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2021: Year in Review

Writer's picture: Ruth-Ann E. ToupsRuth-Ann E. Toups

2021 has been a year for the books! While we have been quiet on social media, we have been busy at The Toups Law Firm.


We continued to navigate the challenges of practicing law during a pandemic. Many of our clients are those who are most vulnerable but also those who benefit the most from in person meetings. We were excited to welcome more clients back in person in the spring and early summer. While we are still taking safety precautions, we are thrilled to be back to more normal operations. We are also thankful that the pandemic has brought about some positive changes and allowed us to accommodate more clients with virtual meetings.


In the spring, we welcomed Jami Carlisle as an associate attorney. Jami comes to us with a varied legal background in both business formations and criminal law. Her previous experience has proved to be useful as so much of what we do involves many areas of law. Jami has focused her work on estate planning and probate at the firm and she has hit the ground running. We feel very lucky to have found her!


Over the summer, I studied for the Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) exam. The CELA designation indicates a level of expertise in elder law and special needs planning. I sat for the exam in September and after a long wait I am thrilled to say I passed! Not only was the exam challenging but the requirements to be eligible to sit for the exam are stringent. As a result, there are not many CELAs. There are less than 30 across the state of Texas. Considering there are approximately 100,000 licensed attorneys in the state that’s a pretty small group! I am now waiting for my full certification and will be elated to officially add this new designation. Elder law and special needs planning have always been my passion and to have this designation that reflects my expertise is an honor.


In the fall, we also added a new client services coordinator and paralegal to our team, making us a team of five. When I started the firm just four years ago, I could not have imagined the growth we would experience. My goal has always been to provide excellent legal services, often to those in difficult situations, while being compassionate. The best compliment we receive is you are not like other law firms. As we grow and add new team members it is wonderful to continue expanding this philosophy to serve more clients.


In the winter, I found out I was again nominated by my peers as one of Houstonia Magazine's Top Houston Attorneys in the area of Elder Law. It is wonderful to receive this honor for the second year in a row.


Finally on a personal note, this year has been very special as my husband and I welcomed our first child on December 14. Balancing my work with clients, our growing team, studying for a challenging exam, and pregnancy have proved for a very busy year. I have always thrived with more to do rather than less, but this year really put that to the test! I am thrilled to have such a top-notch team in place to take care of our clients while I am out of the office. I cannot wait to hit the ground running in the early spring with our newest team member - baby Toups!


We have some very exciting plans for 2022 that I am anxiously awaiting to share with you. In the meantime, I would like to thank each and every one of our clients for allowing us the opportunity to serve you.

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