Gregory W. Sampson
Senior Counsel

The counseling side of my practice is what my clients value most. In my experience, listening carefully to my client’s concerns so we can craft the most creative and practical solution always leads to the best results, and minimizes future conflict and the need to litigate later. Clients can count on me to find a solution that can make their lives easier during difficult times and to simplify complex issues so they can make effective decisions.

Greg Sampson focuses his practice on estate planning, asset protection planning, business succession planning, trusts, probate, guardianship and non-profit entities. He brings more than 30 years of experience to counseling clients on all aspects of wealth preservation and transfer, including estate and gift tax planning, charitable planning, retirement planning, estate and trust management, trust and estate controversy, trust modification and termination, family asset management and business succession planning. Greg is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Greg has substantial experience concerning the operation, management and taxation of tax-exempt organizations. He advises public charities, private foundations and supporting organizations on a variety of issues, ranging from entity structuring, strategic planning and documenting meetings to reviewing tax returns, working with financial advisors and facilitating charitable distributions.

Clients rely on Greg to guide them through every phase of uncontested will probates, administration of the estate and all types of related controversies. He also helps clients establish guardianships for incapacitated family members and develops creative self-help solutions for clients facing unique incapacitation issues that can’t be resolved with traditional legal remedies.

Greg is a regular presenter and author on various estate-related topics, including the impact of recent tax reform on estate planning and charitable giving, business succession planning for family businesses and for lawyers, asset protection planning, fiduciary duties and related litigation, probate and guardianship administration and procedures, alternatives to guardianships and probate, advanced directives and end-of-life decision-making, and the formation and operation of tax-exempt organizations.

Greg is currently serving as Chair of the Law Practice Management Committee for the State Bar of Texas where he focuses on succession planning for solo and small law firms, which includes the development and implementation of the business succession planning toolkit and other resources

Representative Experience
  • Counseling clients on all phases of estate planning and the preparation of wills and various forms of trusts to effect property transfer goals and minimize estate and gift taxes.
  • Analyzing and advising clients recently relocated to Texas on revising or updating wills and trusts from other states.
  • Representing clients in numerous uncontested Will probates and in administration of the estate.
  • Representing executors, trustees, and beneficiaries in various estate and trust controversies.
  • Representing trustees or beneficiaries in trust modification and/or termination proceedings.
  • Representing beneficiaries and executors in family settlement agreements in lieu of will probate proceedings or to settle contests.
  • Designing and implementing multiple family limited partnerships and other entities for family owned assets.
  • Representing business owners in negotiating and drafting buy-sell agreements.
  • Advising attorneys on business succession for, and purchase or sale of, a law practice.
  • Analyzing client at-risk assets and designing and implementing asset protection arrangements prior to liability claims.
  • Counseling clients on and preparing premarital agreements and separate property and community property agreements and on maintenance of separate property interests.
  • Counseling clients in organizing and in managing tax exempt charities.
  • Preparing estate tax and gift tax returns.
  • Representing taxpayers in gift, estate and income tax audits and appeals. 
Thought Leadership / News
January 23, 2024 
 Speeches and Presentations
Declaratory Judgments in Establishing Heirs and Spouses

Dallas Bar Association Probate, Trusts & Estates Section

November 2, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Estate Planning for Unmarried Seniors

UT's Advanced Elder Law and Guardianship Law Course

October 4, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Thinking About Retirement? What You and Your Clients Need to Consider

Dallas Bar Association

September 22, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Succession Planning

State Bar of Texas Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law Course 

Honors
  • Selected by his peers for inclusion in Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Trusts and Estates (2024)
  • State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation for his role in developing disclipinary procedure rules and a business succession planning toolkit for solo and small law firms (2023)
  • Named a "Super Lawyer" by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company) as published in Texas Monthly (2012 - 2023)
  • Named a Best Lawyer in Dallas by D Magazine (2011 - 2012, 2019 - 2021)
  • State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation for his leadership roles as a State Bar of Texas Director (2019)
  • AV Preeminent® rated (the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating designation)
  • Awarded the Hon. Nikki DeShazo Pro Bono Award by the Dallas Bar Association Probate, Trusts and Estates Section (2013)
  • Awarded the Sylvan Landau Founders Award for Leadership in Philanthropy by the Father of the Year Award Committee
  • DBA Presidential Citation for extraordinary services as a committee and section leader (2008)
  • Named one of DVAPs Finest by Legal Services of Northwest Texas (2009)
Organizational Involvement

Professional Activities, Memberships & Affiliations

  • State Bar of Texas
    • Chair of the Law Practice Management Committee (2023 - 2024)
    • Co-Chair of the Succession Planning Workgroup (appointed by State Bar of Texas President) (2019 - 2022)
    • Dallas District Director (2016 - 2019)
    • Executive Committee Member (2017 - 2019) 
    • Chair of Insurance and Member Benefits Subcommittee (2018 - 2019)
    • Chair of DCAAP (2017 - 2018)
    • Advisory Board Member to several Sections and Committees, including:
      • Real Estate Probate and Trust Law Section
      • Tax Law Section
      • Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee
  • Dallas Probate American Inn of Court
    • President (2023 - 2024)
  • Texas Bar Foundation
    • Chair of the Grant Committee (2023 - 2024)
    • Executive Committee (2023 - 2024)
    • Development Committee (2023 - 2024)
    • Trustee (2021 - 2024)
    • Sustaining Life Fellow
  • Dallas Bar Association
    • Probate, Trusts and Estates Section
      • Chair (2008 - 2009)
    • Legal Ethics Committee
      • Co-Chair (2010)
    • Senior Lawyers Committee
      • Chair (2013)
      • Vice Chair (2011)
    • Publications Committee
      • Co-Chair (2007 - 2008)
      • Co-Vice Chair (2006)
    • CLE Committee
      • Chair (2008) 
      • Vice-Chair (2007)
    • Speakers Committee
      • Chair (2005)
  • American Bar Association
    • Tax Law Section
    • Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section
  • Co-founder and leader of Dallas Non-Profit Law Study Group (2009 - 2019)
  • Estate Planning Council of North Texas
    • Board of Governors (2007 - 2009)
  • American Bar Association
    • Fellow

Community Involvement, Memberships & Affiliations

  • Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Dallas Chapter
    • Chairman of the Advisory Board (2019 - 2022)
    • Advisory Board Member (2015 - 2018)
  • UT Southwestern Foundation Circle of Friends 
    • Co-Chair (2020 - 2023)
  • Father of the Year Awards charity luncheon
    • Chairman (2005 - 2018)
  • Southwestern Medical Foundation/UT Southwestern
    • Estate Planning Council Member
Education
  • J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (1985)
  • B.A., Southern Methodist University (1981)
Bar Admission
  • Texas
When I Feel Most At Home
  • Sailing bareboat charters in the San Juan Islands, coast of California, Gulf of Mexico and Italy, and sailing regattas.
  • Owning Labradors, have raised and loved five in our home.