PARTNERS
James F. Buchanan (Partner) born December 25, 1946; admitted to bar, 1972, Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., 1969; J.D., with honors, 1971). Order of the Coif. Law Clerk to Hon. Owen Cox, U.S. District Court, 1972-73. Author: "A Primer on the Texas Consumer Credit Code," Nueces County Bar Association, 1983. Faculty: State Bar of Texas Admiralty/Maritime Law Seminar, 1991; Southeast Admiralty Law Institute, 1992; Second Annual University of Texas Admiralty and Maritime Law Conference, 1993. Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, University of Texas School of Law. Member: Corpus Christi and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Maritime Arbitration Association; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute; Texas Association of Defense Counsel. (Board Certified Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Maritime Law; Oil and Gas Litigation; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Mediation.Email: James F. Buchanan
Bruce S. Hawn (Partner) born Appleton, Wisconsin, May 2, 1960; admitted to bar, 1992, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin; University of Houston (B.S., Petroleum Land Management, 1988); St. Mary's University of San Antonio (J.D., summa cum laude, 1992). Associate Editor, St. Mary's Law Journal, 1991-1992. President, Earl C. Sams Foundation, Inc.; Past Chairman, Christus Spohn Development Foundation; Past President, Texas State Aquarium. Practice Areas: Commercial; Real Estate; Banking; Litigation; Oil and Gas.Email: Bruce S. Hawn
Richard L. Leshin (Partner) born Corpus Christi, Texas, February 26, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., with highest honors, 1975; J.D., with honors, 1978). Certified Public Accountant, Texas, 1979. Member: Corpus Christi Bar Association; State Bar of Texas. (Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Trust and Estate Tax Planning; Nonprofit Organizations; Fiduciary Litigation Support.Email: Richard L. Leshin
Milton E. Lorenz, Jr. (Partner) born Corpus Christi, Texas, April 6, 1953; admitted to bar, 1977, Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., with highest honors, 1974; J.D., with honors, 1977). Member: Corpus Christi and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas Practice Areas: Energy Law; Utilities Law; Administrative Law; Real Estate.Email: Milton E. Lorenz, Jr.
Frank L. McNiff, Jr. (Partner) born Selma, Alabama, February 26, 1960; admitted to bar, 1990, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: U.S. Coast Guard Academy (B.S., 1982); Southern Methodist University (J.D., 1990). Member, National Eagle Scout Association. Member: Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute and Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor). Practice Areas: Admiralty; Personal Injury Defense.Email: Frank L. McNiff, Jr.
Craig S. Smith (Partner) born San Antonio, Texas, 1962; admitted to bar, 1989, Texas; 1993, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Texas (B.B.A., Finance, 1986; J.D., 1989). Phi Delta Phi. (Board Certified, Health Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Health Law; Business Organizations and Transaction.Email: Craig S. Smith
Leo James Welder, Jr. (Partner) born Victoria, Texas, August 8, 1948; admitted to bar, 1974, Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., with honors, 1970; J.D., 1974). Beta Gamma Sigma; Phi Delta Phi. Member: State Bar of Texas; Texas Business Law Foundation (Director, 1994-2000). Practice Areas: Business Transactions; Governmental Law.Email: Leo James Welder, Jr.
ASSOCIATE
Dane Bruun (Associate) born Corpus Christi, Texas, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Houston (B.A., 2004); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2007). Member: State Bar of Texas; Corpus Christi Propeller Club; Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty Law; Litigation.Email: Dane Bruun
OF COUNSEL
Joseph A. Cohn, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Corpus Christi, Texas, May 28, 1929; admitted to bar, 1952, Texas; 1953, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas; 1961, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1951; J.D., 1952). Distinguished Military Graduate, University of Texas, 1950. Judge, Nueces County Court at Law No. 2 of Nueces County, 1967-1970; Assistant Vice President of Coastal States Gas Producing Co., 1970-1976. Member: Corpus Christi Bar Association; State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Eminent Domain; Oil and Gas; Real Property Litigation.Email: Joseph A. Cohn, Jr.
Philip M. Hall (Of Counsel) born Williamsport, Pennsylvania; admitted to bar, 1968, Texas; 1970, Pennsylvania. Education: Drexel University (B.S., 1964); University of Texas at Austin (LL.B., 1968). Fellow: Life Fellow; Texas Bar Foundation. Member: Corpus Christi Bar Association (President, 1981-1982); State Bar of Texas (Member, 1983-1990 and Chairman, 1987-1990, District 11-A Grievance Committee; Advisory Counsel, 1987-1990; Member, Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Section); Corpus Christi Association of Professional Landmen. (Board Certified, Oil, Gas and Mineral Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Land Titles; Title Examination; Real Estate; Oil and Gas; Probate.Email: Philip M. Hall
J. Michael Mahaffey (Of Counsel) born Corpus Christi, Texas, January 15, 1939; admitted to bar, 1963, Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1961; LL.B., 1963). Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Admiralty; Government Law.Email: J. Michael Mahaffey
Henry Nuss (Of Counsel) born Dallas, Texas, March 14, 1936; admitted to bar, 1961, Texas. Education: Wheaton College (A.B., 1958); Southern Methodist University (J.D., 1961). Order of the Barristers. Author: "The Christian Lawyer," 16 SW L.J. 262 (1962). Wheaton College Hall of Honor, 1981. Member: State Bar of Texas; Texas Association of Bank Counsel (Director, 1990-1998; President, 1997-1998); College of the State Bar of Texas. [U.S. Army JAGC, 1961-1963]. Practice Areas: Commercial; Business; Banking Law.Email: Henry Nuss
Dabney Welsh Pettus (Of Counsel) born Corpus Christi, Texas, October 29, 1974; admitted to bar, 2001, Texas. Education: Southern Methodist University (B.A., 1997); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2001). Author: "Access to our Backyard Reserves: A Need For the Final Resolution of the Gulf of Mexico's Maritime Boundaries," 23 Houston Journal of International Law 609, 2001. Articles Editor, Houston Journal of International Law, 2000-2001. Member: State Bar of Texas; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute; Coastal Bend Women Lawyers Association (President); Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association (President). Practice Areas: Litigation; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Probate; Probate Litigation.Email: Dabney Welsh Pettus
Tracey M. Smith (Of Counsel) born Atlanta, Georgia; admitted to bar, 1995, Texas. Education: Princeton University, The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (B.S., 1989); London School of Economics; University of Texas (J.D., 1995). Practice Areas: Business Organization; Corporate Law; Health Law; Employee Benefits.Email: Tracey M. Smith