Brookesmith Construction Lawyers

Mr. Tolbert has successfully represented businesses and individuals for over 30 years. He specialized in construction law and general business law. Mr. Tolbert has an active trial practice in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. As part of his trial practice, he has been the lead attorney in numerous mediations, trials, and arbitrations related to construction and other business disputes. He has effectively protected his clients’ interests when negotiating contracts and in resolving legal disputes that his individual and corporate clients experience. Mr. Tolbert is Board Certified in Texas Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization...

Joseph Watts is an attorney and CEO at The Watts Law Firm, P.C. He has been practicing law in Houston, Texas for nearly 25 years. Before Joseph started practicing law, he was studying to be an attorney at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating Joseph moved to Houston to start his dream career of being a lawyer. He has spent the past 25 years working within the justice system and along side other experienced attorney's. He continues to use the knowledge he has gained over the years everyday on every case.

Having graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's Degree in English and a Doctorate of Law from St. Mary's University Law School, businessmen and women, attorneys, even judges have relied on Mr. Davis' expertise with language and law. He has focused his practice on Real Estate and is currently a Real Estate Broker and Notary Public; formerly Mr. Davis was a Title Fee Office owner/operator, Escrow Officer, Mortgage Broker and Loan Officer.

John J. Patout Jr. (“Jay”) primarily practices construction, real estate, and development law with an emphasis on complex commercial and residential related matters. Mr. Patout works with clients during all phases of the acquisition, development, and construction and with owners, prime/general contractors, and tiered contractors at all levels. Mr. Patout has litigated a multitude of cases before both state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level, and before arbitral tribunals such as the American Arbitration Association. Additionally, Mr. Patout’s practice focuses on contractual negotiations, including contract drafting, and dispute resolution during all phases.

Licensed to Practice in: State of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Areas of Practice (non-exhaustive): General civil litigation and business law, Texas turnover receivership, bankruptcy (representing debtors, creditors and trustees), debt collection (both debtor and creditor-side), insurance litigation, construction/real estate transactions and litigation, landlord/tenant litigation, and entity formation. Texas Turnover Receiverships (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 31). Texasa Civ. Prac. &...

Seasoned attorney, Thomason B. Bush is a graduate of both the Texas Tech University School of Law and Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business. Prior to attending college, Thomason developed a passion for business law while working for his family's various small businesses and seeing their entrepreneurial spirit. It is with that spirit in mind that Thomason founded the Law Offices of Thomason B. Bush, PLLC to assist local businesses with their legal needs.

Thomason B. Bush is licensed by the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts in the Northern...

Angela M. Hahn manages the Austin office of Doyen Sebesta & Poelma, LLLP. With ten years of Mock Trial experience, Ms. Hahn tried more cases before graduating from law school, than most lawyers do in a lifetime. Now, with fifteen years of real-world experience as a practicing civil trial lawyer, she regularly handles matters involving construction defects, product liability, contract disputes, property damage and general negligence claims. Ms. Hahn focuses on large-loss insurance subrogation claims and has developed a passion for lightning-induced fire losses, especially those involving Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) or Radiant Barriers.

Beyond prosecuting property damage cases, Ms....

Trevon Watson is a founding partner at the Law Office of Trevon Watson, PLLC, and focuses primarily on advising clients on business, commercial real estate transactions and commercial and residential construction defects in Texas. Mr. Watson’s practice is centered around effectively drafting, researching and negotiating for investors, property owners and contractors in Texas. Mr. Watson drafts deeds, purchase and sale agreements, commercial real estate leases, company agreements and advises clients of his findings. Mr. Watson’s goal is to provide his clients with the representation, knowledge, and advice necessary to keep their businesses moving forward. To achieve this, Mr. Watson’s approach is thorough and...

As Managing Partner for The Cromeens Law Firm, PLLC, Karalynn holds more than 10 years of experience practicing construction, real estate, lien and business law. Within her professional career, Karalynn has successfully filed more than a thousand lawsuits to foreclose or remove mechanic's liens, with 10 to 15 of those being tried to a jury.

Karalynn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Carroll College, before attending the South Texas College of Law, where she received her juris doctorate in 2004. With her extensive experience within the construction and real estate industries, Karalynn goes the extra mile,...

Driven by a strong desire to offer high-quality services that make the legal system more accessible to individuals and businesses, Eric Franklin established the law firm of Franklin, Franklin & Associates, serving the Beaumont, Houston, and Wharton, TX areas. He has spent years defending policyholders’ rights following fires, hailstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters. He accepts clients anywhere in Texas. Clients can also connect with him for cases related to: · Business, Commercial, and construction litigation · Car, 18-wheeler, and motorcycle accidents · Any catastrophic...

