San Patricio County Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

I became an attorney as a "second career," though it was always a first love and a goal for me. I practice strictly criminal defense because that is where my passion lies, focusing on all aspects of criminal law--trials, appeals, and habeas work. I have a strong faith that I am where I am because that is where I am supposed to be.

Jim Dunnam is a Board Certified Specialist in both Civil Trial Law and Family Law. Jim was born and has spent his entire life in Waco. He graduated from Baylor University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and from Baylor Law School in 1987 with a Juris Doctor degree. Since being licensed to practice law in 1988, Jim has worked as a member of Dunnam & Dunnam, where he is a partner. Jim was named Young Lawyer of the Year by Baylor University in 2001. Among other positions, Jim has served on...

Mr. Mickelsen is "AV" rated by Martindale Hubbell, an independent evaluation which identifies a lawyer with "very high to preeminent legal ability". He was also voted by his peers as a "Super Lawyer" in criminal defense in 2004 - 2014. In his six years at the Federal Public Defender's Office, Mr. Mickelsen acquired extensive experience in virtually every kind of federal criminal case, including numerous high profile "white-collar" cases. In 1998, Mr. Mickelsen left the public defender's office to form the partnership of Broden & Mickelsen. Broden & Mickelsen represents clients in federal courts throughout...

Susan Clouthier graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 2007 and has been licensed over fifteen years. Susan Clouthier, along with her associates, have handled numerous appellate matters in all different practice areas including civil, criminal, and family law. The firm has notable success in both State and Federal courts of appeals due to Susan's high standard of excellence and ability to unravel even the most complicated cases. Susan is passionate about helping her clients overturn unfavorable verdicts, she stays in communication with her clients, and she fights hard for justice. Since she practices exclusively appeals, and she...

Jennifer Bennett, armed with a background in English and Law and well-versed in accounting, is the editing, accounting, and administrative arm of the Bennett & Bennett legal duo. Born and raised in the Houston suburbs, Jennifer Bennett proudly graduated from Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas. She earned her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Houston, and later continued her education at the University of Houston Law Center, where she not only received her law degree but also kindled a romantic relationship with Mark Bennett. Jennifer also dedicated her time to studying accounting at the University of...

Troy Hornsby has been involved in over 250 appellate proceedings including civil and criminal appeals to Texas, Federal and Arkansas Courts of Appeals. He also has extensive experience in complex probate litigation matters.

I am a former prosecutor, and have been practicing criminal law since 2007. I am an aggressive trial lawyer that will fight for your rights! I was recently voted best criminal defense attorney, best criminal appellate attorney, and best juvenile attorney in Hays County.

Austin, Texas based criminal defense lawyer, E. G. "Gerry" Morris, has since 1977 represented individuals accused of state and federal crimes, both in trial and on appeal. He is Board Certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been elected by other criminal defense attorneys to leadership positions in both state and national organizations. He served as president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association during the 1997-98 term and is also Past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The legal community as a whole has, through peer rating, given him...

Paul Saputo is an award-winning Texas criminal defense attorney. Mr. Saputo leads the Saputo Toufexis | Criminal Defense PLLC team along with criminal defense attorney Nicholas Toufexis. The firm is dedicated to defending clients inside and outside of court. Mr. Saputo has obtained numerous victories in state and federal courts across the country, including over thirty different state courts, and the Federal District Courts for the Northern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Eastern District of Texas and Western District of Oklahoma. The Saputo Law Firm has been consistently awarded AVVO's Client Choice Award since its founding, delivering...

Tracy J. Willi focuses on civil, commericial, and intellectual property litigation and appeals in Federal and Texas courts. Having been licensed to practice law in Texas since 1992, Ms. Willi has extensive trial and appellate experience in business law, civil and commercial law, real estate law, patent, copyright, and trademark litigation, and probate litigation, much of which is reflected in numerous published trial court and appellate decisions. Ms. Willi has represented clients at all levels of Texas courts including County Courts, District Courts, Courts of Appeals, and the Texas Supreme Court. She has also represented clients at...

