Christian Kelso

Christian S. Kelso is an Assistant Professor of Law and the Director of Estate Planning Programs at Texas Tech University School of Law. He brings nearly two decades of experience in trusts and estates, tax, business planning, and wealth preservation to his teaching and leadership of the Law School’s estate planning journal.

Before joining Texas Tech Law, Professor Kelso practiced law in Dallas, most recently as an equity partner at Farrow-Gillespie Heath Wilmoth LLP. His practice focused on estate planning, wealth transfer, probate, tax, and business matters, with an emphasis on helping individuals and families prevent disputes and develop practical, understandable solutions to complex legal and personal issues.

His interest in the intersection of law, family relationships, and long-term planning also led him to study family systems and governance and to write Building Your Castle: A Practical Guide for Protecting Your Legacy. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a frequent author and speaker on estate planning, trusts, fiduciary duties, taxation, charitable planning, business succession, and family governance. His scholarship includes articles published in Texas Tech Law’s Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal.

Teaching has long been an important part of Professor Kelso’s career. Before joining Texas Tech Law, he taught at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, UNT Dallas College of Law, and The University of Texas School of Law. His teaching draws heavily on his years in practice and his belief that lawyers serve clients best when they can make sophisticated legal concepts understandable, practical, and responsive to the people behind them.

A native of Dallas, Professor Kelso earned his B.A. in Germanic Studies and Business Foundations from The University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from Southern Methodist University. His studies also included a year in Salzburg, Austria, and summer study at University College, Oxford. He speaks German and Spanish and enjoys traveling, bass fishing, fencing, and theater.