A mediator who has
tried these types of cases,
not just studied them.
Meet
David Balmer
Based in
San Antonio, Texas
Focus
Probate, guardianship & trust dispute mediation
Background
Fiduciary litigation attorney, Texas probate courts
Formats
In-person, virtual, joint & shuttle mediation
David Balmer has spent 30+ years representing guardians, executors, trustees, and heirs in contested guardianship, probate, and trust litigation before adding mediation to his practice at the urging of many of his colleagues. That practice, one of the most prolific in the state of Texas for a sole practitioner, sits at the center of his mediation approach: he has drafted the pleadings, taken the depositions, and sat through the mediations that either settled a case or sent it back to the trial docket.
That background shapes his mediation sessions. David truly believes the vast majority of estate disputes that go to trial could have and should have settled at mediation. In most of those cases, David believes the parties were closer to resolution than they are apart. They just didn't realize it.
Every matter is different, but the aim is consistent: a settlement that resolves the legal dispute and leaves the people involved able to move forward, whether that means continuing to serve as co-fiduciaries, remaining a family, or simply closing the estate.