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Bemis, Roach and Reed is an Austin, Texas law firm which was formed in 1993. The partners, Lloyd E. Bemis, III, Lonnie Roach and Greg Reed are all Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Bemis is also Board Certified in Consumer and Commercial Law. Mr. Bemis, Mr. Roach and Mr. Reed had all worked for other firms prior to forming Bemis, Roach & Reed and decided to combine their abilities to form a firm which would represent those persons who have:

·Suffered personal injuries as a result of the negligent conduct of others;

·Been wrongly denied insurance benefits, including long term disability insurance and ERISA;

·Been denied Social Security Disability Benefits; or,

·Need of representation in litigation matters.

The firm has grown in success and has achieved the highest rating for legal ability in Martindale-Hubbell.

Bemis, Roach and Reed is dedicated to helping people with difficult legal matters. Call for a free consultation to see if we can help you.

Statement of Practice

Personal Injury, ERISA, Disability Benefits, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, Medical Malpractice, Deceptive Trade Practices, Business Litigation and Employment Law, Insurance Bad Faith, Accident Insurance, Disability Insurance, First Party Insurance, First and Third Party Insurance, Insurance Bad Faith, Insurance Litigation, Life Insurance, Personal Liability, Property Damage, Property Insurance, Property Insurance Coverage, Property Loss, Unfair Insurance Practices, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Arbitration, Accidents, Animal Attacks, Aquatic Injuries, Automobile Accidents and Injuries, Bicycle Accidents, Boating Accidents, Bodily Injury, Brain Injury, Catastrophic Injury, Commercial Vehicle Liability, Dog Bites, Electrical Injury, Head Injury, Motorcycle Accidents, Pedestrian Injuries, Plaintiffs Personal Injury, Severe Burns, Spinal Injury, Third Party Wrongful Death, Traumatic Brain Injury, Wrongful Death, Disability Benefits, ERISA, ERISA Litigation, Health Benefits, Confidentiality Agreements, Employment Breach of Contract, Social Security Appeals, Social Security Disability, Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income.

Rate Information

Free Initial Consultation
Accepts Major Credit Cards

• Visa
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• American Express
• Discover
• Other - Check

Address

Building One, Suite 200
4100 Duval Road
Austin, TX 78759, (Travis & Williamson Cos.)

Phone

Phone: 866-664-0979
Fax: 512-453-6335

Website

http://www.brrlaw.com

Office Hours

Monday: By Appointment Only: 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday: By Appointment Only: 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Wednesday: By Appointment Only: 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday: By Appointment Only: 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday: By Appointment Only: 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM

