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Gerry W. Beyer is an American lawyer, academic, and author. He is the Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law.

Beyer is most known for his work in estate planning, trusts, wills, and related fields. He has authored over 25 books, including Wills, Trusts, and Estates: Examples & Explanations, Teaching Materials on Estate Planning, and Texas Law of Wills. His work has received honors, including three Excellence in Writing Awards from the American Bar Association. Moreover, he is the recipient of distinguished faculty awards from three law schools, including the Texas Tech's Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2015 President's Academic Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Law Researcher Award in 2013 and 2017.

Education

Beyer earned his Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University in 1976. He received his Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University in 1979 and was induced into the Order of the Coif, followed by a Master of Laws from the University of Illinois in 1983. Later, he completed his Doctor of the Science of Law at the University of Illinois in 1990.

Career

Beyer began his academic career as a Law Instructor at the University of Illinois between 1980 and 1981. He then joined St. Mary's University in 1981 as an Assistant Professor of Law and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1984. From 1987 to 2005, he served as a Professor of Law at St. Mary's University. In 2005, he joined the faculty of the Texas Tech University School of Law as the first holder of the Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law.

Beyer was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils in 2015 for his contributions to the field and later received the Distinguished Probate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award from the Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas in 2022.

Beyer is the Editor of the Wills, Trusts, and Estates Prof Blog, which earned Hall of Fame status in 2015 after being named to the ABA Journal's Blawg 100 for five consecutive years. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the REPTL Reporter, the official journal of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Beyer was Treasurer of the Lubbock County Bar Association from 2009 to 2010 and served on the Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law Council of the State Bar of Texas from 2009 to 2013. Furthermore, he contributed to the Texas Law Component for the Texas Board of Law Examiners. He was also a member of the Estate Planning and Probate Law Exam Commission from 1991 to 2005 and has served as the Keeping Current Probate Editor for Probate & Property magazine since 1992. He served as a President of the South Plains Trust & Estate Council from 2010 to 2011 and has been its Director since 2007.

Beyer is a member of an Academic Fellow and former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and a member of the American Law Institute. Additionally, he was appointed by the Uniform Law Commission as the Reporter for the Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act and the Probate and Non-Probate Transfer Integration Study Committee.

Research

Beyer ranks among the top 0.001% of law authors on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). He has authored books and articles on various aspects of estate planning, including a two-volume treatise on Texas wills law, a law school casebook on estate planning, and the Wills, Trusts, and Estates volume in the Examples & Explanations series. His writings has earned him three awards from the American Bar Association's Probate & Property magazine.

Beyer researched estate planning, focusing on trusts, wills, and strategies to identify and mitigate will contest risks with tailored approaches, while also addressing malpractice liabilities and ethical challenges, guiding practitioners on how to avoid pitfalls and protect client intent. In a collaborative work, he critiqued post-mortem probate, which could lead to will contests, and advocated for ante-mortem probate as a more effective alternative, reviewing existing models and arguing for its adoption to protect testators' intentions.

Focusing on the legal profession's reliance on technology, Beyer discussed how this shift reshaped estate planning through the rise of cryptocurrency, the development of electronic wills, the importance of managing digital assets like cryptocurrency and NFTs, and the prudent use of Artificial Intelligence. He highlighted strategies to address virtual currency challenges, reviewed the Uniform Electronic Wills Act and state law variations, and provided practical tools for implementing the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act in his work, "Cyber Estate Planning and Administration."

Beyer led efforts to help people plan for their companion animals as well, serving on the Advisory Board for 2nd Chance for Pets and the Animal Research Committee at The Southwest Foundation, emphasizing short- and long-term care provisions, legal variations across U.S. jurisdictions, and key estate planning techniques for pet owners.

