Steve Spitzer – Managing Shareholder
Steve Spitzer focuses on probate litigation, will contests, guardianships and trust disputes. He also litigates other civil matters, including personal injury cases and business disputes.
Mr. Spitzer’s probate clients have disputed wills, trusts, guardianships, and heirships. Mr. Spitzer handles business and commercial litigation, and was extensively involved in representing health care providers prior to the medical negligence tort reform that passed in 2003. He has been active in both personal injury and probate litigation from that point forward.
Mr. Spitzer was a successful litigator for a major Dallas law firm from 1989 to 2011, and has been with Ramey & Flock since 2012. He has litigated many types of cases in his over 30 years of practice. He has served as the first chair attorney in over two dozen jury trials, has been Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1997, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Education
- Baylor University School of Law, J. D., cum laude (1989)
- Baylor University, B.B.A., with honors (1988)
Certifications
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Martindale-Hubbell: AV Rating
Practice Areas
- Probate Litigation – Estate Disputes
- Business & Commercial Litigation
- Wills – Probate – Estate Planning
- Health Care
- Premises Liability
Representations
- Trial of will contest involving legal capacity and undue influence of an elderly person who executed a second will within days of death.
- Local Counsel for Fortune 500 company involved in multi-million dollar East Texas lawsuit.
- Guardianship defense of elderly client from claims of mental incapacity.
- Trust revision suit to update terms of decades-old trust containing over $1 million in assets.
- Jury trial involving defense of wrongful termination against an East Texas employer of over 500 employees.
- Multiple jury trials defending claims against health care providers in East Texas
- Representation of nationwide long term health care provider in contested arbitration
Professional Associations
- State Bar of Texas
- Smith County Bar Association
- Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce
- ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates)
Civic Activities
- Grace Community Church – Elder
- Grace Community School – Board Member
- East Texas Communities Foundation – Board Member
Admitted to Practice
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas
- Texas State Courts
Selected Publications & Speaking Engagements
- November 2020, Steve Spitzer was featured speaker at Henderson Co. Bar Association Meeting on “Probate Litigation Update”
- January 2016, Steve Spitzer spoke at Gollob Morgan Peddy, CPAs on “2015 Legislative Update”
- September 2015, Steve Spitzer was featured speaker at TAALP monthly luncheon – “Probate, Guardianship & Trust Trends”
Probate Law Newsletters
Family Allowance to Surviving Spouse
The family allowance is paid from estate funds to the surviving spouse and sometimes to other qualified dependents. In most estates, the allowance is not a factor because all or most of the estate goes to the surviving spouse. The spousal allowance usually comes up...
Larry King Estate Battle
Larry King died in 2021 at age 87 after a hospitalization for COVID-19. He hosted the “Larry King Live” show on CNN for 25 years. King interviewed countless people on 6,000+ episodes of the show from 1985 to 2010. King’s will King’s net worth was estimated at $144...
Britney Spears Guardianship
Britney Spears reached the top of the pop music charts in 1998 at age 16. In 2008, a guardianship was set up that controlled her finances and personal life for the next 13 years. The guardianship, called a conservatorship in California, came after Spears experienced a...
Divorce at Death, IRA Impact
A Texas appellate court recently included the surviving spouse’s IRA in the probate inventory and awarded half of it to the heirs of the deceased spouse. At death, the community estate divides 50/50 between the surviving spouse and the deceased spouse’s estate. That...
2021 National Pro Bono Celebration
Please join us today from 10:30 to 11:30 at the Smith County Courthouse Annex as Lone Star Legal Aid and the Smith County Bar Foundation honor these six amazing Smith County Volunteer Attorney Recipients with their well-deserved pro bono awards. Our very own Steve...
You Can’t Have It All
Can a will beneficiary accept benefits under the will and then later contest that same will, hoping to receive more through the contest? According to a 2021 Texas Supreme Court opinion, the answer is no. 1. Facts The will beneficiary accepted a specific bequest of a...
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