Biography
During his 46 years of practice, and 31 years at Jackson Walker, Tom Groves concentrated his practice in the areas of estate and wealth transfer planning, estate administration, trust administration, and guardianships. Tom worked with individuals, couples, and families in developing, documenting, and implementing a wide range of basic and sophisticated estate and wealth transfer plans, including cross-border planning for persons who were not U.S. citizens or domiciliaries, or for U. S. citizens or domiciliaries who owned property abroad.
Tom also represented and advised executors, administrators, guardians, and trustees in administering estates and trusts, including contested matters, and he represented and advised beneficiaries and third parties such as creditors regarding their rights and interests in estates and trusts.
Tom previously chaired Jackson Walker’s Wealth Planning practice group.
For Tom, the most important time spent in his practice was the time he spent listening to his clients.
Jackson Walker features profiles of its Retired Partners in recognition of their long and accomplished service to the firm, our clients, and our communities. Our Retired Partners are no longer practicing law. If you are interested in consulting with a Jackson Walker lawyer in the practice area in which Tom worked, please email us here. We will connect you with someone who can be most helpful for your inquiry, or pass along a personal message to Tom.
Education
B.A., Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
J.D., cum laude, SMU Dedman School of Law
- Order of the Coif
- Class of 1974 Standard Bearer
- Notes and Comments Editor, Southwestern Law Journal
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1974
Court Admissions
United States Tax Court
Board Certifications
Estate Planning and Probate Law
- Wealth transfer planning, including limited partnership entity planning, and estate administration for family where major asset was a 2600+ acre family farm
- Wealth transfer planning, including life insurance planning and business succession planning for members of family with operating oil and gas drilling equipment
- Federal tax reporting issues for U.S. beneficiary of a foreign trust owning business entities in multiple foreign jurisdictions
- Wealth transfer planning, including limited partnership entity planning and gift planning, for lottery winners
- Wealth transfer planning for citizens of Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other foreign jurisdictions
- Wealth transfer planning for owner of multi-state casualty insurance business, including sale of an interest in the business to trust for family members
- Administration and settlement of an estate valued at approximately $750 million with a wide variety of holdings, including improved and unimproved real estate, ranching operations, closely-held banking operations, coin collection, precious metals, and foreign investments
- Dallas/Fort Worth Five Star Financial Service Professional Award, 2015-2016
- Five Star Estate Planning/Financial Services, Five Star Professional, 2014, 2015
- Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013-2020
- Top Lawyer in Dallas, LexisNexis, 2010
- Texas Top Attorney, ALM, 2014-2016
- AV Preeminent Peer-Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Dallas Bar Association – Probate, Trusts & Estates Section
- Council Member, 2003-2005
- Dallas Estate Planning Council
- Board of Governors, 2005-2007
- Southwestern Medical School/UT Southwestern Estate Planning Council
- YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas Foundation, Planned Giving Council
- State Bar of Texas – Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section
- Dallas Bar Association – Probate Transfer and Estates Section
- Dallas Seminary Foundation, Professional Advisory Board
- Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Fellow