Presenting our annual list of the region’s best attorneys —
in 43 specialties — as chosen by their peers
Top Attorneys 2019 is a nomination-based project in which we ask area attorneys to vote for other attorneys who exemplify excellence in a variety of different specialties. The Top Attorneys list provides a service to readers, giving them attorneys’ perspective on their peers. The list also is intended to allow readers to see and celebrate the achievement of their attorneys who make the list. Additionally, it gives those seeking legal information a place to see attorneys recognized for their expertise and reputation and helps them select the right representation for their needs. It also can be a means for attorneys to make the community aware of their specific specialties and areas of expertise.
We take time and energy to ensure fair voting. We recognize that there are many good attorneys who do not appear on this list for various reasons. This is only a sampling of the talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding attorneys in the area and the results, therefore, are not objective.
360 West magazine contracted with DataJoe Research to conduct nominations using an online ballot for collecting, vetting and tallying the votes. DataJoe Research is a survey/research company specializing in data collection and verification. It conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers.
About The List
How was the list created?
To create the list, DataJoe Research facilitated a peer voting process during the first quarter of 2019. DataJoe and the magazine reached out to both individuals and firms by various means encouraging entities to vote and circulate the online ballot. Each attorney could vote for up to three attorneys in each category. DataJoe reviewed and processed each ballot individually, checking for patterns or signs indicative of cheating.
Nominations for attorneys who were licensed for five years or more in the state of Texas were separated from those licensed for less than five years. Within each sub-group, the top vote-getters in each specialty category were selected and verified. We verified with the state bar association that each winner had a valid, active license and that no winner had disciplinary action against him/her from the state. If we were not able to find evidence of the attorney’s being registered with the state bar association, that attorney was excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to 360 West magazine for final review and adjustments.
How are nominations obtained?
The magazine and DataJoe Research reach out to both practices and individuals in the region via various methods, encouraging them to vote and distribute the ballot to other attorneys. We encourage attorneys who want to ensure they get to vote to send an email to surveys@datajoe.com so we can conduct a lookup and add their information if needed.
What information is required to make a nomination?
Attorneys are required to provide a valid, active license number and basic contact information identifying themselves. This helps us ensure fairness in the voting process by verifying that each attorney completes only one ballot. The final results are aggregated, so attorneys’ ballot choices remain confidential.
What happens once nominations are received?
DataJoe reviews each ballot to ensure fair nomination, isolating and potentially eliminating invalid ballots, ballots suspected of block voting (i.e. identical voting patterns across multiple ballots), duplicate voting, or other issues. After vetting, DataJoe provides a tallied list of most-frequently nominated attorneys to the magazine. Attorneys whose names are in bold type received 15 or more nominations in a category, and attorneys who are in bold italic received 10-14 nominations in a category.
How are the practice areas determined?
The categories are very broad and are intended to reflect relevant practice areas in the region. We recognize that there are many specialty areas but cannot accommodate them all. If there is a strong and consistent request for additional practice areas, they will be considered for possible inclusion in next year’s nomination.
Do attorneys pay to be on the Top Attorneys list?
Attorneys can’t pay to be on the list. After the list is finalized by DataJoe, it is given to the magazine’s advertising department, which invites attorneys to buy profiles. These profiles appear elsewhere in the magazine, labeled as paid advertising, in a section titled Attorneys Worth Knowing. But whether the attorneys advertise has no bearing on their being on the list.
What if I don’t see my attorney on the list?
This list is by no means inclusive of all excellent attorneys in the area. If you don’t see your attorney on the list, and if he or she is someone you like and trust, you should stick with your attorney.
About DataJoe
DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe. For research/methodology questions, contact Johnny Levy, President, at johnny@datajoe.com. For all other questions, contact Jerry Scott at jscott@360westmagazine.com. If you did not receive a survey ballot this year, please email surveys@datajoe.com to ensure we have your correct, updated information on file. Please include name, practice, address, phone, fax, and email in your message.
Categories
Adoption Law
Antitrust Law
Appellate Law
Arbitration and Mediation
Attorneys for Nonprofits
Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime, and Transportation
Banking and Financial
Bankruptcy
Business Law
Civil Law / Litigation
Civil Law / Transactional
Commercial Litigation
Construction
Consumer Debt
Corporate Counsel
Corporate Finance / Mergers and Acquisitions
Criminal Defense
Education
Elder Law
Eminent Domain
Family Law
General Practice
Government and Administrative
Health Care Law
Immigration Law
Insurance
Intellectual Property Rights
Labor and Employment
Land Use / Environment
Medical Malpractice / Defense
Medical Malpractice / Plaintiff
Oil and Gas
Personal Injury
Product Liability
Professional Malpractice (Non-Medical) Defense
Real Estate
Securities Law
Sports Law
Tax Law
Technology / Virtual
Traffic Law
Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates
Workers’ Compensation
TOP ATTORNEYS 2019 Five Years or More in Practice
Attorneys whose names are in bold type received 15 or more nominations in a category,
and attorneys who are in bold italic received between 10-14 nominations in a category.
