Lauren Doughty

Lauren works with high net worth individuals, families, executors and trustees, beneficiaries, and business owners to implement sophisticated estate planning and asset protection planning techniques, including family limited partnerships, intentionally defective grantor trusts, grantor-retained annuity trusts, and private foundations.

Lauren’s practice includes advising clients on developing strategies to minimize estate and gift taxes and implementing legal structures to safeguard clients’ assets from potential creditors and lawsuits. She also guides clients in meeting their charitable goals which often involves establishing and managing private foundations, contributing to donor-advised funds, and/or direct cash and in-kind gifts to charitable organizations. In the case of direct gifts to charitable organizations, Lauren works closely with the client and the charity in the preparation of the gift agreement to ensure the client’s objectives are met in a tax efficient manner. She also assists business owners in creating comprehensive plans to better ensure the seamless transition of their business interests to the next generation or chosen successors.

Lauren believes in a team approach to estate planning and works closely with her clients’ other professional advisors, including accountants, financial advisors, and trust officers, to create thoughtful and comprehensives estate plans. She brings a practical element to planning as she focuses on the goal of minimizing transfer taxes while staying mindful of each client’s financial security, tolerance for complexity, and desire for flexibility.

• Best Lawyers in America®: Trusts and Estates (2021-2026)
• Chambers High Net Worth: Up and Coming: Private Wealth Law (2023-2025)
• Texas Diversity Council, Top Women Lawyers (2021)
• Super Lawyers® Texas, Estate Planning & Probate (2022-2025)
• Super Lawyers® Texas Rising Star, Estate Planning & Probate (2012-2020)
• National Diversity Council, Top 50 Women Lawyers (2019)