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KAREN AKIENS is a partner in the Houston law firm of Riddle & Akiens, LLP. She limits her practice to the areas of probate/estate administration, trusts, non-profits, asset protection, estate, and business planning, along with tax related issues to all the above stated areas of law. Ms. Akiens is board certified in estate planning and probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is licensed to practice law in Texas. She has given numerous seminars on the above stated areas of law and she is a co-author of an article titled "Choice of Business Entity in Texas," published in the Houston Business and Tax Journal, Volume IV, Page 292 (2004). Ms. Akiens earned her B.B.A. degree from Warner Southern College and her M.B.A. degree, J.D. degree, LL.M. degree, and her Estate Planning Certificate from Temple University. She is a member of the Houston Bar Association, the Northwest Houston Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, Northwest Business and Professional Women, the Willowbrook Rotary Club, the Metropolitan Business Alliance and BNI. DON D. FORD III is the managing partner in the law firm of Ford & Mathiason LLP, and is board certified in estate planning and probate. Mr. Ford has lectured to various professional groups on estate planning, probate and guardianships topics and practices exclusively in these areas. He earned both his B.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Baylor University. Mr. Ford was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court to serve on the Texas Guardianship Certification Board, where he chairs the Rules Committee. Mr. Ford also serves the editorial board of the Houston Lawyer Magazine and the Board of Trustees for the Houston Lawyer Referral Service. He is a member of the Probate, Trusts and Estates sections of both the Houston and Dallas bar associations. WILLIAM R. HAYES is a partner in the law firm of Hayes & Wilson, PLLC. He is a frequent speaker on estate planning, wills and trusts, probate, charitable gifting, disability planning, elder law and Medicaid. Mr. Hayes has served the Houston Bar Association as co-chair of the Elder Law Committee and chair of the Fee Dispute Committee. He received the HBA Presidents Award in 2004. Mr. Hayes is board certified in estate planning and probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He received his B.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Southern Methodist University. Mr. Hayes is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston and American bar associations, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Houston Estate and Financial Forum, the Houston Business and Estate Planning Council, Attorneys in Tax and Probate, and the Disability and Elder Law Attorneys Association. CHRISTINA LESHER is an attorney and licensed social worker in Houston. She routinely advises clients on long-term care planning, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Veteran's benefits. Ms. Lesher also advises clients on wills, trusts, special needs trusts, and powers of attorney. She is a frequent lecturer on her areas of practice. Ms. Lesher is a graduate from the University of Houston Law Center and Texas State University. JASON B. OSTROM is an attorney in the Houston law firm of Ostrom/Sain, LLP, where he practices in the areas of probate, trust law, guardianship, fiduciary litigation, estate administration and guardianship administration. He earned his B.A. degree from Loyola University of New Orleans and his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from South Texas College of Law. During law school he was an intern for Magistrate Judge Marcia Crone of the U.S. District Court. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Ostrom was a briefing attorney for the Honorable Paul Murphy, Chief Justice of the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston. He is a member of the Houston Bar Association (Probate, Trusts and Estate Section), the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, the Disability and Elder Law Attorney Association and the Attorneys in Tax and Probate, and is an editor on the board of The Houston Lawyer. MARY ANN SHETZER is an associate in the Houston law firm of Riddle & Akiens, LLP. Ms. Shetzer earned her B.A. degree from Kalamazoo College and a holds a Master of Librarianship from the University of Arizona. She was a law librarian before attending Tulane Law School, where she earned a J.D. degree. Ms. Shetzer was a general practitioner in New Jersey and New York, before moving to Houston in 2009 and joining the Texas bar. She now limits her practice to the areas of probate/estate administration, non-profits, and estate planning.
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