Poynor Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

Colleen Cornelison is an Intake Attorney at the Innocence Project of Texas (IPTX), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal assistance to individuals who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit. Before joining the IPTX team, Colleen spent five years representing criminal defense and family law clients, working alongside Atticus Gill, at the highly respected Gill Law Firm, PLLC. Colleen also previously worked as a criminal defense Associate Attorney at Dunham and Jones, Attorneys at Law, PLLC, one of the largest criminal defense firms in the nation.

James P. Whalen is the owner of Whalen Law Office in Frisco, Texas.

James graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law in May 1995 and was admitted to the Texas Bar in November 1995 and is admitted to practice in the federal courts of the Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas, Northern District of Illinois, as well as the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. James has been Board Certified in Criminal Law since 2002 and has been Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law since 2017. Mr. Whalen practices exclusively in federal...

Anjali Nigam has experience litigating cases on both sides of the aisle. Anjali has litigation and trial experience in both State and Federal courts across the country. In her career, Anjali has a number of years defending small business in commercial and business claims, as well as working on class action and large antitrust matters. Her training helped prepare her for plaintiffs work as she now takes on defendants like those she used to represent. Anjali has had a decade of experience with a number of plaintiffs firms including The Ammons Law Firm. ...

A skilled and industrious family law attorney, Matthew J. Hill is a partner at the law firm Eggleston Law Firm, PC, based in Austin, Texas. He serves the areas of San Marcos, Austin, Bee Cave, Spicewood, New Braunfels, Travis County, Williamson County and Hays County. He is licensed to practice in Texas since 2006 and his areas of practice include: Family law High net worth divorce Child support Custody and visitation litigation Mr. Hill has a unique approach to cases, which has often proven beneficial to his clients. With an ability to think unconventionally, he has defended his clients in federal cases that were resolved...

TCDLA Percy Foreman Lawyer of the Year 2014
Board Certified in Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, conferred and recertified since1995
Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, conferred and recertified since 2005
TCDLA Percy Foreman Lawyer of the Year 2008
Austin’s Best Unsung Hero, Austin Chronicle 2007
Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly 2003-present
Best Lawyers in America 2006-present
Martindale-Hubble Highest “AV” Rating from both peers and judges
Listed in the Registry of Preeminent Lawyers
President’s Award, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 2007
President’s Award, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 2006
President’s Award, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 2005
President’s Award, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 2004
President’s Award,...

Keith is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a former First Assistant District Attorney for Brazoria County.

Rick Dunbar has been helping injured people for over 13 years. Rick has experience in complex personal injury cases involving auto accidents, oil field accidents and medical malpractice. Rick is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Houston. He then obtained his Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University. Rick has been a member of the Texas Bar Association since 2000.

Byron L. LeFlore, Jr. practices in the areas of corporate law and business litigation. He has served as lead counsel in mergers and acquisitions, private offerings and public issuances, and other transactions in the financial services sector. His expertise also extends to entity formation and governance, negotiating and structuring complex transactions and contracts, and advising on commercial and business disputes. Mr. LeFlore’s experience also includes over 30 years of practice in state and federal courts. Focusing primarily on business and commercial litigation, his areas of concentration include insurance, tort defense, contract disputes, unfair competition, trade regulation, creditors’ rights, and labor law....

Constance R. Wannamaker is a bi-lingual (English/ Spanish) Immigration Lawyer in El Paso, Texas. Ms. Wannamaker has 20 years of experience representing immigrant communities in immigration, labor and employment and disability related cases. Ms. Wannamaker has dedicated her legal career to advancing and protecting the rights of immigrants in the El Paso, Texas and surrounding areas. She currently focuses her practice on immigration law cases, representing clients in asylum cases, deportation defense, bond hearings, family based petitions, work authorizations, and immigration issues specific to members of the armed forces, veterans and their families. Ms. Wannamaker also...

I represent employees in legal disputes. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to hire an employment lawyer, you should choose one that is passionate about protecting your legal rights at every opportunity. I established the Dupree Law Firm to be a consistent advocate for employee rights in the workplace.

I began my legal career in the management services division of a large, publicly-traded real estate investment trust. In this role I was responsible for the recruitment, hiring, evaluation, promotion and coaching of all employees reporting to me. As a member of the...

Randeep S. Hira is an experienced immigration attorney who founded his law firm, Hira Law, PLLC, in 2011. With seven years of experience in legal practice, Hira has successfully been able to guide many clients through different areas of immigration. Attorney Hira’s family comes from an immigrant background, allowing him to maintain an exceptional understanding of the aspirations of immigrants, as well as the difficulties they may have to face. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History with a minor in German from the University of Texas at Austin, Hira moved to New York to pursue his career...

Amy Tabor represents clients in complex cases, including class actions, commercial litigation, and antitrust matters. She practices at the nationally recognized class-action firm, Caddell & Chapman. She is licensed to practice in both Texas and California.

Frank Sellers is a trial and appellate attorney, who focuses on representing citizens and businesses facing criminal investigations and prosecutions. Frank maintains an active criminal trial practice, and he has earned a reputation as a knowledgeable, skilled trial lawyer. In addition to trial work, Frank focuses a smaller portion of his practice on criminal appeals and writs of habeas corpus.