Selected awards and honors

• 1988 – Outstanding Professor Award, St. Mary’s University Chapter of Phi Delta Phi
• 2010-2011 – Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Texas Tech University
• 2012-2013 – Advanced Professor of the Year, Texas Tech University
• 2015 – President's Academic Achievement Award, Texas Tech University
• 2015 – Estate Planning Hall of Fame, National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
• 2017 – The Outstanding (Law) Researcher Award, Texas Tech University
• 2022 – Hess Memorial Lecturer, New York City Bar
• 2023 – Professor of the Year, Criminal Law Association, Texas Tech University School of Law

Bibliography

Selected books

• Fat Cats and Lucky Dogs (2010) (co-authored with Barry Seltzer) ISBN 9780966431353
• Texas Wills, Trusts, and Estates (2018) ISBN 9781531005757
• Modern Dictionary for the Legal Profession (2021) ISBN 9780837741727
• Wills, Trusts, and Estates – Examples & Explanations (8th ed. 2022) ISBN 9781543846829
• Texas Estate Planning Statutes with Commentary: 2023-2025 Edition (2023) ISBN 9798823013390
• Teaching Materials on Estate Planning (5th ed. 2023) ISBN 9781684676828
• Beyer's Texas Property Code Annotated (2024) ISBN 9781668782545
• Law of Wills, 4th, 2024-2025 Edition (2024) ISBN 9798350283853

Selected articles

• Beyer, G. W. (1983). Videotaping the Will Execution Ceremony-Preventing Frustration of the Testator's Final Wishes. Mary's LJ, 15, 1.
• Beyer, G. W. (1993). Statutory Fill-in-Will Forms-The First Decade: Theoretical Constructs and Empirical Findings. Or. L. Rev., 72, 769.
• Beyer, G. W., Dickinson, R. G., & Wake, K. L. (1997). The Fine Art of Intimidating Disgruntled Beneficiaries with In Terrorem Clauses. SMUL Rev., 51, 225.
• Beyer, G. W. (2000). Pet Animals: What Happens When Their Humans Die. Santa Clara L. Rev., 40, 617.
• Beyer, G. W., & Wilkerson, J. P. (2008). Max's Taxes: A Tax-Based Analysis of Pet Trusts. U. Rich. L. Rev., 43, 1219.
• Beyer, G. W., & Cahn, N. (2013). Digital planning: the future of elder law. NAELA J., 9, 135.
• Beyer, G. W., & Dacus, B. (2016). Puff, The Magic Dragon, and the Estate Planner. Tex. A&M J. Prop. L., 3, 1.
• Beyer, G. W. (2020). A Safe Harbor in the Medicaid Adventure: Lady Bird and Transfer on Death Deeds. ACTEC LJ, 46, 3.
• Beyer, G. W., & Nipp, K. (2023). Estate Planning for Cyber Property-Electronic Communications, Cryptocurrency, Non-Fungible Tokens, and the Metaverse. Est. Plan. & Cmty. Prop. LJ, 16, 1.

References

1. ^ "Gerry W. Beyer".
2. "Wills, trusts, and estates: examples and explanations".
3. "Teaching materials on estate planning".
4. "Texas law of wills / by Gerry W. Beyer".
5. "Texas Tech law professor earns 3rd excellence in writing award".
6. ^ "Past Chancellor's Council Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients".
7. ^ "Outstanding Research Awardees".
8. "NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame®".
9. "Bill Pargaman Distinguished Probate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award".
10. "Gerry W. Beyer–Taxes Tech University".
11. "REPTL Reporter" (PDF).
12. "Board of Directors–SPTEC".
13. "Member Directory–American Law Institute".
14. "The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act: An Interview with Suzanne Brown Walsh and Professor Gerry W. Beyer".
15. "The Reporter–Texas Tech Law Library".
16. "SSRN Top 100 Law Authors" (PDF).
17. "Texas Tech University" (PDF).
18. "Gerry W Beyer–American Bar Association".
19. "Will Contests - Prediction and Prevention".
20. "Avoid Being a Defendant: Estate Planning Malpractice and Ethical Concerns".
21. "Ante-Mortem Probate: A Viable Alternative".
22. "Cryptocurrency -- What Estate Planners Need to Know".
23. "Estate Planning for Cyber Property - Electronic Communications, Cryptocurrency, Non-Fungible Tokens, and the Metaverse".
24. "Electronic Wills: The Changing Future of the Estate Practice".
25. "Cyber Estate Planning and Administration".
26. "Pet Animals: What Happens When their Humans Die?".
27. "Don't Forget About Pets When Planning for Disability and Death".

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