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Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith

Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith

3.1
2 reviews

1401 McKinney, Ste. 1700, Houston, TX 77010

Fiduciary Litigation, Probate, Trust and Guardianship and 2 more

About Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith

Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith is a lawyer practicing fiduciary litigation, probate, trust and guardianship and 2 other areas of law. L. received a B.S. degree from University of Houston in 1984, and has been licensed for 39 years. L. practices at Crain, Caton & James A Professional Corporation in Houston, TX.

Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith (Houston, Texas)

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AV Preeminent Peer Rated
This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.
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At least three reviews and a score of 4.0 or higher.

Champion Badge Gold

At least six reviews and a score of 4.2 or higher.

Champion Badge Platinum

At least ten reviews and a score of 4.5 or higher.

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A lawyer who receives a minimum threshold of qualifying responses from fellow attorneys can qualify for one of three prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:

Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV Preeminent Rating

AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith got this award in 2021

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Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Notable Rating

Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.

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Reviews for L.

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Overall Rating
3.1
See All Reviews
2
Showing 1-2 of 2 client reviews from Lawyers.com
Lawyers.com Rating Snapshot
5 stars
50%
4 stars
0%
3 stars
0%
2 stars
0%
1 star
50%
What do people say on Lawyers.com?
Communication
3.0
Quality of Service
3.0
Responsiveness
3.5
Value for Money
3.0
Trusts and Estates
Posted by anonymous
April 03, 2013
Hired Attorney

Honest, direct, knowledgeable

Trusts and Estates
Posted by anonymous
March 03, 2023
Hired Attorney

Working with this lawyer ended up being nothing but a frustrating and fruitless waste of time and money. Not knowing any better, we hired her to help us with a trust matter that was being probated in Arkansas. We paid her for several calls and e-mails and she strung us along for months without getting anywhere, until she passed us off to an assistant who eventually told us they really couldn’t handle the case because they weren’t familiar with Arkansas law. She wasted a lot of our time and a couple thousand dollars worth of our money. And on a side note, communication with clients appears to be very difficult for her. She speaks very quickly and uses legalize that is over the head of a layman. We now have a wonderful attorney who has gotten more done in 2 weeks than Ms. Smith got done in 4 months! My family and I DO NOT RECOMMEND HER.

 

Services

Areas of Law

  • Litigation 1
    • Fiduciary Litigation
  • Wills and Probate 1
    • Probate
  • Trusts and Estates 2
    • Trust and Guardianship
    • Trusts
  • Elder Law

Practice Details

  • Payment Information
    Payment & Cost Features
    Fixed hourly rates
    Fixed fees available
  • Firm Information
    Position
    Shareholder
    Firm Name
    Crain, Caton & James A Professional Corporation

Experience

  • Bar Admission & Memberships
    Admissions
    1987, Texas
    U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
    U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
    Memberships
    Houston and American Bar Associations
    State Bar of Texas
    Texas Bar Foundation (Former Chair, Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Seminar, 2001)
    Women Attorneys in Tax and Probate
    Disability and Elder Law Lawyers Association
    Wills and Probate Institute.
  • Education & Certifications
    Law School
    University of Houston
    Class of 1987
    J.D.
    magna cum laude
    Other Education
    University of Houston
    Class of 1984
    B.S.
    magna cum laude

Ms. L. Darlene Payne Smith

Share Holder at Crain, Caton & James A Professional Corporation
3.1
2 reviews

5 Houston Ctr., 17th Fl.1401 McKinney, Ste. 1700Houston, TX 77010U.S.A.

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