Since beginning his practice, Frank has represented people charged with all types of offenses and from all professional backgrounds, including doctors, lawyers, and even a district judge. He has won Not Guilty verdicts in cases ranging from DWI (both breath...

My practice is focused on cases that require my individual attention, through analysis of my clients facts, and then using my skill, effort, strategy and wisdom to work with my client to obtain the best results.

I do not do a high volume of cases. Instead I like to work with my clients on a one on one basis so that I can help them in a difficult time in their life. I cannot do this is I and handling 10 cases in Court day, or am 3 weeks behind on returning client's phone calls.

Instead I work...

Mr. Freeman, a dual-credentialed attorney-CPA, author, law professor, and trial attorney, is the founding and managing member of Freeman Law, PLLC. He represents clients in litigation and disputes, with a particular focus on federal and state tax controversies, as well as white-collar and financial disputes, both civil and criminal. He also advises and assists clients with tax and regulatory compliance, including domestic and international tax and regulatory reporting requirements. Recent litigation experience includes serving as trial counsel in a criminal tax evasion and conspiracy jury trial in the Federal District Court for the United States Virgin Islands. In...

Paul Grinke is Managing Partner of McCathern’s office at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Mr. Grinke has broad experience on a national level, litigating complex commercial and catastrophic event claims from both sides of the docket. He has successfully litigated commercial breach of contract, fiduciary duty, and employment covenant claims. In addition, Mr. Grinke prosecutes and defends claims involving personal injury, wrongful death, and disastrous property damage arising from construction defect, product defect, trucking, and liquor liability.

Mr. Grinke leads McCathern’s Construction Defect, Product Liability and related Fire Litigation practices. He has particular expertise in counseling institutional clients involved in tragic...

I was born and raised in Abilene, Texas, having attended, and graduationg from, Abilene Christian School all 12 grades. I went on to get a BBA in Accounting from ABilene Christian University before going to law school at Texas Tech University School of Law. After graduating law school I started working for Isaac M. Castro in Hamlin, Texas. In 1999 I was made a partner in the new law firm Castrro & Davis, L.L.P. Subsequently, in August 2000, I moved to Cleburne, Texas, and went to work as in-house counsel for gimmeabid.com, then located in Dallas, Texas....

I have been involved in the planning, trial and appeal of complex business litigation matters for the past 30 years. I have represented a wide variety of clients in complex business litigation in state and federal courts throughout Texas and the United States. My practice has involved trials and appeals in such diverse litigation areas as corporate reorganization and bankruptcy, securities and business fraud, white collar-business criminal cases, anti-trust, real estate, construction, oil and gas, insurance disputes, civil rights, First Amendment issues, defense of civil and criminal contempt matters, and defense of individuals in NCAA Infractions Committee hearings. I maintain an...

Bonnie Sudderth, former Chief Judge of the Fort Worth Municipal Courts, was first elected to the 352nd District Court bench in the March 1996 primary. (She had no opponent in the November general election.) Although her term was scheduled to commence on January 1, 1997, the bench was vacant at the time of her election. Consequently, shortly after the primary, Texas Governor George W. Bush appointed her to fill the vacancy for the remainder of 1996. Having continuously served that court until January 7, 2015, Judge Sudderth was the longest-serving judge in the history of that court. Since January 8,...

I have a wide and varied practice in the commercial litigation, entertainment and technology fields. In the area of commercial litigation, I have broad experience involving creditor's rights, real estate litigation, commodities fraud cases, insurance coverage disputes (on behalf of policy holders), employment litigation (particularly with noncompete and non-solicitation agreements), and a host of other business torts and contractual disputes. I also maintain a nationwide intellectual property and entertainment litigation practice, having handled cases in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Nashville, in addition to those in cities throughout Texas. I have extensive experience prosecuting and defending copyright and trademark infringement...

Over my eighteen years of practice, I have worked in all areas of business and commercial litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. This experience includes mass toxic tort litigation, products liability, admiralty, first-party and third-party insurance litigation, multi-million dollar commercial litigation disputes, personal injury suits and public law matters. My appellate practice includes representing plaintiffs and defendants throughout the Texas intermediate courts of appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, the Southern District of Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

My representative experience includes attending to various commercial litigation matters; representing plaintiffs and defendants...

Scott D. Smith is a seasoned trial lawyer who has obtained favorable verdicts for clients on both sides of the docket. Mr. Smith has experience in all phases of litigation in both state and federal courts throughout the United States, including resolving a broad array of business and commercial disputes, as well as having extensive experience representing financial advisers and financial institutions in financial services litigation in FINRA and AAA arbitration proceedings. He frequently represents financial advisers and financial institutions in employment disputes, securities enforcement actions, as well as regulatory and compliance matters, and assists his clients...

