About the firm
Who we are and how we work
Updated March 12, 2026
Barton Creek Ellery LLP is a six-attorney law firm in Austin, Texas. We help individuals, families, and small-business owners with three kinds of work: planning what happens to their property and decisions, starting a business on solid legal footing, and buying or selling a home. We keep the firm deliberately small so that the attorney you meet is the attorney who does your work.
Our story
Catherine Ellery and Marcus Delgado founded the firm in 2012 in a small office overlooking the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Both had spent years at larger firms watching clients wait weeks for simple answers and open bills they couldn't have predicted. They set out to build a practice with published prices, prompt replies, and documents clients actually understand.
Priya Raman joined as a partner in 2015 to lead our residential real-estate work. Today the firm has three partners, three associates, three paralegals, an intake coordinator, and a billing manager, working from a larger office at 2700 Bee Caves Road, a short drive from where we started.
What we do
- Estate planning and probate. Wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, revocable living trusts, plan updates, and uncontested probate and estate administration in Texas courts.
- Small-business formation and contracts. Forming LLCs and corporations, company agreements, registered agent service, contract review, and trademark clearance and filing.
- Residential real-estate closings. Representing home buyers and sellers, reviewing Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) contracts and title commitments, preparing deeds, and attending closings.
What we don't do
We are not a litigation firm. We don't handle lawsuits of any kind, including contested wills, contested estates, and business disputes. We also don't practice family law, criminal law, or immigration law, and we don't handle commercial leasing, commercial development, or tax controversies.
If your matter falls outside our practice, we'll tell you quickly, we won't charge you for that conversation, and we'll suggest where to start looking for help, such as a certified lawyer referral service. Our attorneys are licensed in Texas only, so we don't advise on the law of other states.
How we work
Clear prices. Most of our work is billed as a flat fee, quoted in writing before we begin. When a matter can't be priced in advance, we explain our hourly rates and give you a realistic range. How we bill covers the details.
One responsible attorney. Every matter is assigned a responsible attorney and a paralegal who know your file, so you're never passed between strangers.
Plain language. We explain what each document does and why it's there. If you leave a signing unsure what you signed, we haven't done our job.
Prompt communication. We respond to new inquiries within one business day, and we acknowledge client calls and emails within one business day. Our communication policy sets out what to expect.
In person or online, anywhere in Texas. We meet clients at our Austin office or by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or phone. Wills and trusts are signed in person at our office, where we provide the witnesses and notary.
Our website assistant
The assistant on our website answers general questions using the pages in this knowledge base, such as our fees, office hours, and how our process works. It can't give legal advice, can't review your documents, and can't tell you what you should do in your situation. It can take your contact details so our intake coordinator can follow up, or pass your message to a member of our team.
Using the assistant, calling us, or sending us an email does not make you a client. An attorney-client relationship begins only after a conflict check clears, you sign an engagement letter, and we receive your first payment or retainer.
This is general information, not legal advice.