NANCY L. BRELAND, J.D., C.P.A., C.F.P., was born in Houston, Texas and was graduated from Jessie Jones High School, Summa Cum Laude in 1969, where she was a member of the Jones women's volleyball team. Mrs. Breland attended Texas Lutheran College (now University) upon a Jessie Jones Scholarship, Wall Street Journal Scholarship, and Lutheran Brotherhood Scholarship (all academic scholarships) and graduated from Texas Lutheran College, Summa Cum Laude, in 1973, with a B.A. in Accounting. While at Texas Lutheran College she was a member of the Beta Tau Alpha sorority, serving in various officer positions. She was accredited as a Certified Public Accountant in 1975. Mrs. Breland graduated from the Law Center of the University of Houston in 1979 and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1980. Subsequently, she obtained designation as a Certified Financial Planner.

Prior to joining the firm, she practiced accounting with the firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. from 1973 to 1978 in both audit and tax. In 1978 she joined Linbeck Corporation where she served for seventeen years before resigning as Corporate Secretary, Tax Manager, and Secretary of the Linbeck Foundation in 1995 to devote full time to the practice of law. She has served on the Board of Directors of various corporations. In addition, she is a past President of Houston Federal Credit Union and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of that institution as she has done for over a decade. She is a member of Faith Lutheran Church, A.I.C.P.A. and T.S.C.P.A.

Mrs. Breland became a partner in the firm in 1980 and has been in that capacity continuously since that time. She limits her field of practice to matters of taxation, financial and estate planning, estate administration and business matters. Mrs. Breland, as an attorney, is admitted to practice before all Texas courts, the United States Tax Court and the United States Claims Court, but she represents clients in Court only in tax matters and does not otherwise practice in any areas of litigation other than tax.

Sir Patton and Lady Nancy Breland were married in Houston in May of 1977, while both were attending law school. They have no children but do have a famous collection of animals at their estate in Houston. Their principal hobbies are travel and landscaping.