Rain Minns' litigation experience ranges from international arbitration in Hong Kong to Native American courts to jury trials in the United States. After law school, Rain clerked for Chief Judge George P. Kazen in the Southern District of Texas. She then became an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas, where she was recognized for her outstanding work. Rain first-chaired and obtained favorable trial and appellate verdicts in all of her cases, including the highest arbitration award in the history of her division. Rain then spent a few years at a large law firm working on bet-the-company litigation, where...

Josh Kundert is a litigation associate at Sprouse Shrader Smith, where he represents clients in a broad spectrum of civil disputes with a focus on delivering efficient, cost-effective legal solutions. His practice includes handling matters in both state and federal courts, with an emphasis on clear communication, strategic planning, and practical outcomes. He is known for his meticulous preparation and commitment to client goals, ensuring each case is managed with professionalism and care. He earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Marquette Law Review, honing his skills in legal writing...

Sarah Anne Lishman was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she graduated with honors from Communications Arts High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 2005, majoring in History and minoring in English. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she returned to San Antonio and attended St. Mary’s University School of Law. While in law school, Sarah Anne was an officer of the Women’s Law Association and helped raise thousands of dollars for local non-profits. She was frequently recognized for her academic achievements, and was consistently named on the Dean’s List. She was also a...

Stephen Foster is one of the premiere attorneys practicing in Texas. He has been honored by superlawyers.com as well as other organizations for his achievements. He has tried well over 150 cases to a jury and is well known for his work in Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, and Real Estate. Stephen Foster has appeared as a commentator on television and has written legal columns for major newspapers.

Case served as a Briefing Attorney for the Honorable Terry Jennings of the Houston First District Court of Appeals (handling numerous criminal causes) and subsequently worked for an “Am Law 100” law firm, Haynes and Boone, LLP. Deciding to become a criminal defense attorney, he then worked as a state prosecutor. Case is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. Case's Lawyer Credentials: Fluent in Spanish University of Texas, B.A., Higher Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, 2003 Texas Tech University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, Texas Tech Law Review, Order of the Coif, 2007...

Law practice concentrating on financial and business law in Texas with particular emphasis on Business Entity Formation and Administration, Business, Commercial and Real Estate Transactions, Litigation, Mediation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, Wills, Trusts and Estates, Probate and Guardianship, Serious Injury and Wrongful Death. Protecting and serving businesses, families and estates throughout Central Texas and the Highland Lakes (including the Burnet, Blanco, Llano and Western Travis County areas).

My practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration. I represent clients in high-stakes, high-dollar disputes involving breach of contract, employment law, restrictive covenants, trade secrets, insurance coverage, securities disputes, class actions, and whistleblower claims. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants before state and federal courts, and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings.

Before starting his own law practice, Don worked for a well-regarded corporate law firm, for a state attorney general, and as a judicial law clerk. He has seen first-hand how the law is made, how it is shaped by court decisions, and how it affects business clients. Don began his legal career with a one-year clerkship at the Texas Supreme Court, which is Texas's highest court and focuses on civil (not criminal) cases. Law clerks help the Court evaluate which of the roughly one thousand petitions filed each year should be granted and help the Justices write their opinions. His private practice...

I graduated with dual degrees from the Arts & Sciences and the Business schools at Washington University and set out to find employment in the corporate workforce. I quickly found corporate life to be monotonous, so after a year of working in the business sector, I returned to school to study law.

In 2010 I graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and I immediately began litigating with Lone Star Legal Aid, handling cases under VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) grant work.

In these roles, I noticed that—regardless of the specific subject matter of the case—familial problems often caused, contributed to, or...

After graduating from law school from 1982 to 1983, after I Justice McGee of the Supreme Court of Texas' law clerk. After completing my clerkship, I joined Scott Hulse, a large El Paso firm. In 2007 I left to start my present firm with five of my former partners. I am licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico. I am Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Civil Trial and Civil Appellate Law, and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates holding the rank of Advocate. ...

I spent most of my legal career as an Assistant Attorney General and became Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law, and became an appellate expert. Most of my time there was spent in Tort Litigation, where I defended doctors, nurses, PA's, and Medical Schools. I also tried premises and general negligence cases. Now I teach at ACC’s paralegal program and practice criminal defense, and personal injury.

Les Shireman is a licensed attorney who is Board Certified in Child Welfare Law and Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
He graduated with honors from South Texas College of Law. Before turning to the practice of law, Les worked in the mental health field as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Les’s practice is devoted entirely to family law matters, both trial, and appellate.
His past experience as a therapist provides Les with a distinctive skill set uniquely suited to family law. Because family law matters cases are generally charged with a great...

Tyler Talbert focuses his practice on providing high-quality appellate advocacy to clients and support to trial attorneys. He has handled appeals throughout various Texas courts of appeal, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit. His experience includes sovereign immunity and pleas to the jurisdiction, derivative litigation, personal injury, contracts, employment, and injunctive relief. Tyler assists trial attorneys in all aspects, from writing and arguing summary judgment and post-judgment motions, providing guidance on error preservation, and drafting jury charges.

Before joining Scanes & Routh, Tyler garnered experience working at the trial and appellate levels, and eventually the Supreme Court of...