At the Houston, Texas law firm of Abraham Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, firm partner Brant J. Stogner consistently tries cases to verdict, successfully trying 12 cases in his first three years at the firm. Today, he exclusively represents plaintiffs, focusing his practice on catastrophic personal injury matters, product defect cases, gas explosions, drownings, 18 wheeler and commercial auto accidents. Brant is board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury trial law and received this certification within the first five years of legal practice. In 2009, Brant won the largest verdict in Texas...

Farbod Farnia leads the Appellate Litigation Section at McCathern. Mr. Farnia represents parties in civil appeals and original proceedings in a broad array of cases from multiple practice areas. He has successfully prosecuted and defended appeals in cases including constitutional law, labor & employment disputes, non-subscriber negligence actions, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Farnia has been named a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2014 and 2015. His clients include individuals, small businesses, and large corporations, whom he has guided through both the trial and appellate stages of litigation.

Robert Chisholm's law practice focuses on representing disabled veterans in the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert has been representing disabled veterans since 1990. During his extensive career, Robert has successfully represented veterans before the Board of Veterans' Appeals, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Robert is a founding member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association and served as President of that organization for the year 2002-2003. Mr. Chisholm served as the President of the...

As one of the founding partners at Lyons & Simmons, LLP, Attorney Michael Lyons is dedicated to providing top-tier legal services for each and every one of his clients. Currently, he handles a wide range of cases in several practice areas, including those that involve personal injury, products liability, professional liability, wrongful death, and complex business disputes. Before committing his life to trial work, Lyons attended The University of Texas where he achieved his Bachelor of Arts degree. Following his undergraduate studies, he attended South Texas College of Law where he achieved his Juris Doctorate, graduating cum laude and as a...

After growing up overseas (in India, Thailand, and Germany) Mark Bennett moved to Houston to go to Rice University, and stuck. On his graduation with honors from University of Houston Law center in 1995, he opened up his own practice defending people accused of crimes. Since 1995 Mark has earned a reputation as a compassionate, tenacious, and brilliant advocate for his clients, and has been honored by both the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association for his work in Houston and statewide. Mark has a low-volume trial, appellate, and postconviction practice, giving him plenty of time...

As the founder of the Law Offices of D. Chris Hesse, Mr. Hesse is a dedicated legal professional who is not afraid to take on tough cases. He has served as a Marine Officer in the past and was a prosecutor for the Potter County Attorney’s office, giving him a unique background and level of experience. Mr. Hesse takes on cases involving drug crimes, DWI, sex offenses, and other various matters. His main priority is to build a strategic defense that works to safeguard his clients as best as possible. Mr. Hesse has handled hundreds of cases and is prepared...

Don Flanary serves as a passionate defense attorney to those facing criminal charges in the San Antonio area and across the State of Texas. He believes that attorneys should serve as more than just counselors to those in difficult situations, but that they are obligated to fight tirelessly for the futures of every client, no matter how challenging the situation may seem. With a decade of legal experience, Don Flanary has taken on a variety of both state and Federal charges in Bexar County, TX. Some of these charges include misdemeanors, felony drug charges, white collar crimes, and federal...

In an award-winning legal general-practice, Mr. Howard Glass, Esq. and his legal Team of Professionals provide and assist clients with a "vast & various range of legal topics, matters, & cases." Skilled & experienced, Mr. Glass was again recognized several times during this year, including his induction into the College of the State Bar of Texas & the Texas Bar's Pro Bono College & "Client Satisfaction" awards by both the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys & the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. Mr. Glass' downtown Houston-based firm not only practices virtually "every 'traditional' area of Texas State...

Levi G. McCathern, II is widely recognized as one of the premier litigation lawyers in Texas. He is Board Certified in both Civil Trial Law and Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a double certification held by only 26 of the 87,000 attorneys in Texas.

Mr. McCathern specializes in catastrophic damage litigation and is frequently summoned to defend specialized, high-damage claims, including all types of commercial litigation. In addition, he has served as lead counsel for numerous jury trials and is regularly called upon to provide legal consultation to companies throughout the country.

