Thomas Baird is a founding shareholder of Baird, Crews, Schiller & Whitaker, P.C. He leads the firm’s Estate Planning, Business Entities, Family Business Succession Planning, and Real Estate practices.

Education

• Juris Doctor, 1977
  University of Texas
• Bachelor of Arts, 1975
  Texas Tech University

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning, Wealth Transfer and Asset Protection
• Business and Tax Planning
• Probate and Guardianship
• Real Estate

Awards & Special Designations

• Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Estate Planning & Probate Law, Residential Real Estate Law, Commercial Real Estate Law and Farm and Ranch Real Estate Law
• Fellow, American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
• Rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
• “SuperLawyer” by Thomson Reuters Services each year since 2003
• Selected to the “Best Lawyers in America” in the area of Trusts and Estates each year since 2008 by BL Rankings
• Selected to the “Best Lawyers in America” in the area of Real Estate Law in 2024 by BL Rankings

Representative Experience

• Represents numerous estates and trusts in probate matters, administration of estates, and filing of gift and estate tax returns
• Represents wealthy families in multi-generational business, estate, and succession planning, including the use of intentionally defective grantor trusts and other advanced estate-planning techniques
• Represents numerous business owners in sale and disposition of business assets
• Extensive experience in the formation of all types of business entities, including limited partnerships, limited liability companies (including Series LLCs), S-Corporations, C-Corporations, non-profit entities mergers and conversions of various entities
• Represents real estate developers in commercial development, retail development, and residential development
• Represents commercial construction companies
• Represents owners of ranches and undeveloped tracts in real estate transactions
• Represents title companies in a wide range of title issues
• Represents 1031 exchange companies and buyers and sellers in 1031 transactions
• Extensive experience in the preparation of loan documents closing of sophisticated real estate and other financial transactions
• Extensive investment in utilizing retirement plans alternative investments, including real estate and other non-traditional investments
• Retained as expert witness on issues involving estate planning and trusts, probate, fiduciary issues, conflicts of interest, limited partnership and limited liability companies, and real estate matters

Professional Activities & Affiliations

• Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Member, College of the State Bar
• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, American Bar Association
• Serves on boards of directors and advisory boards for several banks, manufacturing companies, and other businesses and charitable entities

Community Involvement

• Temple Health & BioScience District
• Temple Business League
• Temple Economic Development Corporation
• Temple Bible Church