Brian T. Thompson | ATTORNEY
Brian T. Thompson is an experienced litigator who has tried high-stakes cases in state and federal courts across the country. For the past decade, Brian has focused his practice on will contests, trust disputes, contested guardianships, fiduciary litigation, and related cases in Texas. He frequently represents fiduciaries, including estate administrators, trustees, and guardians, in matters ranging from real estate disputes to family business disputes. Brian is a frequent speaker on fiduciary litigation topics and serves as a court-appointed fiduciary in many cases.
Prior to forming Thompson East, PLLC, Brian was a partner at Hopper Mikeska, PLLC, where his professional highlights included representing the plaintiff in In the Estate of Stella Powell, which established the first ever same-sex, common law marriage in Texas. Brian started his career at McGinnis Lochridge, where he tried cases against pharmaceutical companies on behalf of individuals harmed by their products. Brian has served on several City of Austin commissions, most recently the Austin Ethics Commission, and he is a former board member of Equality Texas. Brian volunteers with Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, where he provides mentoring to volunteer attorneys handling probate and guardianship cases for indigent clients.
Education
University of Texas at Austin (J.D. with Honors, 2005)
Louisiana State University (B.A. summa cum laude, Political Science; B.S. summa cum laude, College Honors, Animal Science)
Professional History
Hopper Mikeska, PLLC, 2013–2022
McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore, LLP, 2005–2013
Affiliations, Recognition, and Community Involvement
Planning Committee Member
State Bar of Texas Fiduciary Litigation 2026
Texas Pattern Jury Charge Committee
Family & Probate
2023–present
Licensed to practice in the State of Texas; the United States District Courts for the Western, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Former Board Member, Equality Texas
Former Vice-Chair, Austin Human Rights Commission
Former Commissioner, Austin Urban Transportation Commission
Pro Bono Attorney, Volunteer Legal Services of Austin
Pro Bono Attorney, American Gateways
Former Commissioner, Austin Ethics Review Commission
Texas Super Lawyers
Estate & Trust Litigation
2021–present
Austin Monthly Magazine
2025-2026 Top Attorneys
Wills, Estates, and Probate
Texas Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, Personal Injury: Plaintiff – Products (2012–2013)
Texas Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, Estate and Trust Litigation (2014–2019)
American Gateways 2011 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Finalist
Travis County Democratic Party Freedom To Marry Hero Award Recipient
Publications and Presentations
Top 10 Fiduciary Litigation Cases. Presented at State Bar of Texas Intermediate Estate Planning 2025, June 3, 2025
Co-Author, Contesting the Validity of Documents. State Bar of Texas Fiduciary Litigation 2023, December 14, 2023
Co-Author, Dealing with Difficult People in Guardianship. State Bar of Texas Advanced Guardianship Law 2022, November 17, 2022
Co-Presenter, Contested Trust and Will Modifications, Presented at State Bar of Texas 45th Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate CLE, June 11, 2021
Presenter, Advising Clients with Diminished Capacity: Practice Tips and a Review of Proposed Changes to Rules of Professional Conduct, Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Austin Bar Association, January 29, 2021
Co-Author, Alternatives to Tortious Interference With Inheritance, Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, Volume 13, Fall 2020
Co-Author, Estate Planning During A Global Pandemic: Drafting Considerations After Covid-19. Presented at the State Bar of Texas Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, October 8-9, 2020
Co-Presenter, Probate Case Analysis & Phone Clinic Training, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, September 10, 2020
Co-Author, Alternatives to Tortious Interference with Inheritance, Presented at State Bar of Texas 44th Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate CLE, June 3, 2020
Author, Estate Planner Liability After Archer, Presented at State Bar of Texas 14th Annual Fiduciary Litigation Course, December 6, 2019
Author, Judicial Tort Reform Comes to Fiduciary Litigation. Presented at State Bar of Texas 41st Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate CLE, June 8, 2017
Co-Author, Common Law Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships after Obergefell, Presented at State Bar of Texas CLE on The Impact of Marriage Equality Law on Texas Law, December 1, 2015
Author, Charting New Territory? Recent Attorney General Opinion Gives a Roadmap for Same-Sex Benefits in the Public Sector, Texas Bar Journal, Vol. 77, Issue 5, May 2014
Author, Defending Against the Option: The Legal Issues Facing Corporate Counsel Confronting the Stock Options Backdating Scandal, Association of Corporate Counsel, Austin, TX, September 2006