Click on names listed in RED for more information.
Adoption Law
Leslie Barrows
Kimberly Butler
Eric Freeby
Kellye Hughes
Alyssa Jacobs
Dana Manry
Robert McEwan
Belker Paschall
Joseph Soto
Kimberly Stoner-Brock
Antitrust Law
Don Herrmann
Bill Warren
Appellate Law
Adam Arrington
Marianne Auld
Mary Barkley
Russell Barton
Danny Burns
John Cayce
Nick Davis
Tanya Dohoney
Kyle Fonville
Joe Greenhill
Thomas Harkins
Steven Hayes
Jessica Janicek
David Keltner
Heather King
Shelly Messerli
Thomas Michel
Karen Precella
Brittani Rollen
Jody Sanders
W. Brent Shellhorse
Stephen Tatum
Shelby White
Paul Wieneskie
Arbitration and Mediation
Barbara Armstrong
Lexa Auld
Jennifer Caldwell
John Allen Chalk
Kight Higgins
Joseph Horn
John Hughes
M. Beth Krugler
R. Dyann McCully
Wade McMullen
Cynthia Mendoza
Dale O’Neal
Carole Orth
David Seidler
Michael Tresidder
Len Wade
Terri White
Shauna Wright
Attorneys for Nonprofits
Norma Bazan
Tom Brandon
Robb Catalano
Cory Halliburton
Lindsay Kinzie
Merrit Klapperich
Monique Lopez-Hinkley
Phil McCrury
Darren Moore
Lynn Rodriguez
Melissa Sircar
Phil Sorrells
Dana Stayton
Dee Steer
Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime and Transportation
Geffrey Anderson
Orest Dachniwsky
Jon Harrison
Guy Riddle
Howard Rosenthal
Allison Schluckebier
Craig Smetko
K.C. Thompson
Dan Vela
Banking and Financial
Paul Bradford
Jonathan Cranz
Charles Curry
Russell Devenport
Elisa Fox
Brandon Hill
Dan Lowry
Matthew Luensmann
Bruce McGee
Randyl Meigs
William Ratliff
Dan Settle
Brandon Wade
Bankruptcy
John Bonds
Joshua Eppich
Clayton Everett
Bobby Forshey
Mark French
Sharon Giraud
George Griffith
Katherine Hopkins
James Ince
H. Brandon Jones
J. Michael McBride
Mike McConnell
James Morrison
Ian Peck
Mark Petrocchi
Stephen Pezanosky
Jeff Prostok
Nancy Ribaudo
Robert Simon
Lindsay Steele
Matthew Taplett
Behrooz Vida
Business Law
Julie Bergkamp
Chad Cacciotti
Douglas Clayton
David Cook
Dirk Eshleman
Alyson Halpern
Randall Johnson
Evan Malloy
Michael Moan
Dana White
Thomas Williams
Civil Law / Litigation
Daniel Aguilar
Geffrey Anderson
Hugh Connor
David Drez
Michael Forman
Walker Friedman
Alyson Halpern
George Haratsis
Roland Johnson
Donald Kaczkowski
John Lively
R. Bruce Moon
Christopher Neal
Kory Nelson
Chuck Noteboom
Jack Ormond
Alex Pelley
Roland Schafer
Marshall Searcy
W. Brent Shellhorse
Adam Simmons
Andrew Sims
Mack Ed Swindle
Civil Law / Transactional
Craig Barbolla
Carrie Cappel
Lindsay Daniel
David Drez
Austin Franklin
Pete Greenhaw
Randall Johnson
Jason Nash
Commercial Litigation
Mark Dugan
Brian Garrett
Bruce James
Dee Kelly, Jr.