Mr. McCathern serves as...

Chris Perri is an award-winning criminal defense attorney dedicated to getting the best possible outcomes for his clients. With over 15 years of experience practicing criminal defense in Austin and all over Texas, Chris Perri has successfully helped clients win trials, overturn wrongful convictions, get cases dismissed, and expunge records. He’s had successful outcomes in a variety of areas, including: Appeals, DWI and DUI in Austin, Writs, Assault, Family Violence, Drug Possession, Theft, Expungements, Cyber Crimes, and more.

Through personalized, compassionate, and client-focused service, Chris Perri will protect your rights and prepare a vigorous defense that ensures the best possible...

Lonnie Roach works aggressively to help clients who have been denied or lost their long term disability benefits, social security disability benefits (SSDI), ERISA appeals or insurance benefits. He assists clients in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso, Galveston, Corpus Christi and throughout the state of Texas. Roach is an AV rated attorney pursuant to the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings and has been successfully helping people fight for their rights against big insurance companies and the government since 1993. He was named to the prestigious Super Lawyers list of Thomson Reuters in 2016. A...

About Our Firm
For more than 30 years, Sacks Law Firm has helped people who couldn't help themselves to solve vexing legal problems. Civil appeals have made up a large portion of the law practice. Business litigation, business transactions and general litigation are also significant areas.

Attorney David J. Sacks, the founder and operator of the firm, is Board Certified in the area of Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Learn more about his background through this link:

David J. Sacks
Sacks Law Firm Exists For Clients: Individuals, Companies And Law Firms Seeking Consulting Services
Each client's challenges and goals drive the direction...

Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Texas Supreme Court and all inferior Texas state courts, the Northern District of Texas and the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Admitted to the State Bar of Texas November 3, 1990.
Have won appeals, trials, and a probation revocation in Texas state courts, have undone criminal convictions with Texas state post-conviction writs of habeas corpus.
Former Matagorda County Assistant District Attorney, Section Chief of State Counsel for Offenders for appeals and Sexually-Violent-Predator Civil Commitment and also former criminal trial lawyer at State Counsel for Offenders.
Lifelong domiciliary of Texas,...

John has been representing businesses and business people in the North Texas area for more than thirty years. He has tried numerous cases at various levels of the judicial system, including federal district court and state district court. He has presented appeals to the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and ten of the fourteen intermediate courts of appeal in Texas. He has arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS, Inc. In addition to his trial practice, John is a trained mediator and summary jury trial...

Jack Ternan's practice includes extensive experience in commercial litigation, business litigation, arbitration, appeals and appellate, corporate litigation, real estate litigation, breach of contract, open government litigation, partnership / business divorce disputes, and other civil litigation. Mr. Ternan also has experience in advising businesses and individuals on how to resolve or settle disputes without litigation. Jack Ternan grew up in Plano, Texas, where he currently resides with his wife and sons. Prior to starting the Ternan Law Firm, Mr. Ternan was a partner at Bickel & Brewer, now known as Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. He has been...

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 former court of appeals briefing attorney, Dallas appellate lawyer Chad Ruback devotes his practice to handling appeals and trial court motions likely to be at issue on appeal.

Adam Lewis was born in Clear Lake, Texas. Due to his father’s employment in the oil and gas industry, Adam moved to various places such as Louisiana, Nigeria, Scotland, and England. After graduating high school in England, Adam returned to his roots to attend Texas Tech University. While there, Adam pursued History and Political Science before receiving his diploma in 2008. After graduation, he went to Houston, Texas, where he worked in numerous legal industries such as pharmaceutical litigation and litigation support and technology.

Adam’s career choices led him to Park City, UT, where he worked in the legal department of...

Abogado Hispano con mas de 20 años de experiencia y autorizado a litigar casos Estatales y Federales. Atendemos principalmente casos Criminales, Inmigración, Familia y Apelaciones. Tenemos gran experiencia defendiendo casos de alcohol, abuso sexual y defensa de insanidad mental, entre otros. Bilingual attorney admitted to practice Law in Texas, the U.S. Federal Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. For the past years, I have been litigating and providing advice in the areas of Criminal law, Immigration, Appellate, and family law. I have strong experience litigating DWI, mental...

