Cross Roads Lawyers

I grew up around small businesses. One of my grandfathers was an insurance agent in Denton. My other set of grandparents owned a bookstore in Irving. My father ran a financial services company in north Dallas with about ten employees, and during high school I often worked in his office after classes. I spent my summers working on commercial construction sites and watching how each contractor depended on the others to perform their obligations. At Stanford I majored in economics, in part because of its importance to business. But for me the real draw was the way in which economics approaches...

Charlie Malolo is an Estate Planning Attorney in McKinney, Texas. For the last five years he has been helping people create meaningful legacies for their families and loved ones from his offices in McKinney, Texas, through estate planning services. Charlie graduated with a law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2011. He has made it his mission since then to educate families on the complexities of planning for probate, as well as how to develop thoughtful and meaningful ways to leave a complete legacy for loved ones through estate planning.

Carla De La Cruz was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Carla has practiced family law in DFW and surrounding counties since 2017 and joined the Bogdanowicz Family Law team in 2020. She has experience in all areas of family law and is a native Spanish speaker.

Carla graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and later attended Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law. While in law school, she gained family law experience interning at the Child Support Offices in the District Court of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She further developed her skills...

The Barber Law Firm is a full service personal injury law firm that helps injured victims throughout Texas receive the compensation they deserve. Jared earned his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. While in law school, Jared competed in nearly every advocacy competition the school hosted—ultimately winning a national championship in the 2012 National ABA Arbitration Competition. Jared was elected as Vice Chair of Trial Advocacy on the Texas Tech Board of Barristers, an invitation-only organization that helps students develop advocacy skills at all levels of a case. Jared graduated with honors and was inducted into the...

Green Chavez Law Firm offers comprehensive immigration and naturalization legal advice and counsel. If you have an immigration legal matter or problem we can offer you personalized and comprehensive representation in McKinney and the North Texas area.

Although Ms. Davis specializes in construction litigation, she has a general practice which includes handling all problems from corporate inception to dissolution, partnership formation and disputes, real estate law, consumer litigation, contract disputes, and appeals.

Dina Steele has over 15 years of practicing in personal injury law. being the lead attorney at Steele Law Firm, P.C., she has the experience and knowledge in details of how the process of personal injury cases work. The keys to success are integrity, communication, and trust.

Linda Risinger has been in private practice since 1989, focusing on the needs of North Texans primarily in Collin, Dallas and Denton Counties. However, her expertise has been called upon in cases across Texas. Linda is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist School of Law in 1983 with a Juris Doctor. In 1989, she moved to Collin County, preferring the opportunity to meeting her client's needs in a more personal, committed level. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Collin County Bar Association. Her commitment to maintaining the highest level of knowledge and experience...

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...

Tom Trahan is proficient in all facets of family law, from out-of-court settlements to courtroom litigation. His deep understanding of the litigation process enhances the chances of reaching negotiated or amicable resolutions, as opposing counsel and clients often realize that finding common ground can lead to beneficial outcomes.

Megan was a family law paralegal for 16 years before becoming a family lawyer, and has seen firsthand what matters to clients: knowing their case is in good hands with an attorney who understands their personal situation and who is capable of providing personalized options for addressing their legal issues. With a combination of sound legal counsel and practical advice, Megan guides clients toward goal-oriented decision-making that positions them for a better future. Megan was named to the 2023 Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch © list in the field of Family Law.

ABOUT BEN
Dallas-based attorney Benjamin Palatiere is a courtroom veteran with over 10 years of experience helping individuals, families, and businesses in civil disputes.


Education

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, 2008
Texas State University, magna cum laude, 2005


Licensed/Admitted

Benjamin is admitted to the Texas Bar and licensed to practice in all district and county courts at law throughout the state.


Groups / Clubs

Dallas Young Lawyers Association
Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Brandon leads the firm's bankruptcy practice at Tittle Law Group, PLLC ("TLG"), with a focus on corporate reorganization, restructuring, acquisitions and litigation. He has a wealth of experience representing entities in their Chapter 7 and 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings and creditors' committees. His practice also includes extensive general bankruptcy litigation. He has extensive experience managing complex bankruptcy restructuring cases, both on a national and international scale. He provides seamless service to his restructuring clients facing complicated insolvency issues and has experience across multiple industries, including automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, retail, and real estate. As the...

