Cass County Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

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.

Cynthia Hujar Orr uses her extensive experience to aid those across Texas facing a range of criminal charges. She is a highly respected member of the criminal defense community and has received numerous awards for her contributions to her field. She is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law, a distinction earned by less than 10% of attorneys. After earning her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Cynthia began studying law at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio. She received her license to practice law in Texas...

Voted Johnson County's #1 lawyer or law firm for 5 years, Scott is a general practice attorney with an emphasis on civil litigation, trial and appeals. He has handled many jury trials and appeals covering areas that include real estate, oil & gas and business transactions. Scott also currently serves as Mayor of Cleburne. In addition to litigation and trial, the attorneys at Cain & Associates handle transactional matters ranging from estate planning and wills to real estate transactions and corporate matters. The firm's areas of practice include real estate, probate, oil & gas, business and contract.

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

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...

Daniel De La Garza is a skilled criminal defense lawyer in San Antonio, Texas, with extensive experience in criminal trial law, appellate litigation, and post-conviction writ proceedings in both state and federal court. With a strong commitment to protecting the rights of his clients, Mr. De La Garza has a proven track record of providing high-quality representation to individuals facing a range of criminal charges, from low-level marijuana offenses to high-profile capital murder charges. Mr. De La Garza has successfully defended clients in state and federal courtrooms on a wide range of criminal matters, including death penalty cases, federal drug trafficking,...

With more than 40 years of experience as a dedicated criminal defense attorney, Van Hilley confidently represents individuals from across Texas who have been charged with criminal offenses. He has diligently served as a respected member of Goldstein, Goldstein & Hilley through many complex and high profile cases, ranging from misdemeanor drug crimes to felony white collar fraud offenses. His many awards and leadership roles have made him an esteemed member of the legal community. In addition to practicing law throughout Texas courts, Mr. Hilley also is licensed to appear before the U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit and...

After working at Houston mega-firms, Corpus Christi and Victoria mid-size firms, and two different Courts of Appeals, Leslie A. Werner opened her own firm in Victoria, TX, in 2007 under The Soliz Law Group, her then-married last name. Leslie has taken what she learned from her variety of experiences and has not only become a well-rounded attorney but created a firm that has embodied the best attributes of her previous workplaces. Her experience at the 1st and 13th Court of Appeals and her association with the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for Civil Appeals has allowed her to be the...

Beginning her legal career as a prosecutor with the Bexar County District Attorneyâs Office and as a special prosecutor at the Medina County District Attorneyâs Office, Attorney Kerrisa Chelkowksi has gained invaluable experience. Knowing and understanding how the other side of the courtroom operates provides a tremendous advantage to her overall case defense. Using creative strategies, she is more easily able to protect her clientsâ rights in a way that is both aggressive and strong. Ranked as a 10.0 Superb Avvo rated lawyer by both her peers and past clients, this is the highest possible score that an attorney can...

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.

Colin McLaughlin is a principal partner at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC and is a former Assistant District Attorney (Prosecutor) and experienced trial attorney. Colin is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Note: we are only accepting new criminal and DWI cases in Tarrant County, Texas only. Colin's goal is to get the best outcome on your case and will fight to protect your rights, your future, and your freedom. His leadership has helped Hoeller Mclaughlin PLLC obtain over 250 5 star reviews in Google alone. Colin has over 15 years of experience dealing...

Multi-State Barred Attorney, Scott F. Lemanski began practicing law in the Corpus Christi area in 2005. Scott served as an assistant district attorney exlusively in County Court at Law No. 5, handlng all aspects of juvenile prosecutions. During his tenure with the district attorney's office, Scott handled certifications, pleas, bench trials, and jury trials, with an attention to hard work and a belief that his work was making a difference in the lives of victims, juveniles and the community. Scott is well educated in the legal requisites regarding guardianship law. All this experience has provided Scott with a firm foundation...

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...

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...

