Mark E. Osborne
Managing Partner
Profile
Mr. Osborne is the managing partner of Osborne, Helman, Scott, Knisely & Stanton, LLP. Mr. Osborne practices primarily in the area of trust and estate planning, with an emphasis on taxation, asset protection, and international transactions. Mr. Osborne is an author and frequent lecturer on numerous wealth transfer topics. He has made presentations and published articles nationally and internationally on the subjects of asset protection, foreign tax compliance, international inheritance rights, and related cross-border topics. Mr. Osborne is the founding Editor of the International Estate Planning Guide, a publication of the International Bar Association. Mr. Osborne is a former Chair of the Individual Tax and Private Client Committee of the International Bar Association, and a former Chair of the Board of the Texas Chapter of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He is also a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for Trusts and Estates featured in U.S. News and World Report.
Education
- University of Denver (LL.M. in Taxation, 2003)
- South Texas College of Law (J.D., 2002)
- St. John’s College (M.A., Liberal Arts, 1998)
- University of Texas at Austin (B.A., English, 1996)
Professional Memberships and Honors
- Rated by Chambers and Partners in the High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law (2024 – Present)
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
- Academician, The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law
- Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (Past Chair, Board of Directors; Texas Chapter)
- Member, Private Client Global Elite (2017 – present)
- Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, sponsored by Thomson Reuters and published in Texas Monthly (2020 - present)
- Recognized in the 24th – 32nd Editions of The Best Lawyers® in America in the practice area of Trusts and Estates (2018 – present)
- Member, International Bar Association (Past Chair, Private Client Tax Committee; Founding Editor, International Estate Planning Guide)
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Austin Bar Association
- Member, The College of the State Bar of Texas
- Member, Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
Select Publications and Presentations
Asset Protection: Domestic and International Law and Tactics (four volumes; updated quarterly)
West Group
Publication
Contributing Author/Co-Editor
1995
A Brief History of Asset Protection Trusts
ALI CLE Estate Planning Course Materials Journal, January 2022
Publication
Author
2022
Truth, Transparence, and The Right of Privacy
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Law Journal, Volume 46, Number 3, Summer 2021
Publication
Author
2021
The Financial Action Task Force and the Legal Profession
New York Law School Law Review, 2014/15, Volume 59, Number 3
Publication
Author
2015
Asset Protection Trusts Under Attack – Views from the Bench and Bar
49th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Orlando, Florida
Presentation/Publication
Co-Author/Presenter
2015
Asset Protection Trust Planning Using Traditional Estate Planning Techniques
Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, 32nd Annual Estate Planning Institute, Las Cruses, New Mexico
Presentation/Publication
Co-Author/Presenter
2015
The Financial Action Task Force and The Good Practices Guidance
New Mexico State Bar 2012 Bridge the Gap, Albuquerque, New Mexico; The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Southeast Regional Meeting, Savannah, Georgia; The National College of Probate Judges, Jekyll Island, Georgia; Connecticut Bar Association Probate Section Meeting, New Haven Connecticut; The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel New England Regional Meeting, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Presentation/Publication
Author/Presenter
2011
The Financial Action Task Force and Its Impact on The Practice of Law
33rd Annual Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Course, Houston, Texas (2009); 44th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Orlando, Florida
Presentation/Publication
Author/Presenter
2009
Asset Protection: Trust Planning
American Law Institute – American Bar Association Course of Study, Planning Techniques for Large Estates, New York, New York (April, 2009)
Presentation
Co-Author/Presenter
2009
Converting an Asset Protection Trust into a Tax-Efficient Wealth Reserve
U.S. Taxation of International Operations
Publication
Co-Author
2003
The Influence of Spanish and Mexican Laws on the Property and Probate Laws of Texas
The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, Santiago, Chile
Presentation/Publication
Co-Author/Presenter
2003
Publications and Presentations
All Publications and Presentations
Asset Protection Trust Planning
Asset Protection Trust Planning
Planning Techniques for Large Estates, American Law Institute - Continuing Legal Education, Austin, Texas
Presentation/Publication
2018
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil… unless, of course, it’s evil
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil… unless, of course, it’s evil
23rd Annual International Wealth Transfer Practice Conference, International Bar Association, London, England
Presentation
2018
Asset Protection Trust Planning
Asset Protection Trust Planning
American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education, Planning Techniques for Large Estates, Scottsdale, Arizona
Presentation/Publication
2017
Recent Developments in International Litigation
Recent Developments in International Litigation
The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
Presentation
2017
Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments
Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments
62nd Annual Estate Planning Seminar, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington
Presentation/Publication
2017
Hands-Off those assets: cross-border strategies and vulnerabilities to protecting family wealth from civil creditors
Hands-Off those assets: cross-border strategies and vulnerabilities to protecting family wealth from civil creditors
22nd Annual International Wealth Transfer Practice Conference, International Bar Association, London, England
Presentation
2017
I want my plan in good shape – Health checks and spring cleaning your estate planning documents and tax strategies
I want my plan in good shape – Health checks and spring cleaning your estate planning documents and tax strategies
21st Annual International Wealth Transfer Practice Conference, International Bar Association, London, England
Presentation
2016
Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments
Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments
14th Annual Sophisticated Trusts and Estates Law Institute, New York State Bar Association, New York, New York
Presentation/Publication
2016
International Trusts Update
International Trusts Update
4th Annual Private Client Forum Americas Conference – Turn and Face the Strange: Changes, Legal Week, Bermuda
Presentation
2016
Chapter 9: Asset Protection Trusts for U.S. and Foreign Persons
Chapter 9: Asset Protection Trusts for U.S. and Foreign Persons
International Estate Planning (Second Edition), Pub. 482, H. Christensen III (Ed.), New York, New York: LexisNexis
Publication
2016
FATCA in Action – Building an Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets
FATCA in Action – Building an Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets
20th Annual International Wealth Transfer Practice Conference, International Bar Association, London, England
Presentation
2015
