Jim Hartnett, Jr.
Partner
jim@hartnettlawfirm.com
Cistercian Preparatory School, 1975
B.A., Austin College, 1979
J.D., University of Texas, 1983

After graduating from Cistercian Preparatory School, Jim Hartnett, Jr. enrolled at Austin College in Sherman, Texas and obtained a degree in business administration. He then followed his father and older brother to the law school at the University of Texas, and was admitted to the bar in 1983.

Jim, Jr. has been a partner in The Hartnett Law Firm since February 1988. He is also a member of the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. Jim is a former Barrister in the Patrick Higginbotham American Inn of Court, a past council member of the Dallas Bar Association – Probate and Estate Planning Section, and a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Jim has been a lead attorney in many of Texas' biggest probate and trust cases. He has tried many probate and trust cases to verdict and has successfully argued numerous cases in various appellate courts, including the Texas Supreme Court. In 2002, he was selected by Texas Lawyer as Texas' "GO-TO" attorney for trust and estate matters. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America," and is regularly voted a "Super-Lawyer" in Texas Monthly, and named one of the best lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine.


Author/Speaker
"Fiduciary Duties and Liability - Case Law Update" - State Bar of Texas 23rd Annual Litigation Update, Dallas, Texas, February 16, 2007

Speaker
"Let's Do Lunch With Anna Nicole" - Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, Probate Litigation Seminar, Fort Worth, Texas, September 22, 2006

Speaker
Top Ten Ways a Fiduciary Can Assure Him/Herself of Getting Sued" - Denton County Bar Association, Denton, Texas, April 7, 2006

Author/Speaker
"Undue Influence Can Kill: Don't Let Your Plan Be Next" - Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, Denton, Texas, March 16, 2005

Author/Speaker
"Undue Influence Can Kill: Don't Let Your Plan Be Next" - Probate, Trusts and Estates Section, Dallas Bar Association, Dallas, Texas, October 26, 2004

Speaker
"Effective Use of Experts, Including Demonstration of Direct and Cross- Examination" - Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Course, Dallas, Texas, June 5-7, 2002

Speaker
"Technology in the Courtroom" - Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, Probate Litigation Seminar, April 25-26, 2002.

Co-Author/Speaker
"How to Reach a Settlement Agreement: Using Mediation and Other Techniques" - Wills, Estate, and Probate: A Satellite Broadcast, January 21, 2000.

Author/Speaker
"Discovery Avenues in Trust and Estate Litigation- The Information You Need, Where to Find It and How to Get It" - South Texas College of Law, Wills & Probate Institute, Houston, Texas, September 17, 1999.

Author/Speaker
"New Discovery Rules and Their Impact on Probate and Trust Litigation" - Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Law Course, San Antonio, Texas, June 3, 1999

Panelist
"Multiple Fiduciary Relationships and Complex Trusts and Estate Plans" - Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Course, San Diego, CA., April 20, 1999

Author/Speaker
"Discovery Avenues in Trust and Estate Litigation" - Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, Ft. Worth, Texas, December 3, 1998

Author/Speaker
"Inside Simmons vs. Simmons, Texas' Biggest Poker Game" - Midland Business and Estate Counsel, September 15, 1998

Author/Speaker
"Discovery Avenues in Trust and Estate Litigation" - Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Law Course, Austin, Texas, June 4, 1998

Author/Speaker
"Basic Steps in Avoiding and Surviving Probate and Trust Litigation" -
Midland Business and Estate Counsel, September 9, 1997