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Phillip McCrury

Professional Biography

Phillip W. McCrury has a broad range of experience as a business and tax lawyer which is an invaluable asset to his clients during negotiations and transactions.  Mr. McCrury has been involved in a significant variety of business transactions including acquisitions, recapitalizations, mergers, franchising, and the formation of joint ventures, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and professional associations.  His clients range from mature, multi-state manufacturing facilities to start-ups, which he advises in an on-going basis in contractual and legal matters.  Mr. McCrury also assists individuals and families with generational wealth transfer strategies, asset protection planning and estate planning. 

Mr.  McCrury served as managing partner of the firm in 1996 and was elected again to the position in  2006, 2007 and 2008.   He has served on the firm’s Executive Committee for more than 18 years.

Mr. McCrury is well-known to many lawyers, ad litems and judges across Texas for a niche specialty of his practice, which is providing tax and trust advice to lawyers and their clients regarding the tax consequences of judgments, settlements and structured settlements, and assisting them with the preparation of Special Needs Trusts, Qualified Settlement Funds and other trust vehicles to hold and protect settlements.  He is licensed in Texas, having graduated from University of Texas School of Law (LL.B.) and Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law (LL.M).    Mr. McCrury is a member of the State Bar of Texas, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, National Structured Settlement Association, Society of Settlement Planners, Fort Worth Business and Estate Council and a Fellow with both the Texas Bar Foundation and Tarrant County Bar Foundation. 

Admissions & Certifications

State Bar of Texas (1968)
State Bar of Oklahoma (1978)
State Bar of Colorado (1985)

Education

Southern Methodist University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, 1978)
University of Texas School of Law (LL.B., 1968)
University of Texas (B.A., 1966)

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

State Bar of Texas
Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
Fellow, Tarrant County Bar Foundation
Fort Worth Business and Estate Council
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
National Structured Settlement Association
Society of Settlement Planners

Honors & Recognitions

Martindale-Hubbell® Rating: AV® Preeminent™ (5.0)
Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly magazine (2009)
Top Attorney, Fort Worth, Texas magazine (2000-2012)
Power Attorney, Fort Worth Business Press (2009)
Attorneys of Excellence voted on by members of Tarrant County Bar Association, Fort Worth Business Press (1999-2010)

Publications & Presentations

  • Co-author With Fred Weekley, “Fiduciary Liability,” a treatise widely used in trust departments across Texas. 
  • Mr. McCrury has also taught the course subject, Fiduciary Liability, for a number of years in the Texas Banker’s Association annual Trust School held each year at the Cox School of Business at SMU.
  • Author of “Court Ordered Trusts in Texas,” and has made numerous presentations regarding the subject to bar groups across Texas.  In 2008, Mr. MrCrury was invited to make presentations on the topic for the Texas Center of the Judiciary at the annual winter meetings of all of the general jurisdiction and appellate court judges in Texas.
Phillip McCrury

Personal Biography

Phil has devoted a considerable amount of his personal time to the Tarrant County community.  He is a long-standing board member of the Community Foundation of North Texas and is currently serving as the Vice-Chairman of the board. 

When asked about his legal career, Phil says, "I have been so fortunate in my many experiences as a lawyer.  I always wanted to be a lawyer and managed to get a clerical job when I was in high school with a law firm in my hometown in Odessa, Texas.  That firm got me a job with another law firm in Austin, Texas where I worked while I attended college and law school.  So when I tell people I’ve always been a lawyer, that really is just about all I’ve ever done!

I spent the first few years of my career as an assistant district attorney trying felony criminal cases in front of juries, which is great training for all beginning lawyers.  But my real interest has always been the business side of law, so I quickly gravitated to private practice where I could become involved with business transactions and the financial side of America’s legal world. 

At this point in my career, my new clients come about fifty percent from referrals from my existing clients and about fifty percent from other lawyers.  And while I treasure referrals from existing clients, I am especially proud of those referrals from my peers and fellow professionals."