Converse Lawyers

I have practiced oil and gas law in Texas since 1975, specializing in representation of land and mineral owners. I am certified in oil and gas law by Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I have been employed at Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody in Austin, Texas since 1978, and have been serving as President of the firm since January 2018.

Graduated from St. Stephens Episcopal School 1968. Undergraduate Yale University 1972, JD University of Texas 1975, Clerk on Texas Supreme Court 1975-76, Justice Ross Doughty.

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...

DiafiLaw is a full service family law office owned and operated by attorney Sarah Diafi. Sarah has committed nearly three decades of her career to the practice of family law in Austin. Sarah Diafi is a fully licensed attorney in the State of Texas, and has practiced law in Texas since 1989. Sarah has lived in Austin since 1976. Sarah graduated from the University of Texas in 1985 with a bachelor of arts in English Literature. She then attended St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, receiving her law degree in 1988. She lives in Austin with...

Rand recently joined The Butler Firm after heading up the bankruptcy department at Patricia Brown & Associates, P.C. He has extensive knowledge and experience handling bankruptcy cases and enjoys finding creative ways to obtain debt relief for consumers and businesses. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Rand moved to Austin in the late-nineties to attend the University of Texas at Austin. While in college, Rand met his wife and developed a love of Austin that would stay with him for the remainder of his life. After acquiring a bachelor's degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration, Rand enrolled in...

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...

Laura is a licensed Personal Injury attorney in Texas. Laura graduated from Baylor Law School in 2011 (Dean’s List 2009-2011). At Baylor, she underwent the law school’s rigorous trial advocacy program, ranked third in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. During law school, she worked at the Pastrana Law Firm (Summer 2010), Slack & Davis, LLP (Summer 2010), and the Williamson County Attorney’s Office (Summer 2010). Prior to that, she attended St. Mary’ University where she graduated cum laude with a Criminal Justice degree. She served as Judicial Intern her last summer of college at the U.S....

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,...

Matt originally started his career as a paramedic and then a firefighter. He then joined the Ft. Worth Police Department where he was an Officer and a Detective for over a decade. During that time, Matt realized how much of a passion he had for law, and attended Texas A&M Law School, where he graduated with a JD. He was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 2006 and began working as a prosecuting attorney. After obtaining significant experience as a prosecutor, Matt realized the flaws in the criminal justice system and wanted to seek justice for those accused of crimes....

Nick has focused his career on representing people, and their families, who have suffered catastrophic injuries or death. No matter the size of the case, Nick is responsive and aggressive with every case he handles. As a Spanish speaking attorney, Nick helps break the language barrier and aggressively fights for his clients. His personal injury experience includes representing clients seriously injured in automobile and truck wrecks, slip-and-fall incidents, and on-the-job injuries. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Nick received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Texas A&M University in 2001. Following graduation, Nick attended the George Bush School of Government...

Amanda Traphagan is a Texas tax attorney who has spent her entire legal career assisting taxpayers with contested tax matters. She has assisted taxpayers against the Texas Comptroller, the Internal Revenue Service, and tax authorities of other states in administrative proceedings as well as state and federal trial and appellate courts. Amanda Traphagan is admitted to practice law in the State of Texas, the United States Tax Court, and before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and District of Columbia Circuits. Amanda Traphagan's published state tax cases include the Texas Supreme Court cases Combs v. Roark Amusement &...

I am a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer serving Southwest Austin and the surrounding areas. I represent individuals that have been hurt by the negligence of other people or companies. Clients come to my firm in chaotic situations. We fight back against their unfair circumstances and tell the story of what they've been through. When we do our job right, clients feel like a weight has been lifted.

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....

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...

Don R. Cotoon joined The Bob Richardson Law Firm in 1992. Don focuses his practice on assisting accident victims and their families in personal injury and wrongful death cases. He has successfully settled and tried cases ranging from minor-impact car accidents to catastrophic medical malpractice actions.

Noe Valles is the firm’s pre-litigation managing partner and has extensive experience handling serious injury cases such as car, motorcycle and truck wrecks, on-the-job injuries and oilfield cases. Noe understands the emotional distress and hardship that a debilitating injury causes a person. He has handled cases throughout Texas and New Mexico and is experienced in handling cases involving all types of injuries, from soft tissue injuries to catastrophic injuries. As a catastrophic injury attorney, Noe takes the necessary measures to ensure his clients’ needs are met, beyond mere legal representation. Noe was born in a small town outside Juarez, Mexico, and...

I'm a Board Certified Administrative Law problem solver: a litigation attorney specializing in administrative law (a special area of law focusing on representation before licensing boards, regulatory agencies, and commissions). I aggressively represent and defend clients at informal settlement conferences (ISC), enforcement committee meetings (EC), the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), Travis County district court, and the courts of appeals, specifically related to these agencies:
•Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners
•Texas Medical Board
•Texas Board of Nurse Examiners
•Texas State Board of Dental Examiners
•Texas Board of Architectural Examiners
•Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners
•Texas Board of Professional Engineers
•Health and Human Services Commission...