Robert Martinez
Marshall Searcy
Adam Simmons
Brian Stagner
Bill Warren
Eamonn Wiles
Construction
Randal Dean
Richard Deberry
Christian Ellis
Stephanie Harrison
Stephen Harrison
Andy Keetch
Jason Kennedy
Cara Kennemer
Darren Keyes
Michael MacQuaid
Hunter McLean
Luke McMahan
Matt Motes
Andrew Piel
Bradley Rice
Patrick Sheridan
Joe Tolbert
Jody Walker
Richard Wiseman
Consumer Debt
James Foley
Jerry Jarzombek
Corporate Counsel
Eric Alexander
Anna Alvarado
Ross Carmichael
Christopher Greer
Andrew Lombardi
Andrea Palmer
Brian Restivo
Craig Woodcook
Corporate Finance / Mergers and Acquisitions
Benton Cantey
David Cook
Adam Fulkerson
Janet Hahn
Evan Malloy
Charles Milliken
Scot Pierce
Vernon Rew
Sam Vinson
Jarratt Watkins
Wayne Whitham
Chelsea Wood
Criminal Defense
Brandon Barnett
Blake Burns
Cody Cofer
Craig Dameron
Mark Daniel
Nick Davis
Lance Evans
Daniel Hernandez
Francisco Hernandez
Jeff Hoover
Christy Jack
Steve Jumes
Gerard Kardonsky
Christopher Lankford
Trent Loftin
Letty Martinez
Gary Medlin
Brian Poe
Justin Sparks
Anna Summersett
Benson Varghese
Luke Williams
Education
Neal Adams
Robert Ginsburg
Cynthia Hill
Christie Hobbs
Jennifer Littman
Mitchell Moses
Thomas Myers
Angela Robinson
Lynn Scott
Susan Sorrells
James Whitton
Elder Law
Monica Benson
Patricia Cole
James Davidson
Matthew Davidson
Sharon Gabert
Catherine Goodman
Lisa Jamieson
Michael Kaitcer
Steven Katten
Rick Weaver
Corey Williams
Dana Zachry
Eminent Domain
Mary Barkley
Richard Deberry
Roger Diseker
Patrick Reardon
Family Law
Stephanie Beamer
Catherine Borum
Louis Freeman
Robert Hoover
Lisa Hoppes
Jessica Janicek
Heather King
Jerry Loftin
Dana Manry
Larry Mike
Spencer Nilsson
Libby Parmer
Justin Sisemore
Dwayne Smith
Susan Smith
Joseph Soto
Jeffrey Thornton
General Practice
Bruce Ashworth
Kirk Bryant
J. Walker Holland
Trey Loftin
Timothy Vinson
Government and Administrative
Jonathan Cranz
Sarah Fullenwider
Cynthia Gustafson
Dee Kelly, Jr.
Susan Sorrells
Stephen Tatum, Jr.
Health Care Law
Vianei Braun
Michael Elliott
Bruce McGee
Sean McKenna
Patrick Reardon
Henry Robinson
Dan Settle
Wayne Whitaker
Immigration Law
Rosa Maria Berdeja
Daniel Hernandez
Francisco Hernandez
Edwardo Meza
Jason Mills
Margarita Morton
Carrie Nguyen
Melissa Wilks
Yadira Zepeda
Insurance
Derek Anderson
Graham Blake
Michael Johnston
Julie Kraatz
Andrea Palmer
Eamonn Wiles
Intellectual Property Rights
Tim Ackermann
Joseph Cleveland
J. Heath Coffman
Leslie Darby
Charles Gunter
Cheryl Leb
Geoffrey Mantooth
Warren Norred
Richard “Rocky” Schwartz
David Skeels
Jonathan Suder
Mack Ed Swindle
Brian Yost
Labor and Employment
Paige Biggs
Vianei Braun
Russell Cawyer
Rory Divin
Brad Dowell
James Griffis
Laura Hallmon
Caroline Harrison
Cynthia Hill
Christopher Howe
Leslie Hunt
Michael Hutchens
Susan Hutchison
Claudine Jackson
Lauren McDonald
Henry Robinson
Chris Stoy
Rod Tanner
Walter Taylor
Land Use / Environment
Justin Light
Ray Oujesky
Todd Spake
Sarah Walls
Medical Malpractice / Defense
Randy Hall
Wendy Hermes
Darrell Keith
Steve Madsen
Wesley Myers
Jordan Parker
David Speed
James Stouffer
Medical Malpractice / Plaintiff
Seth Anderson
Geno Borchardt
Gil Daley
Darrell Keith
Steven Laird
Oil and Gas
William Bredthauer
Eric Camp
Jeff Grable
Christopher Hogan
Timothy Howell
Timothy Malone
Mark Matula
Shayne Moses
Andrew Neal
Matt Rainey
Clark Rucker
Todd Spake
John Thompson
Timothy Thorne
Wilson Woods
Personal Injury
Seth Anderson
Wade Barrow
Rickey Brantley
John Cummings
Dwain Dent
David Flowers
Michael Francis
David Frisby
Joseph Gallagher
Chad Goetz
Mark Haney
