About The Honorable Polly Jackson Spencer

Born Caroline Warren Jackson on January 13, 1948 to Charles H. Jackson Jr. and Ruth Warren. Judge Spencer joined a family that practiced real estate and probate law. She inherited this legacy from her father. In 1976, Judge Spencer was admitted into St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, and upon graduation she began practicing law in Houston, Texas at Fulbright and Jaworski. Soon she moved back to San Antonio with her husband George Hutchins Spencer, whom she married on May 14, 1977 and started practicing in the same building her father started in 1932.

Elected to Probate Court No. 1 in 1990, Judge Spencer would go on to have a storied and illustrious twenty-four (24) years on the probate bench, and became a symbol of what all practitioners in this area aspire to become. She holds specialization and board certification in Probate Law with Estate Planning, Mental Health Law and Condemnation Law, and advocated for the disabled, elderly, and recently deceased. After choosing to leave the bench in 2014, Judge Spencer continues to actively participate in this area through assignment as a statutory probate judge, mediation, and consistent attendance at various educational and charitable events, such as the San Antonio Bar Association Estate and Probate section meetings, the bi-annual San Antonio Docket Call, Rotary Club of San Antonio, and much more.

History of the Polly Jackson Spencer AIC

In 2024, a group of lawyers and judges got together to follow a tradition that began in England and has been around for centuries, The Inn of Court. Judge Veronica Vasquez established this chapter specializing in the Estate, Probate, and Trust law, to promote professionalism, education, mentorship, and collegiality in this vital area of law.

At that time, San Antonio already had The William S. Sessions American Inn of Court, focusing primarily on federal law and was named for former Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, and later Chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Judge William S. Sessions, who enthusiastically endorsed the mission of the American Inns of Court. That chapter has been going strong since 1986.

In that same tradition, Judge Veronica Vasquez and the Inaugural Committee viewed that success and felt it was important to the continued pursuit of legal excellence to create an Estate, Probate, and Trust chapter.

When it was time to name this chapter, there was only one logical choice — Judge Polly Jackson Spencer.

Charter members were sent invitations to join the Inn of Court during its formation and initial year, and look forward to many years of excellence. The Polly Jackson Spencer American Inn of Court greatly appreciates and would like to recognize the efforts of the following, who comprised the Inaugural Committee:

1. Judge Veronica Vasquez
2.  ***Needs editing***

 

Read more about the history of the American Inns of Court movement here.