Sean’s years of experience as an active-duty US Army Captain in the selective and prestigious US Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps are a valuable asset to Tully Rinckey PLLC’s military law practice group. Having served his country honorably at the largest military installation in the world in Fort Hood, Texas as a Judge Advocate from 2009 until 2013, Sean is an aggressive and tenacious advocate for all service members facing legal issues. He is able to pull from his significant and diverse experience as an active-duty attorney in the Army JAG Corps, and as a civilian military law attorney,...

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.

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...

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...

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...

William B. (“Bill”) Connolly is from Houston, Texas and he has been a family, juvenile, protective services trial and appellate attorney for nearly 40 years. He is Board Certified in Family Law and Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a NACC Child Welfare Law Specialist and is a bar leader in the creation of the newly approved Texas Child Welfare Law Board Specialization. Bill is a former Adjunct Professor of Juvenile Law and has lectured and mentored attorneys, judges, CPS (DFPS) officials, juvenile court officials and healthcare professionals on a variety of subjects including substance...

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...

Chris is an experienced trial and appellate attorney respected throughout the State of Texas who is frequently called on to handle high-profile matters. He served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and has worked to reform and standardize custody and possession rules statewide. Chris is well known for his appellate experience and deep understanding of marital property laws. He is especially adept at dividing business ownership and ensuring value and security for the non-owning spouse. Dual Board Certified in Family Law and Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Chris...

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...

I litigate and appeal in real estate and Constitutional law. I defend homeowners against HOAs, banks, and insurance companies. Foreclosure and foreclosure defense, eviction defense, and home equity loan litigation are most of what we do.

Prominent cases included Pangborn v. Burnet County over a bill of attainder limiting real estate development rights, Piatt v. City of Austin over racially discriminatory affirmative action in the Police Department, and Hendee v. Dewhurst over Texas constitutional spending limits.

Former clerk for Texas Supreme Court Justice Steven Wayne Smith.

For the first 7 years of his career, Philip engaged in a general civil trial practice, with an emphasis on personal injury defense and commercial litigation cases. In personal injury litigation, Philip defended businesses and individuals in cases involving premises liability, products liability, motor vehicle accidents, and general negligence claims. In commercial litigation, he defended businesses in cases involving claims for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, and insurance coverage disputes.

In 2008, Philip turned his attention away from representing corporations, insurance companies and insureds, and began focusing on family law. Since then, Philip has handled hundreds of family law...

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...

After attending both undergraduate and law school at the University of Texas, Corey Young began his legal career as an appellate prosecutor in Montgomery County, Texas.

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...

For more than 20 years, Attorney Jeffrey C. Grass has committed his life to safeguarding the rights and futures of those who have been accused of crimes. Due to his steadfast commitment to judiciary work, Attorney Grass has representation clients before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas. His successes have led him to an inclusion among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association as well as the 10 Best for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. Before founding the Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass, he served as...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

David Hodges, founding partner at Hodges & Foty, LLP, was born in McAllen, Texas, and moved to Cypress when he was seven. He attended Cy-Fair Senior High School, and discovered he wanted to go to law school after participating in a mock trial in his senior government class.

After graduation, he joined the Corps of Cadets and attended Texas A&M University where he earned his B.S. degree in 1989. After graduating from Texas A&M University, he was immediately commissioned in the Navy and deployed to the Persian Gulf. When he transferred from active duty to the Navy Reserves, he...

Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions List Removal, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience in dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL's "Red Notice" brings to this equation. The firm has several offices throughout the United States and personally handles the cases.

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...

During Law School, Sarah spent two semesters in SMU’s Criminal Defense Clinic handling over 120 misdemeanor cases in Dallas County and overseeing other student attorneys as a Clinic Chief. She took the Texas State Bar Exam and received her license to practice in 2012.

Since being accepted to the Texas State Bar, she has handled hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases in multiple Counties including: Denton, Dallas, Collin, and Tarrant. Sarah began her own practice September of 2016 at her Denton Office. She is often referred to as “Coco” by her fellow Denton attorneys. Sarah has had a considerable amount...

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...

An attorney with more than thirty-four years' experience in domestic and international trademark, copyright, licensing, unfair competition, anti-counterfeiting and mass media law, with a broad legal background, including active practice before state and federal administrative agencies, United States District Courts, United States Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.