PARTNERS

Lloyd E. Bemis, III (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois; admitted to bar, 1984, Texas; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., with highest honors, 1981); University of Texas (J.D., 1984). Mr. Bemis grew up in Austin, Texas and graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas, School of Business. He graduated second in his class. Mr. Bemis comes from a family of lawyers and had always desired to become a lawyer. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas Law School in Austin in 1984 and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas that same year. It was Mr. Bemis ultimate goal to become a plaintiff's attorney representing individuals against insurance carriers and corporate interests. He decided that the best way to meet that goal was to first learn the techniques and strategies of the defense. As a result, following his graduation from law school, he obtained a position with a national law firm's Austin office and became trained in the firm's Insurance Defense and Commercial Litigation section. He represented insurance carriers, individuals and businesses sued for negligence, insurance bad faith, deceptive trade practices and contractual claims. He also represented a variety of builders and corporations in both personal injury and commercial claims. As a result of his success as a defense attorney, in 1988, Mr. Bemis was invited to work as an attorney in a plaintiff's firm on the side of individual personal injury victims. Mr. Bemis soon came to handle the majority of the firm's cases which were in litigation. Mr. Bemis' future partner, Lonnie Roach later became a member of the same firm and after several years of practicing together in the firm's litigation section, Mr. Bemis, Mr. Roach, and Mr. Greg Reed, a litigation attorney at another firm, decided to leave their respective firms and form Bemis, Roach and Reed in 1993. Since its formation in 1993, Bemis, Roach and Reed has focused its practice on representing individuals with personal injury, insurance, disability, consumer, commercial and employment claims. Mr. Bemis' practice has focused on the personal injury, insurance bad faith, consumer and commercial claims. The personal injury claims handled by Mr. Bemis range from injuries received as a result of automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, construction accidents, workplace accidents, acts of medical malpractice, vicious dog bites, defects in premises and dangerous products and medical devices. The severity of the injuries faced by clients represented by Mr. Bemis runs across the spectrum, including death, paralysis, loss of limb, disfigurement, head injuries with impairment of mental capacity, burns, fractures and soft tissue injures such as whiplash. Mr. Bemis has also represented a vast number of victims of DWI/DUI drivers to not only provide clients with compensation for their injuries, but to seek punishment against the drunk driver. Mr. Bemis has represented clients of all ages and has come to understand the unique problems faced by both the elderly and injured children. Injured children are a particular concern because of their limited understanding and the need to protect and insulate them as much as possible from the claim or litigation process. Mr. Bemis's insurance bad faith practice often arises out of personal injury claims which have been wrongfully handled by the insurance carrier. However, many of the insurance bad faith claims handled by Mr. Bemis arose out of commercial or homeowner's insurance claims which were improperly handled by the insurance carrier. Mr. Bemis has represented individuals in bad faith/breach of contract cases against such insurance companies as Allstate, State Farm, Farmers, USAA, Progressive, Geico, CNA, American Casualty, Liberty Mutual and many others. The consumer and commercial claims handled by the firm are not limited to just claims involving personal injuries, but involve claims relating to all types of other losses, such as property damage, impairment of value, lost earnings, lost profits, business interruption costs and all types of other economic losses. Through his extensive litigation experience in personal injury cases, insurance bad faith cases and commercial litigation, Mr. Bemis became Board Certified in both Personal Injury Trial Law and Consumer and Commercial Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Bemis is admitted to practice in all Texas Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Mr. Bemis is a member of the Travis County Bar Association. He has been active in the American Trial Lawyer's Association and a Director of the Capital Area Trial Lawyer's Association. Mr. Bemis and all the members of Bemis, Roach and Reed have been active participants in the Travis County Lawyer referral service. Member: Travis County Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Fellow: Texas Bar Foundation. (Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law and Consumer and Commercial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Consumer Law; Insurance Bad Faith; Accidents; Animal Attacks; Automobile Accidents and Injuries; Bicycle Accidents; Bodily Injury; Brain Injury; Catastrophic Injury; Commercial Vehicle Liability; Dog Bites; Head Injury; Motor Vehicle Accidents and Injuries; Pedestrian Injuries; Plaintiffs Personal Injury; Spinal Injury; Severe Burns; Traumatic Brain Injury; Motorcycle Accidents; Aquatic Injuries; Automobile Negligence; Boating Accidents; Electrical Injury; Third Party Wrongful Death.

