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Law Office of David M. Butterbaugh: One of the Only Board-Certified Estate Planning Attorneys in Bexar County

Fewer than one percent of Texas attorneys hold Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law. David Butterbaugh has held it since 2010, making him one of a small handful of attorneys in all of Bexar County who can legally call themselves an estate planning specialist. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of San Antonio estate planning attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Butterbaugh founded his San Antonio practice in 2002 after working as an associate at the Gardner Law Firm, and earned Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2010 — a credential requiring a six-hour specialty exam, sixty hours of approved continuing education, and peer references from judges and lawyers in the field. He is licensed to practice in both Texas and Florida. Beyond his own firm, he is active in the San Antonio Estate Planners Council, the Planned Giving Council of San Antonio, and the San Antonio Christian Business Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army San Antonio Area Command.

San Antonio Estate Planning Attorney Practice Concentration

The firm’s practice centers on estate planning (wills, trusts, and related documents), probate administration, guardianship matters, and business transactions and planning — a combination that lets Butterbaugh handle both the plan itself and the disputes or administration issues that follow it. His firm materials specifically note handling qualifying income trusts for long-term care planning, a technical estate-planning tool many general-practice firms don’t regularly use.

Track Record

Butterbaugh’s own materials do not publish an aggregate outcomes statistic — typical for estate planning work, where “results” are usually completed documents and administered estates rather than litigated verdicts. Client reviews describe individual matters handled; past client experience does not guarantee a particular outcome in a new matter.

Client Voice

Butterbaugh holds a 4.6–4.8 average rating across dozens of reviews spanning multiple platforms:

“David made the process of planning and completing our complex Estate and Will smooth, easy and fast! His calm demeanor, sense of humor and attention to detail actually made the process enjoyable!” — client review, Avvo

“Established a qualifying income trust for my mother; spent time very thoroughly and patiently explaining the language of the trust in simple language… Helped my sister and I sort out next steps.” — client review

Awesome Attorneys did not identify negative reviews of Butterbaugh during this research.

Beyond the Courtroom

Butterbaugh’s Salvation Army Advisory Board service and his active membership in the San Antonio Estate Planners Council reflect sustained community and professional involvement tied directly to his practice area, rather than generic civic listings. His San Antonio Scene Magazine “Best S.A. Lawyers” recognition for Estate Planning & Trusts (2016) is a locally-sourced peer recognition distinct from national pay-to-play award programs.

Recognition

Butterbaugh’s Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law — held since 2010 — is the substantive, exam-and-peer-vetted credential this profile treats as most significant, and the basis for describing him as a specialist in this area. Fewer than one percent of Texas attorneys hold this specific certification, per TBLS’s own published figures, making it a meaningfully rare credential rather than a common one.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Texas probate proceedings are governed by the Texas Estates Code, which sets out separate tracks for independent administration (faster, less court supervision, and the outcome most well-drafted wills aim for) versus dependent administration (more court oversight, typically used when there’s dispute or no clear will). For long-term care planning — an area Butterbaugh’s materials specifically cite — a Miller Trust, or qualified income trust, allows a Texas Medicaid applicant whose income exceeds the program’s cap to still qualify by directing excess income into an irrevocable trust, a mechanism authorized under federal Medicaid law and implemented through Texas’s own eligibility rules.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Law Office of David M. Butterbaugh’s clearest asset is a rare, exam-verified credential: Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law is held by fewer than one percent of Texas attorneys, and Butterbaugh has held it continuously since 2010. Paired with a genuinely large, consistently positive review base and active involvement in the specific professional community his practice serves (the San Antonio Estate Planners Council), this is a well-documented specialist practice rather than a general-practice firm that also does wills.

The honest trade-off is the one common to any solo or small firm: clients with very large, multi-jurisdictional estates involving significant tax planning may want to ask directly about capacity and whether outside tax counsel is brought in for the most complex matters. For the wills, trusts, probate, and guardianship work that makes up the bulk of individual and family estate planning, the board certification and track record here are hard to match.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website and materials, Avvo attorney profile and client reviews, Chamber of Commerce and TrustAnalytica business listings, and TopAtLaw’s attorney recognition page. Statutory and regulatory references were checked against the Texas Estates Code and federal Medicaid trust provisions as generally published. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; all client reviews are attributed to their original platform.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by the Law Office of David M. Butterbaugh, P.C. 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 David M. Butterbaugh or Awesome Attorneys.