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Werner & Augsburger: Built by a Board-Certified Former High School Teacher and Petroleum Landman

A San Antonio estate planning attorney’s path here didn’t start in a courtroom: Carl Werner taught high school English before working as an independent petroleum landman, only entering law school at age 38 and earning his license in 1995. He became Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law in 2006 and founded this firm the following year; he has since stepped back from active practice, and the firm today is run day-to-day by Robert “Bob” Augsburger and Kristi Clarke. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of San Antonio probate attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Werner’s path to law was unusual: after a bachelor’s degree in education and a stint teaching high school English and speech, he found the career couldn’t support his family and became an independent petroleum landman before eventually attending the University of Houston Law Center. He began practicing with Cox & Smith (now Dykema) in San Antonio in 1994, achieved TBLS board certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law in 2006, and launched his own solo practice the following year, which grew into today’s firm. Werner has since retired from active practice, spending most of his time in Bulverde, though he provides occasional guidance to current attorneys at the firm. Bob Augsburger, an Army-family upbringing “Army brat” who earned his degree at the University of Denver, now leads the firm’s active practice alongside Kristi Clarke, who began her own estate planning career in 1999 and joined the firm in 2012.

San Antonio Estate Planning Attorney Practice Concentration

As a San Antonio estate planning attorney practice, Werner & Augsburger handles wills, trusts, guardianship and conservatorship planning, healthcare directives, probate administration, and probate and will-contest litigation. The firm structures most matters on a fixed-fee basis specifically so clients know costs upfront, reserving hourly billing for matters where the scope can’t be predicted in advance — a pricing transparency choice worth noting directly.

Track Record

Specific case-count or outcome statistics were not independently available in the sources reviewed for this profile; the firm’s public record consists primarily of nearly two decades of continuous San Antonio estate planning and probate practice under Werner’s original board certification. Estate planning and probate outcomes depend heavily on the specific facts, assets, and family circumstances involved, and past experience does not predict or guarantee a result in any future case.

Client Voice

Martindale-Hubbell peer and client reviews for Carl Werner average 4.4 out of 5.0 across multiple submitted reviews spanning estate litigation, estate planning, and probate administration matters, with legal knowledge, judgment, and communication all rated in the same range. One client described Werner as “extremely helpful in any way he could be,” including researching other attorneys to help move the client’s situation forward when appropriate. No pattern of negative reviews or bar complaints was found in the sources reviewed. Given Werner’s retirement from active practice, this review history reflects his personal track record rather than the current attorneys’ independent records, which this directory discloses directly.

Beyond the Courtroom

Werner has served as a volunteer mentor for the San Antonio Legal Services Association’s Wills Clinic, providing subject-matter guidance to other volunteer attorneys working outside their usual practice area — a form of pro bono infrastructure support distinct from direct client representation. Bob Augsburger is a fellow with the Texas Bar Foundation and serves on the board of the Deaf Education and Hearing Science Council.

Recognition

Board certification disclosure: Carl Werner’s Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law, earned in 2006, was independently confirmed through Martindale-Hubbell, the San Antonio Legal Services Association, and multiple third-party attorney directories, which is why “specialist” language is used for him specifically in this profile. This profile did not confirm equivalent TBLS certification for current active attorneys Bob Augsburger or Kristi Clarke in the sources reviewed, and does not apply “specialist” language to them individually as a result. Werner’s Super Lawyers selections (2016–2021) reflect that publication’s peer-nomination process, distinguished here from state licensing certification.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Texas does not impose a state estate or inheritance tax, though federal estate tax can still apply to larger estates above the federal exemption threshold. Guardianship and conservatorship matters, a stated focus of this firm, proceed under the Texas Estates Code and generally require the court to find by clear and convincing evidence that the proposed ward is substantially unable to care for themselves or manage their property before a guardianship is imposed — a meaningfully protective standard given how significantly a guardianship restricts personal autonomy. Probate and will-contest litigation, another stated focus, must generally be filed within four years of the decedent’s death for a standard probate proceeding, after which more limited administration options apply.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Werner & Augsburger’s clearest strength is a strong original foundation: TBLS board certification earned by the firm’s founder, nearly two decades of consistent San Antonio estate planning practice, and a fixed-fee pricing model that gives clients cost certainty upfront rather than an open-ended hourly clock.

The honest trade-off is a genuine transition worth naming directly: the board-certified founder has retired from active practice, and the currently active attorneys’ individual board certification status was not confirmed. Prospective clients should ask directly which attorney would handle their matter today and confirm that attorney’s current credentials and experience level, rather than relying on Werner’s original certification as a proxy for the whole firm’s present-day team.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from Werner & Augsburger’s own website (werneraugsburger.com), Carl Werner’s Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and Lawyers.com attorney profiles, the San Antonio Legal Services Association’s volunteer spotlight on Werner, and Bob Augsburger’s State Bar of Texas and LinkedIn profiles. Board certification was independently confirmed for Werner through Martindale-Hubbell and SALSA; no equivalent certification was confirmed for Augsburger or Clarke in the sources reviewed. Statutory references were checked against Texas’s lack of a state estate tax, the Texas Estates Code’s clear-and-convincing-evidence standard for guardianship, and general Texas probate filing deadlines as generally published. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; client statements referenced above are drawn from the firm’s public Martindale-Avvo review pages.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Werner & Augsburger prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Werner & Augsburger or Awesome Attorneys.