When Madeleine Zemler says she is used to being surrounded by family, she means it. Born and raised just down the road in Corinth, Madeleine is the youngest of five children — all of whom loved being with one another and rarely left each other’s side. Even when she didn’t want to follow in her older siblings’ footsteps by going to college at UNT, Madeleine found comfort in the fact that she wasn’t far away at the University of Texas in Arlington.

That all changed when she finished up at UTA and went to law school at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2016.

“It was the first time I’d been that far away from my family and the first time I didn’t have any pets around. It was a huge culture shock,” Madeleine said with a laugh. “But it was also rewarding. I got to figure out who I am and what my interests and abilities are — without all the noise of the family. It was still a lot, but it was worth it.”

Now that she has graduated and high-tailed it back home where she belongs, Madeleine has a new set of family members in her corner right here at Leigh Hilton PLLC. She became our newest probate attorney in May, and in so doing, adds a fresh perspective to our growing firm and a familiar commitment to treating all of our clients like family.

“This is a family atmosphere,” Madeleine said. “The clients I’ve interacted with so far embody that family atmosphere, too. It’s really nice. Just watching Leigh, she treats everyone like family from the second they walk in the door. She knows so much, and Tammy [Stark] has a wealth of knowledge, too. I’m excited to work with this entire team.

She added, “My goal is to really listen to our clients. It’s one thing to hear the words coming out of their mouth, but it’s something entirely different to read between the lines and understand them without them having to actually say it.”

St. Mary’s is known for churning out talented attorneys in all disciplines, and Madeleine is certainly no exception. In fact, our firm sought Madeleine out after hearing so many great things about her. She initially thought about going into family law and even spent time interning with the San Antonio Spurs’ legal department, but the opportunity to help families create a plan for their future was too good to pass up.

“This was absolutely the right opportunity at the right time,” she said.

When she’s not working, Madeleine enjoys watching baseball and hockey with her Golden Doodle, Darcy, and spending time with, you guessed it, her family. She’s even taken up needlepoint with her grandmother.

“I’m excited to be back with my family, and I’m excited to start working with our clients here,” she said.