Robert Haslam
Robert Henry
Gregory Jackson
Steven Laird
Trey Loftin
Jesse Lotspeich
Stephen Maxwell
Avery McDaniel
W. Bradley Parker
W. Travis Patterson
Steve Samples
John Shaw
Jason Stephens
Chris Stoy
Tennessee Walker
Scott Wert
Coby Wooten
Jim Zadeh
Product Liability
James Ames
Michael Anderson
Chad Arnette
Lars Berg
Mike Freden
Joseph Gallagher
David Hart
Preston Mundt
Professional Malpractice (Non-Medical) Defense
Derek Anderson
Michael Anderson
Lars Berg
Roger Diseker
Glen Johnson
Roland Johnson
Jeff Whitfield
Real Estate
Kendall Adair
Mark Bishop
Carrie Cappel
Martin Garcia
Bryon Hammer
Timothy Harvard
Alan Hegi
Justin Huston
James Jay
Chad Key
Darren Keyes
Joseph Kimball
Matthew Luensmann
Travis McNellie
Pati Meadows
Andy Rogers
Rick Sorenson
Kenneth Stogdill
Hannah Watkins
Robert “Bob” West
Securities Law
James Ames
Natalie Carlgren
John Fahy
Calvin Jackson
William Mateja
Jarratt Watkins
Wayne Whitaker
Sports Law
Christian Dennie
Edward Jones
David Skeels
Tax Law
Marvin Blum
Lawrence Brown
Sean Bryan
David Coffin
James Creel
Adam Fulkerson
Thomas Hegi
John Hunter
Brandon Jones
Kevin Kuenzli
Charles Lieser
Dale O’Neal
William Ratliff
Lynn Ross
Ryan Scharar
Dustin Willey
Len Woodard
Technology / Virtual
Nick Bettinger
Leslie Darby
Traffic Law
Virginia Carter
Andrew Hawkins
Justin Holt
James Mallory
Jeffrey Mix
Sommer Walker
Bonnie Wolf
Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates
Michael Appleman
David Bakutis
Marvin Blum
Antoinette Bone
Michael Bourland
Patricia Cole
Lindsay Daniel
James Davidson
Matthew Davidson
Levi Dillon
Jeffry Foust
Tena Fox
Catherine Goodman
Ross Griffith
Michael Grover
Janet Hahn
Kelcie Hibbs
Lisa Jamieson
Michael Kaitcer
Kevin Kuenzli
Paul Lancaster
Robert Loudermilk
Phil McCrury
R. Dyann McCully
Amy Ott
Dianne Reis
Rachel Saltsman
Melinda Smith
Jimalee Splawn
Dee Steer
Louis Stefanos
Kimberly Uskovich
Workers’ Compensation
Paige Biggs
Russell Cawyer
Christopher Howe
TOP ATTORNEYS 2019 Less than Five Years in Practice
Attorneys whose names are in bold type received 15 or more nominations in a category,
and attorneys who are in bold italic received between 10-14 nominations in a category.
Click on names listed in RED for more information.
Adoption Law
Danielle Reagan
Courtney Walker
Appellate Law
Caitlyn Hubbard
Paul Leopold
Attorneys for Nonprofits
Harrison Smith
Banking and Financial
Merrill Jones
Bankruptcy
David Staab
Business Law
Tave Doty
Zachary Farrar
Andrew Ramsey
Civil Law / Litigation
Allison Allman
Paul Elkins
Kathy Reid
Brian Singleterry
Civil Law / Transactional
Ola Campbell
Joakim Soederbaum
Commercial Litigation
Caroline Cyrier
Paul Elkins
Brian Singleterry
Corporate Finance / Mergers and Acquisitions
Tave Doty
Jonathan Heathman
Nathan McCune
Criminal Defense
Andrew Decker
Phillip Hall
Michael Schneider
Education
Kathryn Hogan
Family Law
W. Aulstin Gardiner
Kevin Jones
General Practice
Ola Campbell
Jane Fowler
Immigration Law
Rocio Martinez
Lisa McBee
Veronica Montemayor
Labor and Employment
Hannah Parks
Jason Smith
Jonathan “Jack” Walters
Land Use / Environment
Garrett Martin
Oil And Gas
Seth Burt
Brent Dore
Merrill Jones
Bryan May
James Nichols
Nirav Patel
Personal Injury
Brandi Burns
Elizabeth Haslam
Travis Heller
Kolter Jennings
Jeffrey Tillman
Jonathan “Jack” Walters
Product Liability
Elizabeth Cuneo
Real Estate
James Ryffel
Securities Law
Jonathan Heathman
Tax Law
Jacob Birnbaum
Drew Johnson
Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates
Heidi Angel
Shelia Bell
Erik Lisowski
Workers’ Compensation
Hannah Parks
Nicolas Wohr