Our Team
Ryan Heath
Ryan is a trust and estates attorney. He represents business owners, families, and financial institutions with a primary focus on shouldering his clients’ problems and helping them achieve their goals. Ryan believes in a custom approach to tackling his clients’ needs. Through quick response times, open lines of communication, and sound counsel, Ryan believes that he can effectively attend to the needs and requested outcomes of his clients.
Ryan serves as an Adjunct Professor of Trusts & Fiduciary Responsibilities at Texas A&M University School of Law. He is a past Chairman of the Tax and Estate Planning Section of the Tarrant County Bar Association. Outside of the legal industry, Ryan previously served on the Board of Directors of Community Storehouse, a non-profit that focuses on identifying underprivileged youth who are behind in reading and getting them caught up to speed through after-school programs and other family support services.
Ryan is originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and enjoys traveling, golf, and reading. He and his wife, Lorna, live in Fort Worth, Texas, with their daughter, Gianna, and Boxer, Wells.
Ryan attended Louisiana State University for his business undergraduate degree and attended law school at Texas A&M University. He graduated at the top of his law school class and has been recognized as one of the top trust and estate attorneys in Texas.
Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine (2016-2017, 2019, 2022-2023)
Top Attorney, 360 West Magazine (2017)
Texas Super Lawyers - Rising Star (Estate Planning & Probate) (2020-24) (Published by Thompson Reuters)
Levi M. Dillon
Levi M. Dillon is a graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law (J.D.), has a B.B.A. and M.S. in accounting from Texas A&M University, and is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate law. Levi is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant. His practice focuses on helping clients achieve their wealth succession goals through estate planning, estate and trust administration, charitable planning, and closely held business planning.
Levi grew up in Arlington, Texas, and enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, and watching his children participate in various sports and activities as their number one fan. He and his wife, Kim, live in Fort Worth, Texas, with their four children, Noah, Wyatt, Truett, and Brynlee, and their cocker spaniel, Lyla.
BAR ADMISSIONS & CERTIFICATIONS:
• State Bar of Texas, 2012
• Board Certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Estate Planning and Probate, 2019
• Certified Public Accountant, Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, 2007
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT:
State Bar of Texas: Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law Section
Leadership Development Academy, 2016-2017 Tarrant County Bar Association:
Tax and Estate Planning Section, President, Vice President and Treasurer, 2017-2019
Fort Worth Business and Estate Section
Tarrant County Probate Bar Association
Board Member, 2022-Current
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association
Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants
TSCPA Advanced Estate Planning Conference, Planning Committee, 2017-2019
Fort Worth Chapter, Tax Institute Planning Committee Member, Vice Chair, 2017-2020
ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS:
• Author and Presenter, 46th Annual Advanced Estate Planning & a Probate Course, State Bar of Texas, June 2022, When the Grass is Greener: Considerations in Selecting Trust Situs
• Presenter, 45th Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, State Bar of Texas, June 2021, Charitable Planning Toolbox
• Co-Presenter, Texas Society of CPAs Tax Summit, 2020, Errors on Form 706 and Form 709
• Co-Author of Reference Outline for Texas Society of CPAs Tax Summit, 2020, Grantor Trusts
• Author of Article, Dallas Estate Planning Council and Amarillo Estate Planning Council, 2018 and 2019, respectively, Directed Trusts in Texas
• Presenter, Handling Your First (or Next) Trust, 2019, Fixing or Killing Off Broken Trusts
• Co-Author of Reference Outline for 42nd Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, State Bar of Texas, 2018, BDITs and QSSTs
• Co-Author of Reference Outline for Texas Society of CPAs Advanced Estate Planning Conference, August 2018, Grantor Trusts – A Survey
• Author of Article, Dallas Estate Planning Council, 2018, Who’s in Charge? Understanding and Using Directed Trusts
• Co-Presenter, Midland Memorial Foundation, 2018, Form 709 and Form 706 Overview
• Co-Presenter and Co-Author, American Law Institute CLE, 2018, Drafting Strategies for Estate Planners: Creating Documents to Withstand the Challenge
• Presenter, Texas Society of CPAs Advanced Estate Planning Conference, Estate Planning Workshop, August 2017
• Co-Author of Reference Outline for Texas Society of CPAs Advanced Estate Planning Conference, August 2017, Section 678 Trusts and Other Advanced Alternatives
• Author of Article for 40th Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, State Bar of Texas, June 2016, Who’s in Charge? Understanding and Using Directed Trusts
Sarah Perna
Sarah is an Attorney who first joined the TrustPoint Legal family as an intern during her last semester of law school. Sarah assists clients in carrying out their desired goals for both family and business success.
After receiving her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University, Sarah ventured north, where she briefly attended the University at Buffalo School of Law before ultimately transferring back to Texas. Sarah graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University School of Law. While in school, Sarah completed a tax law concentration, worked in the on-campus Tax Dispute Resolution Clinic, competed in the moot court team, and served on the board of the St. Thomas More Society. After enjoying internship experiences working with both business clients and individual families, Sarah is grateful to have landed in a space at TrustPoint Legal where the two often converge.
Sarah was born and raised in DFW and is happy to call Fort Worth home again. She enjoys spending time in the community volunteering, and outside of the office, Sarah loves running the Trinity Trails, getting lost in a good book, and cheering on the Texas Aggies and Buffalo Bills with friends and family.
Karen Coughlin
Karen is an Office Manager who joined our team in 2021. She brings with her over seven years of experience assisting in a variety of legal matters and is responsible for coordinating the broad range of services offered by our attorneys. She is the “go-to” contact at our firm and is dedicated to assisting our clients in whatever way she can.
Born in Scotland, Karen immigrated to the United States with her family when she was three. After spending her formative years in San Diego, Karen attended California State University, San Marcos where she studied Sociology, before later obtaining her paralegal certification from the University of San Diego. After spending 5 years in Denver, Karen moved to Texas in 2019.
She and her daughter, Gemma, have enjoyed exploring the Lone Star State, from DFW and beyond. They also have another member of their family - a Husky/Shepherd mix puppy named Aspen. When they’re not playing with Aspen, Karen and Gemma are always on the lookout for their next big adventure, whether it’s a local event in town or a girl’s trip to a new destination.
Past Attorneys
Chris Baker
Chris was a founding member of Baker Heath, PLLC (TrustPoint Legal’s Predecessor). Chris officially launched Integrated Legal, PLLC in October 2023. Integrated Legal serves as fractional in-house counsel for businesses and business owners. Integrated Legal fills in the gaps typically present in the attorney-client relationship, allowing Chris to take a deep dive into his clients’ businesses and identify, analyze, and resolve key issues impairing business performance and success.
The TrustPoint Legal team is grateful for Chris’s time, energy, and dedication in serving our clients since 2020, and we know he will be unbelievably successful in his new venture.
