice – Reno, Nevada, 2018
Pro Hac Vice – Ada, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, 2018

Published Works

Good Estate Planning Process: A Panacea for Litigation, Texas Tech Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, 11 Tex. Tech Est. Plan. Com. Prop. L.J. 137-150 (February 2019)
Standing and Error Correction in Probate, Texas Tech Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Summer 2018)
Estates Code and Estate Planning Issues Affecting Your Family Law Practice – Texas State Bar – Advanced Family Law COURSE – San Antonio, Texas – August 10, 2017
Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Dallas Bar Association – Family Law Section – Dallas, Texas – March 8, 2017
It’s Not Over Yet! Resignation, Removal & Successor Fiduciaries – Texas State Bar – Fiduciary Litigation Seminar – Houston, Texas – December 1-2, 2016
Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – April 8, 2016;
(Family vs.) Probate Regarding Children, Advanced Family Law Course – August 6-9, 2007
Bill of Review and Error Correction in Probate, Probate Litigation Seminar – September 17, 2004
Divorce and Trust Litigation: Can you trust the Trust? – January 15-17, 2004
“Probate Issues Affecting Divorce Attorneys and their Clients”, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists – Family Law Forum Newsletter, Vol. 1 – December, 2002
Probate: Dead or Alive, We will be Splitting the Estate, and Other Cross-Over Issues – August 5-8, 2002

Litigation Percentage

95% of Practice Devoted to
Litigation

Languages

English (Primary)

Areas of Practice

Litigation
Estate
Trust
Heirship
Guardianship Litigation
Estate Administration
Ancillary Probate Jurisdiction Litigation
Common-Law Spouse Disputes
Paternity-Inheritance Disputes
Civil Appeals
General Civil Litigation
Fiduciary Litigation
Mediation

Honors and Awards

Martindale-Hubbell – AV Rating – September 2003 to present
Texas SuperLawyers, Estate and Trust Litigation, Thomson Reuters Legal, 2011 to Present
Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers – Estates and Trusts, 2011 to Present
Texas Rising Stars (Best Lawyers in Texas Under 40), Thomson Reuters Legal and Texas Monthly, 2004, 2005 and 2007
Best Lawyers in Dallas, Under 40 – D-Magazine May, 2006
Life Fellow, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers

Professional Associations and Memberships

Texas State Bar
College of the State Bar of Texas, Member, 2007
Dallas Bar Association, Probate, Trusts and Estates Section Committee Member – 2016 to Present
Dallas Bar Association, Probate, Trusts and Estates Section – Program Chair 2018
Dallas Bar Association, Member – Trial Skills Section, Family Law Section, Appellate Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
DAYL Leadership – Class of 2002

Pro Bono Activities

Attorney, Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program
President, Cistercian Preparatory School Alumni Association, 1998 – 2002

Seminars

Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Lawline.com – August 11, 2018
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – FPA DFW Conference – Irving Convention Center – May 17, 2018
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – BOKFinancial – March 22, 2018
Speaker, Panel Presentation Social Media, Millenials and the Vanishing Jury Trial: Issues of the 2018 Trial Lawyer – Austin College Ken Street Law Symposium – February 12, 2018
Speaker, Topic: Estates Code and Estate Planning Issues Affecting Your Family Law Practice – Texas State Bar – Advanced Family Law COURSE – San Antonio, Texas – August 10, 2017
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Dallas Bar Association – Family Law Section – Dallas, Texas – March 8, 2017
Speaker, Topic: It’s Not Over Yet! Resignation, Removal & Successor Fiduciaries – Texas State Bar – Fiduciary Litigation Seminar – Houston, Texas – December 1-2, 2016
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Denton County Probate Bar – Denton, Texas, November 4, 2016
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Amarillo Area Probate Bar – Amarillo, Texas, September 23, 2016
Speaker, Topic: Estate (Planning) Litigation Pointers: A Litigator’s Perspective – Collin County Probate Bar – McKinney, Texas, April 8, 2016;
Speaker, Topic: (Family vs.) Probate Regarding Children – Texas State Bar – Advanced Family Law Course – San Antonio, Texas August 6-9, 2007
Speaker, Topic: Bill of Review and Error Correction in Probate – Probate Litigation Seminar – Fort Worth, Texas – September 17, 2004
Speaker, Topic: Divorce and Trust Litigation: Can you trust the Trust? – The TAFLS Trial Institute (Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists) – New Orleans, Louisiana – January 15-17, 2004
Speaker, Topic: Probate: Dead or Alive, We will be Splitting the Estate, and Other Cross-Over Issues – Texas State Bar – Advanced Family Law Course – Dallas, August 5-8, 2002
Speaker, Topic: Self-Proving Evidence, How to Offer & Exclude Evidence Seminar – Evidence Seminar – Houston, Texas – February 9, 2001
Speaker, Various Other Presentations to Law Firms and Business in the Area of Probate, Basic Guardianships – Legal Services of North Texas, 1996

*AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.

Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards.

$294k

Survivorship
Account Dispute

$421k

Contest to
Trust Amendment

$100M

Estate Worth Post-
Death Marital Disupte

$20M

Estate Worth
Will Contest

$1M

Will Contest
Jury Trial

$1.2M

Default Judgement
& Obtained Take Nothing Judgment

$1.1M

Will Contest Jury Trial

Dallas Probate Attorneys

Spencer & Johnson, PLLC, invites you to contact our law office today to schedule a free consultation regarding your estate and trust matters.

Call 214-965-9999

email us

We are located in Dallas, but we travel throughout Texas to serve our clients. Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and evenings and weekends by appointment. Ask us about our hourly and contingency fees.