Frances H. Bennett

Frances Bennett's practice areas include all aspects of estate planning, tax planning, and probate administration, including wills and trusts, probate, fiduciary litigation, marital property planning, and private business planning. She structures and implements advanced estate-planning techniques, including business succession plans, grantor retained annuity trusts, and installment sales to grantor trusts. She is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Prior to attending law school at St. Mary's School of Law, where she received her J.D. in 1992, Frances was a successful business owner who founded a wholesale import business that concentrated in specialty foods. Since then, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience that has led her to where she is today.

Frances' professional involvement has been extensive. She has been a chair of the Estate and Inheritance Tax Committee of the State Bar of Texas. Her past experience includes a position as a Law Clerk for the Federal Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with The Honorable Homer Thornberry, as well as a position as a Law Clerk in the Southern District of Texas for The Honorable Ricardo H. Hinojosa. She served as a law clerk for the Texas Supreme Court and worked as an intern for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She is a member of both the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Tax Study Group.

More than just an expert within her field, Frances is also passionate about the arts and philanthropy. She enjoys applying her expertise in charitable giving and fundraising to support local nonprofit organizations, such as the Mamma Jamma Ride for Breast Cancer, the Hill Country Ride for AIDS, the Boys and Girls Club, the Crayon Club and iACT. Her involvement in the arts includes her role as president of the Board of Austin Theatre alliance, parent company of The Paramount and State Theatres, her position as a board member of Zachary Scott Theater, and her membership in the Austin Symphony League.