Driftwood Lawyers

As a born problem-solver and accomplished Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, I fuse an extraordinary passion for meticulously analyzing issues with several years of specialized experience in the IP field. My unique blend of entrepreneurial, programming, engineering, and legal experience allows me to approach problems from a fresh perspective and devise pragmatic, forward-looking solutions. As a passionate, diligent, and result-driven professional, I am ready to bring my wealth of experience to my clients and contribute to their success.

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...

Graduated from Texas State in 1979 with a degree in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Specialty. Doctorate of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in 1983. Maintained an active Civil and Criminal Defense practice until 2007 when concentration was devoted to civil work including personal injury, probate, guardianship, real estate, corporate and business law, through the present.

Hamp Skelton grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1978 and from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981. He and his wife, Karen, have three sons, now all in their mid-20s. Hamp has tried lawsuits in Texas for more than 40 years. He began his career at Vinson & Elkins in Houston in 1981, practicing in its commercial litigation section. He moved back to to Austin in 1986, joining Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. He built a litigation section for that office, serving as partner in charge of litigation. His present...

Graham E. Sutliff grew up in San Angelo, Texas in a family of six. From an early age, in this close-knit West Texas town, he learned the value of hard work, determination and fighting for what is right. Graham and his now partner Hank, who became friends at age four, found an early interest in the law by playing in the halls of the Tom Green County Courthouse. As a young man, his interest in the law continued to grow and he set out to find a way to use this passion to help others. At the University of Mississippi, after...

I grew up in an immigrant family, experiencing the challenges and complexities of the immigration process firsthand. My parents moved to the United States seeking a better life, instilling in me a deep appreciation for the opportunities that U.S. citizenship provides. Driven by a desire to contribute to the community that fostered my success, I became the first in my family to attend university, graduating *summa cum laude* from the University of New Mexico. After completing my undergraduate studies, I dedicated myself to education, teaching in the bilingual school system in Madrid, Spain. Upon returning to the United States, I pursued...

My practice focuses on partnering with my client to resolve their problems and offering proactive, aggressive solutions in their time of need. I have had problem inheritances within my own family. Time is not your friend when dealing with an inhertance problem. Are you waiting on someone else to act? Call 512-847-7809 today for a free consultation. Have you been putting off planning for your estate? Have your circumstances changed since your last will? Do you need representation in a Criminal Matter in Hays County? I get results.

Professional Licenses and Court Admissions: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States District Court for the Western and Northern Districts of Texas, United States Patent & Trademark Office, all Courts of the State of Texas.

Education: Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from the University of Houston, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, with honor, from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Legal Experience: Specializing in Patent Law, including patent drafting, prosecution and procurement, in the United States and in other countries. Technical areas of expertise include wireless communications, digital signal...

Melissa Stone Myers began her career in patent litigation with the Delaware law firm, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP. After moving to Austin, Melissa and her family planted new roots. Building relationships with a network of growing families, Melissa Stone Myers recognized the need for families to plan for their future and that of their children. Melissa also realized a growing demand for advice and assistance with local small businesses. StoneMyers Law PLLC was formed to help families plan for their future and help small businesses achieve their goals.

Professional Background:
J.D. cum laude, Boston University School of Law (1998)

B.S. Biochemistry...

Before opening a law practice, Grover "Pete" Peters served in the military and then served as a healthcare executive. He now offers legal services in several practice areas including Aviation Law, Business Law, Estate Planning, Personal Injury and more.

Pete is a retired U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer and a former healthcare executive having served as a COO, CIO, and CEO of various healthcare organizations and systems across the United States. In addition to practicing law, Pete has extensive experience in business development. He regularly consults with providers and medical groups developing freestanding emergency departments and micro hospitals. In...

Attorney Wes Hazen comes from a working class family and strives to serve as a role model not only within the legal community but more importantly, his local community in South Austin. For many, the assistance of "quality" legal services is often correlated with the pedigree of an attorney, the prestige of the firm they work with, or the sheer experience a particular practitioner may possess. All fine attributes to possess, but not entirely what truly matters in the practice of law. The true measure of greatness in practicing law, I believe, boils down to three relatively simple principles. First...

Tom helps military and veterans bring personal injury lawsuits against the government with Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, & Higginbotham, PLLC. He serves as a co-chair of AYLA-Austin Bar Judicial Program, is a member of the Calvert Inn of Court, and a mock trial coach at UT. Previously, he clerked at the Fifth Circuit. In law school, he was editor-in-chief of the Baylor Law Review. Mr. Jacob has taken on a wide range of medical malpractice and personal injury cases, including failure to diagnose cancer, birth injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. In 2012, he tried to judgment a failure to...

I was born and raised in Austin, Texas where my parents set roots from Mexico. I attended the Liberal Arts Academy at the former Johnston High School in East Austin and went on to double major in journalism and government at UT Austin. During my studies at UT, I had the privilege of interning at NBC Mexico/ Telemundo in Mexico City. I also studied abroad in Paris for a semester, where I honed my French language skills. After my undergraduate studies, I worked for a national non-profit organization and later enrolled in law school. Part of my studies took me...

