Terry W. Hammond, Esq.

Background

Terry was raised in Bryan, Texas, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Master of Arts Degree in History from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  After teaching 6th grade social studies in College Station for seven years, he moved to Lubbock, Texas, where he earned is Juris Doctorate in Law in 1989.  Upon graduating from law school, Terry was a briefing attorney for the Hon. Bob Gammage and Mack Kidd at the 3rd Judicial District Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas.  Terry has practiced law in Texas since 1991.  In 1993, Terry began practicing guardianship and conservatorship law, focusing on protection of the elderly and disabled.  Terry was elected to the National Guardianship Association's Board of Directors in 1995, and served as Executive Director of NGA from 2006 - 2010.

 

Private Representation

Terry has assisted thousands of families in their efforts to protect their elderly and disabled loved ones as well as minor children suffering from incapacity in need of legal protection.  Handling everything from routine to the most contested of cases, Terry has sought to utilize the guardianship/conservatorship system to improve the lives of the vulnerable.  Terry continues to maintain a Texas-based law practice, and is often requested to serve as an expert witness or as pro hac vice counsel in jurisdictions around the country.  Terry is also a proponent of mediation, a much under-utilized tool  in contested guardianship and conservatorship that can save families time, money, and avoid unnecessary stress.  Terry is available to provide for consultations and to provide guardianship advice and conservatorship advice to families and guardianship practitioners who need assistance in handling difficult guardianship and conservatorship issues.  He is also available to assist local counsel in difficult guardianship cases, including cases with interstate guardianship transfers and conflicts, and has been involved in guardianship and conservatorship cases in jurisdictions such as California, Iowa, New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Alabama, and Florida.

 

Public Advocacy

Terry has received national attention for his public advocacy, and has been featured in articles by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Money Magazine as well as on NBC Dateline and National Public Radio.  Mr. Hammond has testified on guardianship and conservatorship issues before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging as well as various state legislative bodies.   He is a proponent for nationwide reform and appropriate funding of guardianship, mental health and protective services systems, and has been instrumental in reforming the Texas Adult Protective Services and Mental Health systems.

 

Terry has been critical of under-performing guardians, conservators, guardianship systems, and court systems, and has pioneered Quality Improvement Review processes to help ensure public confidence in the guardianship process in various jurisdictions.

 

Public Service

Terry served on the Board of Directors for the National Guardianship Association from 1996 until 2006, when he became Executive Director.  Terry was also elected to two terms on the Texas Guardianship Association’s Board of Directors.  A member of numerous state guardianship associations, Terry has sought to understand the challenges and impediments encountered by families, guardians, conservators, courts, and guardianship systems in general across America.

 

Terry has travelled the country, having addressed guardianship and conservatorship issues in lectures in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and in Canada.  Terry can be engaged to participate in educational sessions and round table discussions that might assist the public and local practitioners in better understanding and improving guardianship and conservatorship in their communities.  See Curriculum Vitae.

 

Terry W. Hammond Consulting is headquartered at 100 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 950, in Santa Monica, California.   Consultations may be scheduled in the Schedule Consultation section of this website.  Additional services may be arranged subsequent to the initial consultation. 

 

TERRY W. HAMMOND