Maureen Kuzik McCutchen
- Senior Partner
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Practice Areas
- Estate, Trusts and Guardianship
- Guardianship Administration and Litigation
- Probate, Estate Administration and Wills Contests
- Trust and Fiduciary Litigation
- Estate planning
- Trust creation
- Real Estate Law
- Business and Commercial Law
- Contract Formation and Analysis
- Litigation & Appeals
- Mediation and Arbitration
Honors
- Super Lawyer in Estate & Trust Litigation, 2012-2023
- One of the Top Woman Attorneys in Texas, selected by peer recognition and professional achievement – Texas Monthly – January 2022.
- 2020 Pro Bono Law Firm Award from Lone Star Legal Aid for Most Pro Bono Cases Handled
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- 2018 Pro Bono Award from Lone Star Legal Aid's Galveston Branch Office for the most contested cases handled in 2018
Biography
Maureen is board certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Her practice includes probate, trust, guardianship, estate planning and elder law. Additionally, she represents fiduciaries, beneficiaries, executors and contestants in probate administration and litigation, trust administration and litigation, will contests, will and trust interpretation; accounting and administration of estates, prosecution and defense of fiduciary claims, guardianship proceedings; and other contested probate matters. Maureen is certified by the State Bar of Texas to act as an ad-litem for minors and incapacitated persons and is often appointed by the court to act as an attorney ad-litem and as a guardian ad-litem. Maureen is a qualified mediator. She also represents clients in business and real estate transactions and in general civil litigation.
Prior to joining Mills Shirley LLP in 1993, Maureen worked for the First Court of Appeals of the State of Texas, serving as the briefing attorney for the Honorable Margaret Garner Mirabal. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor with South Texas College of Law, assisting in a pre-trial litigation course. Maureen is active in the community, is a Director and past President of the Galveston Island Humane Society, Past President of the Galveston Bar Association, a former member, Director and Past President of the Rotary Club of Galveston Island, a volunteer and former member of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Texas, a volunteer for aniMeals Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Galveston County. Maureen is a Past-President of the ADA Women's Center, a past director and treasurer of the Junior League of Galveston County. In her time off, Maureen enjoys travel, especially to national parks, hiking, boating, volunteering and teaching an indoor cycling class.
Classes & Seminars
- Speaker, Ad Litem’s Role in Settlement and Mediation, Galveston County Bar Association Ad Litem Seminar, 2021
- Speaker, Collecting Assets, 40th Annual Courses Estate Planning and Probate, State Bar of Texas, 2016
- Moderator and Panel Member, Galveston County Bar Association Ad Litem Seminar, 2015
- Moderator and Speaker, Galveston County Bar Association Ad Litem Seminar, 2015
- Estate Planning Speech, Galveston Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Conference (break out session), 2014
- Speaker, the Role of Ad-Litems in Guardianship Proceedings, Fall Judicial Education Session, 2012
- Speaker, The Women's Perspective: Essentials of Estate Planning, University of Texas Medical Branch, Homecoming, 2004
- Speaker, Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Estate Administration, 2002
- Speaker, Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Estate Administration, 2001
- Adjunct Professor, South Texas College of Law, 1993 to 1994
Pro-Bono Activities
- Galveston Island Humane Society, Director and Past President
- Rotary Club of Galveston Island, Member and Past President
- Special Olympics Texas, volunteer and former Member of the Board of Directors
- aniMeals, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, volunteer
- Junior League of Galveston County, Texas, Sustaining Member, Former Treasurer and Director
- ADA Women's Center, Past President and Former Director
Education
- University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas
- J.D. - 1992
- University of Texas, Austin, Texas
- MBA - 1986
- Texas A & M, College Station, Texas
- B.S. - 1984
- Major: Petroleum Engineering
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1992
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
Published Works
- Collecting Assets, 40th Annual Course, Estate Planning and Probate, State Bar of Texas, 2016
- The Women's Perspective: Essentials of Estate Planning, University of Texas Medical Branch, Homecoming, 2004
- Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Estate Administration, 2002
- Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Estate Administration, 2001
- Texas Association of Defense Council Evidence Newsletter, Contributor,1994-1998
- Contributor, You've Prepared for the Plaintiffs' Case, But Are You Ready for the Media?, 1998
- Contributor, Legal Liability and Accident Investigations, 1994
Past Positions
- Hon. Margaret Garner Mirabal, First Court of Appeals of the State of Texas, Briefing Attorney, 1992 to 1993
Professional Associations
- State Bar of Texas, Real Estate, Probate & Trust Section; Litigation Section, Member
- Galveston County Bar Association, Past President
- Galveston County Mediators Association
- College of the State Bar of Texas
Certified Legal Specialties
- Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Ad Litem (Texas Probate Code), State Bar of Texas