Hank Stout co-founded Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm because he wanted to help real people with real problems. Raised in a small West Texas town, Hank was taught the value of hard work, determination, fairness, and helping others. As a Board-Certified personal injury lawyer, Hank has spent the last decade helping others who were harmed by the carelessness of others. Hank has been selected by Thomson Reuters as a Super Lawyer since 2012. He has also been recognized as one of Houston’s top personal injury lawyers by H Magazine and Houstonia Magazine. While Hank appreciates of this recognition, he is most...

My job is to help each client achieve their life and legacy goals. I help you protect your family’s current and future financial security through careful planning. I care about this work because so many people either fail to plan or make simple mistakes that endanger their financial stability. As an estate planning attorney, I help clients plan for both the inevitable and the unexpected by: 1) helping clients achieve their personal, family, and business goals; 2) reduce potential risks and expenses; and 3) providing clients with increased peace of mind. Bringing the experience of managing hundreds of millions of dollars from one generation...

Kalani Hawks Villafranca practices U.S. immigration law because she believes everyone deserves to feel like they belong in their home and with their families. She loves helping her clients live the life they want to live, wherever they want to live, with the people who matter most to them.

Abogada Kalani has over a decade of experience as an attorney and for several years was the managing attorney for the Texas Here to Stay/Texas No Nos Vamos coalition. She helped bring free legal clinics to communities throughout Texas and provided guidance to thousands of immigrants seeking to renew their DACA...

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...

I represent both individuals and businesses, in areas such as: - Personal injury (car/truck accidents, DWI, motorcycle, slip-and-fall cases, on-the-job injuries, etc.). - Businesses needing help with corporate formation, protection of intellectual property, contract review, etc. - Litigation on behalf of both businesses and consumers in all types of disputes.

I have been practicing law in Austin since 1977. After many years of a litigation-focused practice I have changed that focus to Estate Planning and Probate. I am no longer maintaining a downtown office, so I frequently meet at clients’ homes or offices or at other places convenient for the client. I am able to offer services for much less than I did in the past. I hope that my clients will continue to consult me about the important issues in their lives. If I unable to personally assist them I will recommend appropriate professionals.

Tom is married since 1971 to...

Alfonso Kennard, Jr., is a nationally recognized attorney and trial lawyer. He is also the founding Shareholder of Kennard Law P.C. Alfonso is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to establishing Kennard Law P.C, Alfonso spent nearly a decade in large national law firms representing employers. He started Kennard Law P.C to help employees take on their employers for various types of wrongdoing. Mr. Kennard earned his Business Degree in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame. While at Notre Dame, Alfonso served as the President of the Class of 1999....

Josh is the Managing Partner and CEO of Phillips Golden LLP and head of its Real Estate Section. Josh’s practice centers on advising and counseling real estate entrepreneurs, investors and businesses through all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions & dispositions, development, leasing (retail, office, industrial, and ground leases, build to suit and telecommunications), purchase and sale agreements, private development agreements, construction contracts, management agreements, and related due diligence matters. A significant portion of his time is devoted to representation of developer equity investors in the formation of pass-through entities (e.g., LLCs, limited partnerships and joint...

Roger B. Borgelt is a highly regarded Austin lawyer with 24 years' experience in the practice of environmental, energy, administrative, utility and professional licensure law. He represents individuals, landowners, suburban areas, businesses, political subdivisions and institutions before state and federal regulatory agencies, the courts, local governments and the Texas Legislature with consistently favorable results. Mr. Borgelt is listed in Best Lawyers in America 2013 and 2014 and Texas' Best Lawyers. His firm, Borgelt Law, is ranked by U.S. News -- Best Lawyers as a Tier 2 Best Law Firm in the Government Relations Practice Area for its work...

We have a small law firm and a talented and great staff - so we know all of our clients and they know each of us. We are primarily Wills, Trusts and estates attorneys but each of us also has a background in other areas of law before we found our passion in estates, so we bring a well rounded set of skills to our clients who need us to also do...we fill a niche for those of our clients who are also concerned about asset protection or "defensive estate planning" as well as those who are concerned about...

Kimberly G. Kleinhans was born in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, graduated cum laude from Penn State University and graduated with distinction from the Thomas Cooley Law School in 2008. Kimberly's achievements include representation of a client on the Dr. Phil show, representing Willie Nelson's co-defendant, and representing clients on countless leading numerous settlements and jury trials as represented on the verdicts/results page. Recently Kimberly completed all of the necessary educational requirements to become a member of the State College Bar of Texas. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys spending her time with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son, attending Austin Ridge, running,...

Jodi Lazar practices family law exclusively and represents clients in both the traditional litigation and collaborative law models, depending on the client’s needs.

Jodi is also an Adjunct Professor in the Advocacy Department at The University of Texas School of Law, where she teaches Intensive Trial Skills and works with the Interscholastic Mock Trial Program.

EDUCATION
The University of Texas School of Law, 1988
The University of Texas at Austin, 1985

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & HONORS
Member, State Bar of Texas (Family Law Section)
Member, Oregon State Bar
Member, American Bar Association (Family Law Section)
Member, Austin Bar Association (Family Law Section)
Member, College of the State Bar of Texas

COLLABORATIVE LAW...