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Hayes & Wilson, PLLC: The Houston Estate Firm Founded by a Board-Certified Attorney Who Also Volunteers at an ALS Clinic

William “Bill” Hayes volunteers monthly at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS clinic at Methodist Hospital in Houston — a sustained, hands-on commitment to clients navigating exactly the kind of disability and incapacity planning his firm’s special-needs practice is built around, not a one-time civic gesture.

Origin and Background

Hayes & Wilson, PLLC is located at 1235 North Loop West, Suite 907, Houston, TX 77008, confirmed through the firm’s own site. William R. Hayes founded the firm in 2007 and holds board certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, independently confirmed through Lawyer Legion’s TBLS-sourced Harris County directory and Martindale-Hubbell records. He received the Houston Bar Association’s President’s Award in 2004 and has served the HBA as co-chair of its Elder Law Committee and chair of its Fee Dispute Committee.

Practice Concentration

The four-attorney firm concentrates on estate planning, wills and trusts, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration, guardianships, Medicaid planning, and special needs planning for clients with disabilities. Hayes is a frequent speaker on estate planning, disability planning, elder law, and Medicaid topics for professional and community groups. See this Houston Estate Planning & Probate directory for how this special-needs-focused firm compares to other Harris County practices in this category.

Notable Work / Track Record

As is typical for an estate planning, probate, and special needs practice, the firm does not publish a table of case verdicts or settlements, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify one — this practice area centers on drafted plans, completed administrations, and guardianship proceedings rather than litigated outcomes. What is independently verifiable is Hayes’s TBLS board certification, his HBA President’s Award, and his sustained committee leadership within the Houston Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee.

Client Voice

A Martindale-hosted client review describes Hayes as having personally understood a client’s situation after her husband suffered a brain injury, helping her obtain rights to administer their community property and later drafting the couple’s will — praising his “personal service, experience and knowledge working with disabled individuals” specifically. A second reviewer, a client of 30 years, describes Hayes as someone who never leaves a meeting without ensuring full understanding of what was discussed and finds his fees consistently fair. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of negative or critical reviews warranting disclosure.

Beyond the Courtroom

Hayes volunteers monthly as an attorney at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS clinic at Methodist Hospital and is a frequent speaker for the Houston Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs, the Parkinson’s Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association. He has served on the boards of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Legacy Deo, the Lutheran Education Association of Houston, and Volunteer Interfaith Caregivers.

Recognition for This Houston Estate Planning Firm

Hayes received the Houston Bar Association’s President’s Award in 2004 and holds Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law from TBLS, independently confirmed through Lawyer Legion and Martindale-Hubbell. Awesome Attorneys distinguishes this examination-based, peer-administered credential from self-submitted marketing-directory awards.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Special needs planning — one of the firm’s core practice areas — typically involves a special needs trust structured so an inheritance or settlement does not disqualify a beneficiary from means-tested government benefits like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income, since those benefits generally cap a recipient’s countable assets. Texas has no state estate or inheritance tax, though the federal estate tax may still apply to larger estates depending on the exemption in effect in the year of death. Texas Estates Code Chapter 401 governs independent administration, letting a named executor act with minimal ongoing court supervision once appointed. None of this is legal advice; a specific special needs, guardianship, or estate matter should be evaluated by a licensed Texas attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Bill Hayes’s clearest differentiator is a genuinely integrated special-needs and disability-planning practice, evidenced by sustained monthly volunteer work inside an ALS clinic rather than distant board service, paired with TBLS board certification and specific, attributed reviews describing exactly that kind of disability-informed client service. The honest trade-off is that a four-attorney team-based firm, which pairs attorneys with paralegals on a per-case basis, may offer less single-point-of-contact continuity than a true solo boutique. For a Houston-area family navigating guardianship, disability, or special needs planning alongside standard estate planning, a board-certified attorney with hands-on clinical volunteer experience in that exact population is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Hayes & Wilson, PLLC’s official website (hayeswilsonlaw.com), William Hayes’s LocalEstatePlanners.com biography, Lawyer Legion’s TBLS-sourced Harris County directory, and Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com client review pages.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Hayes & Wilson, PLLC prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.