Fighting financial fraud, breaches and commercial malfeasance! Kevin Corcoran is a distinguished trial lawyer who gets results for his clients. He has handled and tried a variety of complex and difficult fraud and commercial lawsuits with success, from bet-the-company litigation to individual claims. Kevin brings knowledgeable judgment and a strong work ethic to his cases. As a result of his skills and hard work, Kevin is respected as a trusted trial lawyer when results matter. Mr. Corcoran has represented clients in complex commercial disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and catastrophic claims in the Trusts and Fiduciary, High Tech, Oil &...

Frank is an Of Counsel at Cotten Schmidt, L.L.P. and is licensed to practice before all Texas state courts, U.S. District Court Northern District Of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals-Fifth Circuit. He is certified to serve as a mediator and arbitrator, has tried hundreds of cases before both the bench and to juries, and successfully mediated and arbitrated numerous disputes.

His employment before law school in the construction industry and in...

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...

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.

William Morton joined Pless Law Firm in 2022 as Senior Counsel with the Firm’s expansion into the Texas market. Based in the Austin office, he specializes in assisting clients with raw land and developed properties, handling due diligence matters, drafting declarations and other restrictive covenants, construction contracts, and retail and office leasing. Additionally, Bill focuses on representing clients in the acquisition and redevelopment of existing office and retail sites. Prior to Pless Law, Bill worked in both large scale multi-disciplinary law firms and smaller boutique firms focused solely on commercial real estate. He has successfully represented developers from the acquisition stage...

George Wilhite, Jr., is an experienced personal injury and medical malpractice attorney in Houston, TX, who is board certified in the area of personal injury. Mr. Wilhite is rated "AV Preeminent" in Martindale-Hubbell, the highest distinction given by the nationwide attorney rating service. Admitted to the State of Texas in 1964, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit in 1989, and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas in 1986, Mr. Wilhite has been fighting for the rights of those injured through the negligence of others for nearly 50 years. In addition to personal injury, he represents clients in cases...

Stephen Harrison knows construction law. He is a founding partner of a lawfirm that practices exclusively construction law. Stephen is Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been named many times as one of the Super Lawyers of Texas by Texas Monthly magazine, and frequently lectures in construction law seminars, and has taught Construction Law at Texas A&M Law School. Stephen is also a Registered Professional Engineer. He frequently represents parties in construction defect litigation, delay damage claims, construction contract disputes, professional liability cases and construction arbitrations. He graduated with honors from the University...

Albin Yates Balius Roach believes in aggressively preserving the truth for our clients while advancing the integrity of the profession. We also recognize that we cannot successfully cast a positive vision for our clients’ futures without possessing one for ourselves. The attorneys, paralegals and support staff of Albin Yates Balius Roach have chosen to commit their time and talent to the firm because we believe in the firm’s priorities and its future.

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

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...

A practicing trial attorney for over 40 years, Barry Deacon brings a unique perspective to his personal injury and business litigation cases. He has tried lawsuits as counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants, which has given him the insights and experience needed to protect his clients’ interests and anticipate the other side’s legal strategies. Attorney Deacon has also jointly represented thousands of corn farmers from multiple states against a global biotech company that allowed an unapproved genetically modified corn seed trait to be introduced into a foreign market resulting in US corn exports to that country being rejected and turned away....

A diverse skill set, the ability to empathize with client's issues, and a dedication to solving problems is the reason Jonathon Storment's clients speak so highly of his services. Jonathon is a tireless advocate for his clients and will fight to ensure that their legal issue is handled with the utmost competence and skill. Jonathon has been a decorated soldier in the U.S. Army, a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Treasury Department, an award winning accountant, and a public school administrator. Whatever position he held, he was one of the best in his field. "Some would call it a...

Thank you for considering our firm for your legal needs. I have decades of experience in handling significant lawsuits for businesses and individuals, including high-stakes disputes regarding extremely important contracts, real estate holdings, trusts, and probate matters. My experience also includes handling cases involving intentional fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. I have also successfully tried or settled numerous significant disputes over construction defects and contractor performance. Many of my clients have prosecuted affirmative claims, while other clients have requested help in defending against claims brought against them. My practice began with an international law firm in Houston where I...

Francisco G. Medina, founder of the Law Offices of Francisco G. Medina, is a respected personal injury trial lawyer based in Houston, Texas. He has practiced law for 39 years and has extensive experience representing injured victims and families who have lost a loved one due to another person’s or company’s negligence.

In 1977, Franc graduated from the University of Houston, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. In 1980, he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law (Austin), where he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree.

Franc is a former Assistant District Attorney for...

Michael R. Cramer’s practice includes extensive experience in business law, civil and commercial litigation, employment law, corporate law, construction law, real estate, civil defense and estate planning. Attorney Cramer has more than 21 years of practice. Michael developed a statewide practice focused on litigation. His cases range from breach of contract to construction delay claims against the State of Texas. He also works with Family Law and Divorce cases. His business litigation practice includes the representation of corporations of all sizes. Michael has considerable experience in assisting corporations to avoid litigation through consultancy and risk avoidance. He counsels business...