Since 1994, Internet Lawyer Mike Young has been helping entrepreneurs protect, grow, buy, and sell ecommerce companies. Attorney Young focuses on business transactional law (no litigation).

As a partner at Saunders, Walsh & Beard, Jacob D. Thomas is dedicated to serving clients throughout North Texas. Board Certified in Construction Law, Jacob focuses his practice on construction and business law, generally handling issues involving real estate disputes, real estate fraud, premises liability, commercial lease agreements, business organization disputes, construction disputes, construction defects, and lien and bond claims on construction projects. He also accepts general civil litigation cases. Before receiving a Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School in 2003, Mr. Thomas attended the College of William and Mary. From there, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and...

Doug was raised in Kansas by a father that taught him the most important lesson in work ethic: “If you are going to do a job, do it right or not at all!” This is why Doug puts in the time and effort even when others would give up. He keeps fighting. It is that fundamental mindset that sets Doug apart from other lawyers. It was also that mindset that led him to graduate Texas A&M as a “Distinguished Student”; not an easy task, but his dedication paid off and he moved on to law school. Upon graduating from South Texas College...

Licensed Attorney and Member of the California and five Federal Bars. Subject matter expert in the general Mortgage Industry Expert regarding Reverse Mortgages and the senior demographic. 25 years of experience. CFPB and Federal Agency Audit Preparation and Defense. Expert knowledge of the SAFE ACT, the National Mortgage Licensing System, Dodd-Frank, the CFPB, TILA, RESPA, HOEPA, ECOA, and other mortgage industry regulations. Experienced with HUD or FHA agency audit analysis and response. Admin Law Specialist. Experienced with public companies - SOX and the SEC Medical Marijuana Cooperative Formation and Administration. Expert Witness federally qualified. IMPORTANT...

After graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in law enforcement and political science, attorney J.L. Pierce spent three years working as a police officer for the Houston Police Department. After graduating from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, Mr. Pierce worked for three years as an Assistant District Attorney for the Collin County District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases. Mr. Pierce has maintained a private practice in Plano, Texas for over 20 years, establishing our criminal defense firm in 1986.

Mr. Pierce has been providing zealous representation of criminal defendants in Collin County,...

Brantley Saunders is a business and real estate attorney in McKinney, TX, specializing in general business advice and litigation, who has been helping individuals and businesses solve legal issues for over 20 years. His experience in over 25 jury trials helps focus his clients on the important issues to attack. It also allows him to see the issues in advance for business planning and avoiding litigation when possible. Setting out a plan for success in litigation or transactional work is his bread and butter. Real estate, business entities, insurance, personal injury and mediation are his primary areas of focus.

Attorney Will Underwood is an attorney who prioritizes his clients’ needs in every case they bring to him. He is relentless like a bulldog and has even made cops cry on the stand before. However, he is compassionate with each of his clients and seeks to do everything he can in their service. At Underwood & Associates, everything is about the clients, not the firm. Attorney Underwood is always seeking to find an edge in his clients’ cases and aims to strategize innovative approaches to every situation his clients face. In fact, he is currently working on becoming a forensic...

SEIFI LAW FIRM, PC is a DFW immigration law firm. We are dedicated to providing our client with competent and affordable legal representation and making their immigration experience less stressful and overwhelming. We are located in Plano, Texas and offer services in English, Persian, French and Spanish. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your immigration case with you.

Chosen by peers as one of the Top 100 lawyers in the entire Dallas/Fort Worth region according to SuperLawyers magazine.

Stacy Henderson is an attorney that was born to practice law. She won her first trial in 4th grade at Woodway Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas. From that date, her desire was to zealously represent people and to make sure that their rights were protected. As a high school student in Carrollton, Texas she interned for the City Attorney's Office of Carrollton. Ms. Henderson attended Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Sign Language Interpreting. While at SFASU, Ms. Henderson used sign language to assist persons on the...

Ryan is a seasoned and successful trial attorney who practices almost exclusively in criminal defense. Ryan has secured verdicts of NOT GUILTY in cases with very serious charges ranging from Continuous Sexual Assault of a Child, Aggravated Assaults, and felonies, as well as misdemeanor cases. Ryan has both the reputation for and the experience of trying difficult cases. His skill in trial allows him to come up with the best strategies for his clients, giving them the best opportunity to succeed. Ryan is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of legal specialization since 2021. This distinction is held...