Ms. Walter is an experienced trial lawyer, with a practical, business-oriented approach to handling cases. Her practice focuses on business litigation matters, including contracts, leases, construction, real estate, collections and Deceptive Trade Practices case and business owners' disputes. It Feels Good to Prevail!

1997 to Present President, Walter Law Firm, P.C., Houston, TX

2011 to 2012 Burleson, LLP, Houston, TX
Senior Counsel. Business litigation matters, including contracts, leases, collections, construction, real estate title, DTPA, fraud. Preparation of oil and gas title opinions.

1991 to 1996 Whittington, Pfeiffer & Vacek, Houston, TX
Associate Attorney....

I am board certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. That means I’m one of very few attorneys who can say “I specialize in criminal law.” My practice is primarily state and federal criminal law and appeals.

A native of Commerce and Temple, Texas, Attorney Paul F. Wieneskie brings over 30 years of practice experience to Bailey & Galyen, with an emphasis on civil appeals, municipal law (representing cities or private citizens), economic development concerns, and land use and planning. He has been board-certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1994, an honor accorded to less than one in every ten lawyers in the state of Texas. He is also AV-rated by his colleagues in the legal profession under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System®* (since 1997). Paul has successfully represented clients...

I worked in the Dallas County crime lab (SWIFS) after graduating from college. I worked as a DNA Technologist in the Forensic Biology department. Part of my job included testifying as a Forensic Biology expert in court. After three years of working at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences I decided to attend law school with the purpose of being a lifetime prosecutor. Although I enjoyed being a prosecutor, my work in criminal defense is where I belong. I became part of an elite group of criminal defense attorneys when I became Board Certified by the Texas Board...

I enjoy aggressively working for my clients, ensuring them zealous, proactive representation. I understand that the legal system may seem daunting, a confusing maze for many; some may be entering this arena for the first time. As a Texas lawyer, I am sworn to the highest duty in guiding you, and fighting for you.

To that end, I treat all my clients with the same seriousness, from the CDL holder who can ill afford a suspension on her driver’s license, to the father who raises his firearm in defense of his home, from that college student caught with a couple joints,...

We are tough and practical regardless of the type of case that you bring to our office. In more than one consult, we find other attorneys or law firms offering services that the law simply doesn't allow, or that the client may not actually need. We pride ourselves on helping client's find practical, cost effective solutions. However, we are always ready to take a case to trial when needed. It is this balance of tough, but fair, that allows us to assert effective advocacy for all of our clients. We proudly serve clients in Kaufman...

Professional Summary
Experienced appellate and criminal defense counsel with accomplished background in State and Federal litigation. Over twenty years of experience in both whitecollar and blue-collar cases ranging from State misdemeanors to Federal felonies.

Education
University of Texas School of Law,
J.D., cum laude – 1995

Academic Publications
Yes: Juries Can and Should Correct the Overly Broad use of Criminal
Sanctions, in W.R. Palacios, P.F. Cromwell, R.G. Dunham, ed., Crime and Justice in America: Present Realities and Future Prospects, Prentice Hall,
2002

Jury Nullification: The Evolution of a Doctrine (Carolina Academic Press, 1998) 334 pages.

Professional...

Robert Sirianni, Jr. is Managing Partner at Brownstone Law Firm, focusing on Federal appeals nationwide. The attorneys at Brownstone provide aggressive strategies in your industry or business, and exceptional resources and representation to best serve your needs. https://www.brownstonelaw.com

Matthew Ploeger is dedicated to serving Sutliff & Stout’s clients with diligence, skill, and commitment. He enjoys the intellectual challenges, but even more importantly, finds great satisfaction in helping people understand and navigate the legal system and championing them in the courts. ———— Matthew Ploeger began his legal career serving as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Nathan L. Hecht, the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He then joined the appellate practice group at a major law firm, where, for over ten years, he handled all manner of appeals and worked closely with trial teams, providing crucial support...