Randy has successfully represented clients in a variety of civil matters throughout Texas for over 30 years.
In 2006, Randy obtained a $98.8 million verdict for his client in a commercial lawsuit involving tortious interference with contracts and business disparagement.
More recently, he worked with a team of lawyers in Texas and Delaware to defeat a wrongful effort to recover over $200 million from his client.
Randy has represented hundreds of individuals and small businesses in construction defect cases and fighting insurance companies for wrongful coverage denials. He also helps clients who were the victims of fraud in real estate deals.
Randy has...

Admissions Supreme Court of Texas Northern District of Texas Eastern District of Texas Western District of Oklahoma United States Supreme Court Education J.D., Texas A&M School of Law, formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, 2003 B.A., University of Northern Iowa, 1996 Certified Mediator Memberships State Bar of Texas Tarrant County Bar Association Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association Dallas Trial Lawyers Association Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association Association of Trial Lawyers of America ? Industry Associations Apartment Association of Tarrant County Texas Apartment Association ? Experience Before opening the firm in 2004, Monty was associated with small plaintiff-oriented law firms in the North Dallas area. The vast majority of his legal career has been spent representing individuals and small business...

RUDY BEUTTENMULLER, born St. Louis, Missouri, December 20, 1953; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas. Also admitted to U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas; U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas; U.S. Tax Court. Education: Princeton University (B.A., cum laude, 1976); Duke University (J.D., with distinction, 1980). Staff Member, 1978-1979 and Articles Editor, 1979-1980, Duke Law Journal. Author: Comment, "The Goal of The New Premerger Notification Requirements: Preliminary Relief Against Anticompetitive Mergers," Duke Law Journal 249, 1979....

I was born and raised in Abilene, Texas, having attended, and graduationg from, Abilene Christian School all 12 grades. I went on to get a BBA in Accounting from ABilene Christian University before going to law school at Texas Tech University School of Law. After graduating law school I started working for Isaac M. Castro in Hamlin, Texas. In 1999 I was made a partner in the new law firm Castrro & Davis, L.L.P. Subsequently, in August 2000, I moved to Cleburne, Texas, and went to work as in-house counsel for gimmeabid.com, then located in Dallas, Texas....

I represent individuals and small-to-midsize businesses in a variety of litigation matters, with a primary emphasis on contract and construction disputes.

Thomas H. Smith III was born and raised in Arlington, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2002 with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. He then attended the University of Houston Law Center where he served as an Articles Editor for the Houston Journal of International Law. Tom began working at Roger G. Jain & Associates as a clerk in February 2004. When he graduated from UH Law Center in 2005, he continued here as an attorney, where he has worked through today. He is a trial lawyer, whose insight, analysis, and attention to detail have...

A professional mediator with extensive trial experience, Stanley Santire is a highly experienced with advanced training in Alternative Dispute Resolution, He is dedicated to assisting lawyers and their client in resolving disputes. His several decades of experience includes construction, employment matters, non-compete-agreements, trade secrets, and business transactions. With an extensive background as a trial lawyer active in State and Federal Courts he understands the risks and issues that confront litigants. He is credentialed as an Advanced Mediator by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. Prior to establishing the Santire Law Firm, PLLC Stanley was Chief Legal Counsel...

Robert W. St. Clair, born Pampa, Texas, July 5, 1957; admitted to Texas bar, 1982; also admitted to practice before: United States Supreme Court,1998; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1988; United States District and Bankruptcy Courts, Northern (1982), Western (1987), Eastern (1987), and Southern (1987) Districts of Texas. Preparatory education, Abilene Christian University (B.B.A., 1979); legal education, South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1982). Board Certified, Business Bankruptcy Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization (since 1988). Member: State Bar of Texas (Bankruptcy Section, Member; Litigation Section, Member); Lubbock County Bar Association; and West Texas Bankruptcy Bar Association (Secretary 1989-90, President 1997-98). Fellow: Texas Bar Foundation. Texas...

Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers 2014, 2015. Former Vice-President, Texas Creditor's Bar Association. Graduated as Tulane Senior Appellate Champion, 2002. Practices primarily in Williamson and Travis County. First-Chair trial experience in excess of 500 trials throughout Texas.

BERNARD R. SUCHOCKI, Admitted to State Bar of Texas, 1981. Also admitted to the United States Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas; the Western District of Oklahoma: the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Preparatory Education: Bloomsburg University (B.S.-Physics and Mathematics); Pennsylvania State University (Mathematics); Legal Education: South Texas College of Law-Houston (J.D., 1981); Member State Bar of Texas; Board Certified - Personal Injury Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization since December 1989; Texas Bar College; Advocate, NCA;...

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...