I am Board Certified in both Residential Real Estate Law and Commercial Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I have been practicing in the DFW area since 1986. I started my own firm in 1995.

Born just south of Dallas, and true to his Texas roots, Andrew M. Lloyd fights proudly for families and justice. He exemplifies the attitude contained in the phrase - Don’t mess with Texas! He doesn’t let people mess with his clients, either. Big government and belligerent litigators threaten his clients’ lives, so he defends them. He’s a negotiator by birth and an attorney by trade, whose ultimate prowess and skill lie in the courtroom. He’s tenacious, witty, intelligent, and scrappy. With a nickname like “Texas Spanker,” what else would you expect? A...

Erin R. Clegg joined McCathern in 2017 as part of the Family Law division and offices at the firm's Frisco, Texas office. Erin has extensive litigation experience in family law from working on cases involving divorce, custody, child support, modifications, enforcements, domestic violence, and cases involving Child Protective Services. She also has experience as a mediator for family law cases, helping parties reach creative and unique results that might not otherwise be available through the Court system.

Erin is a member of various organizations, including the Texas Young Lawyers Association (serving on the Board of Directors as a Director of District...

AYBR Partner Marissa Balius focuses on family and collaborative law. She uses her experience in representing, negotiating, settling and litigating in matters of divorce, child custody, post-divorce modifications, paternity, child support, and pre-/post-nuptial agreements. Her goal is to help people get successfully through a difficult life transition while minimizing the emotional uncertainties and challenges of the case.

In 2009, Drew Christman founded a law firm where he practiced law with his partners for nine years. In 2018, he parted ways with his then partners and formed Christman | Daniell Attorneys, where he continues to provide clients with outstanding legal representation in a variety of practice areas. He was voted “Best Business Attorney” in Denton County in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and the firm has received similar accolades in Family and Business Law in the years since. Christman | Daniell Attorneys offers legal services in the practice areas of Business/Corporate, Family Law, Civil Litigation, Probate, Real Estate,...

Born New York, N.Y., April 14, 1951 admitted to Bar: 1982, Texas; 1983, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1986, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas; 1989, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Paris Junior College, Paris, Texas (A.A. 1971); Trinity University (B.A., cum laude, 1973; M.F.A., 1976); Southern Methodist University (J.D., 1982). Adjunct Professor, Business Law, University of North Texas, 1992-1993. Lecturer, Lewisville Library Law Lectures, 1984-1986. Member, College of the State Bar of Texas, 1989-1998. Diplomate, National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Associate, Durand & Associates, P.C., 1990-2015. Sole Practitioner, 1986-1990....

Taylor Mohr distinguishes herself by offering effective, affordable, and compassionate legal services. Her practice focuses on family law in Williamson and Travis counties. She is a member of the Williamson County Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Baylor Law Alumni Association.

Taylor graduated from the Baylor Law School. She attended this prestigious university with a full-tuition scholarship. As a law student, she balanced her studies with a variety of extracurricular work, serving as Secretary and Executive Vice-President for the Student Bar Association and working as an editing assistant for professor Gerald Powell, director of...

Matthew Gilpin began working for McCathern as a partner in 2018 and his practice primarily focuses on probate matters, estate administrations, and inheritance issues in the North Texas region.

Mr. Gilpin’s probate experience involves managing all aspects of cases – legal and administrative – from start to finish. This includes helping his clients find the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to settling estate matters. Additionally, he advises clients regarding estate planning and asset protection and he drafts trusts, wills, directives, releases, and other estate planning documents.

Mr. Gilpin firmly believes that to create the most effective estate plan, it must be...

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...

Before joining McCathern as a partner in 2019, Scott J. Becker presided over the 219th State District Court in Collin County, Texas from 2010 through 2018. As a court of general jurisdiction, Judge Becker presided over a broad variety of matters including multi-million dollar civil litigation, family law matters including divorces and child custody disputes, and felony criminal matters including murder. Two of the cases over which Becker presided have been the subject of television episodes: CBS’s 48 Hours: Taken Away (aired September 2017) and Dateline NBC’s: Someone Was Waiting (aired December 2016).

Judge Becker is Board Certified in Family Law...

I've practiced consumer bankruptcy since 2011 and have helped hundreds of good people find financial peace-of-mind. My clients find me honest and thorough. They know I care about them because I take the time and effort to make sure they understand how bankruptcy works and how it can work for them.