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Attorney By Attorney
Thomas M. Featherston Jr. Career Profiles of the Profession

Who?

Thomas M. Featherston, Jr.
tom_featherston@baylor.edu

What?

Primary Practice Area:
Trusts and estates-planning, administration and fiduciary duties.

When?

Years in Practice Area:
Since 1973

Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1973

Where?

Employer:
Baylor Law School
http://law.baylor.edu

Size/Sector:
Legal Education

City/State:
Waco, TX

Law School:
Baylor Law School, Waco, TX-JD, 1972

Undergraduate School/Degree:
Baylor University, BBA 1971


Career Path to Current Position:
Private practice in Houston 1973-1982; assistant to associate to full professor of law 1982-2001; appointed to the Mills Cox Chair in 1990.

Why?
Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
Change-the law responds to political and social trends; clients' lives unfold and the nature, extent and value of their estates change.

Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Practice Area:
An understanding of not only substantive trusts and estates law and tax law, but also human nature.

Advice to Law Students/Lawyers Interested in your Practice Area:
Enjoy helping others through their problems.

Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s):
Law school placement office for first job; personal contacts for teaching position.


Bar Affiliations and Activities:
State Bar of Texas-Former Chair & Council Member, Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law Section.
ABA-Articles Editor for Probate and Trust Law, Probate & Property, the publication of REPT Section
Academic Fellow, American College of Trusts & Estates Counsel.
Recent Professional Presentations:
SBOT's- Advanced Estate Planning & Probate-Drafting Course, Houston (Nov. 2000); ABA's Annual Meeting in New York (July 2000); REPT's Spring CLE program in Miami (March 2000)
Recent Professional Publications:
Co-author, West's Texas Practice Guide-Probate (2000)
Co-author, Bridging the Gap for Tax and Administration Issues, ABA (2000)
Memorable Career Moment:
Teaching American Trusts & Estates Law to German, French and Swiss law students at Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg (1998).
Intriguing Interests:
Snow skiing, travel, boating & family.