After graduating summa cum laude from UCLA and joining the Eta of Los Angeles chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, I moved back home to Texas. Once in Texas, I began my legal pursuits at the University of Texas School of Law. While studying at UT, I participated in the Texas Law Fellowships, raised money so my classmates could afford to dedicate their summers to doing pro bono work, and mentored through the Law Students Mentoring Undergraduates program. In the fall semester of my third year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London.

I received my license to practice law...

Registered lobbyist Steve Koebele provides public policy representation, counseling, and advocacy for a diverse range of clients composed of market leaders in their respective industries. He successfully improves laws and government toward clear goals: increasing job creation and enhancing economic opportunities. From the best Texas lobbyist office location, Steve Koebele has successfully achieved legal and public policy goals before diverse state agencies.

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...

Megan is an associate attorney at Cofer Connelly. She practices criminal and family law in Travis and surrounding counties. Megan is a native Austinite and graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. While at UT, Megan’s work focused on protecting the civil rights of vulnerable people. She represented asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence, and children accused of criminal offenses.

Megan clerked for the Special Litigation Division at the Public Defender Service, where she assisted in a wide variety of litigation seeking to protect the rights of criminal defendants in the District of Columbia. During her second summer...

Scott Cook represents employees in a variety of employment disputes with their employers. Scott Cook is Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has dedicated his career to extensive knowledge and practice in the area of employment law. His law firm, the Cook Law Firm, also focuses primarily on the representation of employees in employment law cases, ranging from disputes regarding unpaid overtime to discrimination to retaliation (and a long list of other matters). Dedicated to obtaining justice and fairness in the workplace, the Cook Law Firm continues to...

Cheryl Crenwelge Sione grew up right here in Fredericksburg, Texas. Cheryl was heavily involved in FFA, 4-H, and other youth led organizations. She went on to attend Texas A&M, earning her Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics. While completing her Masters, Cheryl was offered an internship in Washington D.C.. She spent almost a year working with the Soybean Association, lobbying on farmer’s behalf in Washington D.C.. Soon after her time in Washington, She was accepted to studied law at Texas Tech University. After earning her Doctor of Jurisprudence, she began work at a small firm in Post, Texas. Her...

Blair Leake is a young attorney with considerable litigation experience and success. His practice thus far has focused on civil and criminal trial work, as well as estate and business planning. Blair attended the University of Texas for his undergraduate degree and received his doctorate of jurisprudence at the University of Houston Law Center.

Since 2005, attorney Mark Kinzler has successfully assisted hundreds of immigrants and their families in securing the American dream. Mr. Kinzler has represented and advised clients in a wide variety of immigration-related matters, both as private practice attorney and as the director of a major Austin-area non-profit immigration services program. He has been a tireless advocate for his clients. Mr. Kinzler has also been a staunch advocate for the rights of immigrants at both the local and national level by participating in and organizing lobbying efforts to put a stop to the harsh and inhumane effects of many current U.S....

Brad earned his B.A. with honors from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) and his J.D. from the University of Houston. His law career started 30 years ago in his small hometown in Texas as a general practice which concentrated on real estate and probate matters. He was later elected to serve as County and District Attorney where he assumed responsibility for all misdemeanor and felony prosecutions. Subsequently he practiced law in Austin, Texas where he developed experience in the areas of personal injury and insurance law. He obtained sizable jury verdicts...

Serving clients in estate planning, special needs trusts, probate, guardianships, and small real estate matters, Rachel specializes in getting to know her clients’ situation and needs, forming a tailored plan, and helping clients meet their goals. Whether it’s encouraging someone through grief and the probate process, drafting sophisticated trusts and wills to provide security and efficient planning, or advocating for clients who need it, her clients appreciate her personable, straightforward, and educated approach to these sometimes hard to talk about matters. While she began her legal career as a commercial litigation associate at a large, international firm, she much prefers...

Trent Nichols is a 7th generation Texan born and raised in rural Central Texas. When it came to work, he learned and adopted the values that run deep through the people this great state was built on: Work Hard. Work Smart. Work Honest. Those same values define the approach to legal representation at the Law Offices of Trent Nichols. Trent has dedicated his career to serving, supporting, and fighting for his clients, relying on his wealth of knowledge and experience in business and a tenacity to achieve results. Trent focuses his practice on what he knows best: Business Law, Civil...

I practice in all the state and federal courts of both Tennessee and Arkansas. I also practice in the Eastern District of Texas as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. I have also been associated to practice in the federal courts of Mississippi. During the course of my working life, I have negotiated more than $250 million in contracted business by building partnerships that have benefited my employers as well as my clients producing positive results from these partnerships in a time when opportunities for such success were limited. ...