Lonnie Roach (Partner) born Tacoma, Washington; admitted to bar, 1991, Texas; 1992, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Dallas (B.A., cum laude, 1988); University of Texas at Austin (J.D., 1991). The son of a career army officer, Lonnie Roach was born at Fort Lewis Washington in 1963. He received his undergraduate degree from the from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he graduated cum laude, and moved to Austin in 1988 to attend law school at the University of Texas at Austin. While in law school, he and his close friend, Greg Reed, won the State Bar of Texas Moot Court Competition, a prestigious, State-wide competition. This was Mr. Roach's first experience in appellate law. He's been winning ever since. After completing law school, Mr. Roach began his career practicing person injury trial law and earned Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law the first year he was eligible. In addition to his trial practice, he is the firm's primary appellate lawyer and has successfully argued cases before the Texas Court of Appeals, The Texas Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. It was natural that Mr. Roach's career path would eventually lead him to the field of ERISA law, especially as it applies to long term disability insurance. Disability cases are, by their nature, medical cases. They involve volumes of medical records that require a solid medical background to interpret. These are the skills of a Board Certified Personal Injury attorney. When these cases go to trial, however, they take on the aspect of appeals. Disabled claimants are appealing the decision of powerful claims administrators. These trials call for the skills of an appellate attorney. Mr. Roach is both and has become a recognized expert in the field of ERISA, Long Term Disability. He has successfully overturned denials of benefits at the administrative level, at trial in United States District Court, and at the United States Court of Appeals. Our disability practice is State-wide. At any given time, Mr. Roach is likely to have cases pending in all four federal districts in Texas. He is admitted to the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Texas, the Southern District of Texas, The Eastern District of Texas, and the Western District of Texas, as well as the United States Court of appeals for the Fifth Circuit and all State courts. Member: Travis County Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association (Director, 1999-2001). (Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Reported Cases: Garcia v. United States, 799 F. Supp. 674 (W.D. Tex. 1992); Garcia v. United States, 22 F. 3d 609 (5th Cir. (Tes.) 1994); Garcia v. United States, 62 F. 3d 126 (5th Cir. (Tex.) 1995); Garcia v. United States, 88 F. 3d 318 (5th Cir. (Tex.) 1996); Nash v. Perry, 944 S.W. 2d 728 (Tex. App. Austin 1997); State Farm Gen. Ins. Co. v. White, 955 S.W. 2d 474 (Tex. App.-Austin 1997); Mondragon v. Austin, 954 S.W. 2d 191 (Tex. App.-Austin 1997); Perry v. S.N., 973 S.W. 2d 301 (Tex. 1998); Robinson v Aetna, 443 F.3d, 389 (5th Cir. (Tex.) 2006). Practice Areas: ERISA; Disability Benefits; Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Appellate Law; ERISA Litigation; Health Benefits; Accidents; Animal Attacks; Automobile Accidents and Injuries; Automobile Negligence; Bicycle Accidents; Aquatic Injuries; Boating Accidents; Bodily Injury; Brain Injury; Catastrophic Injury; Commercial Vehicle Liability; Dog Bites; Electrical Injury; Head Injury; Motor Vehicle Accidents and Injuries; Motorcycle Accidents; Pedestrian Injuries; Plaintiffs Personal Injury; Severe Burns; Spinal Injury; Third Party Wrongful Death; Traumatic Brain Injury; Civil Appeals.

