Dallas Probate Attorney Michael Duran is one of the few attorneys who has previously worked for a probate court judge. Michael's knowledge in probate, guardianship, and estate planning dates back to his time working for Judge Nikki DeShazo in the Dallas County Probate Court. Judge DeShazo is a nationally recognized probate expert and a former President of the National College of Probate Judges. Michael worked for the Judge and examined roughly 300 probate and guardianship applications. While there, Michael also wrote the book, so to speak, by creating a guidebook to train future court clerks on how to assess various probate applications. Later, the Dallas Bar Association Probate, Trusts, and Estates Section invited Michael to edit the 2015 and 2017 editions of the Section Probate Manual.
After fulfilling his obligations for Judge DeShazo, Michael founded the Duran Firm, which specializes in probate, guardianship, and estate planning. Since founding the firm, Michael has worked on over 2,000 cases involving these three areas of law. In addition to his private clients, Michael has been appointed by all three Dallas County Probate Courts to serve as estate administrator, guardian of the person and/or estate, guardian ad litem for alleged incapacitated persons, attorney ad litem for alleged incapacitated persons, and attorney ad litem for unknown heirs. Michael considers it an honor that the courts have trusted him to administer complex estates. Such scenarios also help him improve his estate planning skills.