Greg Reed (Partner) born Fairfield, California; admitted to bar, 1991, Texas; 1992, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas; 1993, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Houston (B.S., 1988); University of Texas (J.D., 1991). Mr. Reed's father was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. As a result, Mr. Reed spent several years of his young life in Europe and in Japan. The family settled in Houston, Texas, after his father's retirement. Mr. Reed became interested in public speaking and debate during his high school years. He excelled and won the UIL state championship in debate. Mr. Reed was recruited by several universities and eventually decided to accept a full scholarship from Houston Baptist University. At twenty, Mr. Reed applied for and was accepted into the Houston Police Academy. He graduated from the Academy with distinction and was immediately assigned to work as a patrol officer. It was during his time in uniform patrolling the streets of Houston that Mr. Reed developed a serious interest in becoming a lawyer. He saw injustices that could not be adequately resolved by the criminal justice system alone; horrific injuries caused by drunk drivers, families destroyed by the loss of loved ones. He continued working toward his undergraduate degree by going to college part time while working full time on the police force. Mr. Reed was promoted after only two years and became one of the youngest Sergeants on the force. He received Department Commendations and a Life Saving Award while in uniform. During his fifth year on the force, Mr. Reed moved to plain clothes and began working as a detective. He investigated crimes involving both property issues and bodily injury. Mr. Reed completed his undergraduate work at the University of Houston Downtown. The Downtown campus was next door to the main police station so attending college while working full time was not as burdensome as it otherwise might have been. Upon his graduation in 1988, Mr. Reed applied for and was accepted into the University of Texas School of Law. He resigned from the Houston Police Department and moved to Austin to begin law school and a new career. From the start of law school, it was clear that Mr. Reed would distinguish himself from other students. He won the freshman moot court competition and was named best speaker. He was the only first year student, out of over five hundred first year students, selected to participate on a Moot Court team representing the University of Texas Law School against other law schools. The team won its regional competition and Mr. Reed, as a first year law student, was named best speaker. His success continued during his second and third years as well. Mr. Reed won the State Bar Moot Court competition and was named best speaker. That particular competition pits every law school in the State of Texas against one another. One of his teammates was his current partner, Lonnie Roach. He competed in and won the National Trial Competition and was named best speaker. That competition invites every law school in the United States. It had been more than ten years since a team from the University of Texas had won the national championship. By the end of his law school career, Mr. Reed had become one of the most highly decorated advocacy students to ever attend the University of Texas School of Law. As a result of his success and hard work, he was awarded the Niemann Cup, which goes to the single outstanding advocacy student. While attending law school and competing in advocacy events, Mr. Reed also worked as an investigator for Spivey, Grigg, Kelly & Knisely, a personal injury trial firm in Austin, Texas. It was this exposure to representing victims of accidents and civil torts that led Mr. Reed to his interest in plaintiff's work. In many ways, his work with the Houston Police Department prepared him for working with plaintiffs as well. Police work and representing plaintiffs as an attorney both involve working with individuals who have been wronged. A plaintiff's attorney seeks justice on behalf of his client just as a policeman does with a victim of crime. Broadus Spivey, former president of the State Bar of Texas, advised Mr. Reed that trial experience was needed before jumping into plaintiff's work. Mr. Spivey recommended working for a defense firm out of law school or going to the district attorney's office. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Reed took an associate position at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P., in Austin, Texas. He worked in the general litigation section and was immediately thrown into trial practice. During his time at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, Mr. Reed became active in bar events. He was elected to a Director's position with the Austin Young Lawyer's Association. He was also appointed as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law working with the advocacy teams. In 1993, Mr. Reed began discussions with his former law school classmate Lonnie Roach, about starting a personal injury law firm. Given that they each had less than 3 years of experience, Mr. Reed and Roach asked Lloyd Bemis if he would be interested in starting a personal injury firm. The firm was founded as "Bemis, Roach & Reed" in late 1993 and continues with the same members today. At Bemis, Roach & Reed, Mr. Reed has focused his practice on litigation in several different areas. He has successfully tried numerous personal injury cases and general business litigation cases, generally on behalf of plaintiffs. Mr. Reed has also represented individuals who have been injured or are otherwise disabled and are forced to seek disability payments through the Social Security Administration or through some other disability plan. Mr. Reed is married to Diane, a paralegal for Lea Noelke, a family law attorney at Noelke English Maples St. Leger, L.L.P. His interests outside of work include golf, camping, and travel. Member: Travis County and American Bar Associations; Austin Young Lawyers Association (Director, 1993-1994); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Fellow: Texas Bar Foundation. (Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Labor and Employment Law; Social Security Disability; Social Security Appeals; Supplemental Security Income; Confidentiality Agreements; Employment Breach of Contract; Social Security Disability Insurance; Disability Insurance; Accident Insurance; First Party Insurance; First and Third Party Insurance; Insurance Bad Faith; Insurance Litigation; Unfair Insurance Practices; Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists; Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Arbitration; Life Insurance; Life and Health Insurance; Personal Liability; Property Damage; Property Insurance; Property Insurance Coverage; Property Loss; Accidents; Animal Attacks; Aquatic Injuries; Automobile Accidents and Injuries; Bicycle Accidents; Boating Accidents; Bodily Injury; Brain Injury; Catastrophic Injury; Commercial Vehicle Liability; Dog Bites; Electrical Injury; Head Injury; Motor Vehicle Accidents and Injuries; Motorcycle Accidents; Pedestrian Injuries; Severe Burns; Spinal Injury; Traumatic Brain Injury; Third Party Wrongful Death.

All Partners are members of the State Bar of Texas.