MEMBERS OF FIRM
John E. Williams, Jr. (Managing Partner) born Houston, Texas, May 6, 1954; admitted to bar, 1978, Texas, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas. Education: Baylor University (B.B.A., cum laude, 1976; J.D., cum laude, 1978). Editor-in-Chief, Baylor Law Review, 1977-1978. Editor, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Forum, 1985-1986. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Texas Trial Lawyers Association (Associate Director, 1986-1988; Director, 1988); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Houston Trial Lawyers Association (Director, 1984-1991; President Elect, 1991-1992; President, 1992-1993). (Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Toxic Torts; Medical Malpractice; Products Liability; Premises Liability.Email: John E. Williams, Jr.
Steven J. Kherkher (Partner) born Los Angeles, California, November 24, 1962; admitted to bar, 1990, Texas and U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Houston (B.S., 1984; M.Ed., 1985); South Texas College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1989). Order of the Lytae. Assistant Editor, South Texas College of Law Review, 1988-1989. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Trial Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Products Liability; Premises Liability; Class Action; Negligence.Email: Steven J. Kherkher
Jim S. Hart (Partner) born Graham, Texas, October 31, 1960; admitted to bar, 1991, Texas and U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. Education: Texas Tech University (B.B.A., 1984; J.D., cum laude, 1991). Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Delta Phi; Order of the Coif. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Houston Trial Lawyers Association. (Board Certified, Labor and Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law; Personal Injury; Workers Compensation.Email: Jim S. Hart
John T. Boundas (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, August 19, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Texas; 1996, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1991); University of Iowa (J.D., 1995). Order of the Coif. Law Clerk to Sr. Judge Milton I. Shador, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1995-1996. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: John T. Boundas
ASSOCIATES
Sejal Kireetkumar Brahmbhatt (Associate) admitted to bar, 2001, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Houston, (B.A., Psychology, Political Science, 1996); South Texas College Of Law (J.D., 2000). Member: Houston Bar Association; Houston Trial Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Amy M. Carter (Associate) born Antlers, Oklahoma, May 10, 1973; admitted to bar, 1998, Texas; 1999, U.S. District Court, Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. Education: Southeastern Oklahoma State University (B.S., 1995); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1997). Order of the Coif. Member: Dallas Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Dallas Association of Young Lawyers; Dallas Trial Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Troy Chandler (Associate) born 1967; admitted to bar, 1998, Texas. Education: University of Houston (B.S., magna cum laude, 1994); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., magna cum laude, 1998). Member: State Bar of Texas; Minnesota State Bar Association; Arkansas State Bar; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; American Association of Justice.
James L. Doyle II (Associate) admitted to bar, 1988, Oklahoma; 1989, Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third and Seventh Circuits, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma, U.S. District Court, Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Education: Oklahoma State University (B.S., 1982); Oklahoma City University (J.D., 1988). Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; State Bar of Oklahoma; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: Litigation.
E. Armistead Easterby (Associate) born Huntington Beach, California, March 9, 1970; admitted to bar, 1996, Texas and U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Education: University of Texas (B.A., 1992); University of Houston (J.D., cum laude, 1996). Phi Delta Phi (Exchequer, 1994-1995). Editor, Houston Law Review. Member, Board of Director, Houston Law Review Alumni Association, 1999-2003. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Young Lawyers Association. Reported Cases: Paradissiotis v. United States, 304 F.3d 1271 (Fed. Cir. 2002); Voest Alpine Trading USA Corp. v. Bank of China, et al., 288 F.3d 262 (5th Cir. 2002); Voest Alpine Trading USA Corp. v. Bank of China, et al., 142 F.3d 887 (5th Cir.1998); United States v. Salter, 241 F.3d 392 (5th Cir. 2001). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Appellate Law.
Charles D. Finley (Associate) born Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 25, 1965; admitted to bar, 1998, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: Central State University (B.S., 1991); Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law (J.D., 1998). Phi Alpha Delta. Member: National, Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Trial Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Houston Young Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Plaintiffs Personal Injury; Products Liability; Toxic Tort; Industrial Injuries.
Samantha S. Flores (Associate) born Alton, Illinois, June 26, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., Speech Communications, 1994); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1998). Member: State Bar of Texas; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Houston Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Asbestos Litigation.
Eloy E. Gaitan (Associate) born 1960; admitted to bar, 1994, Texas. Education: Texas Tech University (B.S., 1982); Thurgood Marshall School of Law (J.D., 1993).
Malorie L. Gist (Associate) admitted to bar, 2002, Texas. Education: St. Edward's University (B.A., Psychology, magna cum laude, 1997); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2002). Member: State Bar of Texas; Texas Young Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Margret Lecocke (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, Texas. Education: Barnard College, Columbia University (B.A., English, 2001); The University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2004). Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; Houston Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Candice Lynn Flores McNabb (Associate) born Montgomery, Alabama, July 24, 1971; admitted to bar, 2000, Texas; 2003, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Houston (B.S., 1995); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 2000). Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Pharmaceutical Litigation.Email: Candice Lynn Flores McNabb
Michael Blase Patronella (Associate) born Houston, Texas, December 28, 1964; admitted to bar, 1993, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern and Western Districts of Texas. Education: Southwestern University, Georgetown (B.B.A., 1987); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1992). Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; National Italian-American Bar Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Houston Trial Lawyers Association; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Houston Young Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Products Liability; Premises Liability; Toxic Torts.Email: Michael Blase Patronella
Collyn A. Peddie (Associate) born Houston, Texas; admitted to bar, 1982, District of Columbia; 1983, Texas. Education: Rice University (B.A., cum laude, 1979); George Washington University (J.D., with honors, 1982). Phi Beta Kappa. Topics/Notes Editor, George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics, 1981-1982. Law Clerk to the Honorable John R. Brown, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1982-1983. Author, numerous articles; Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminars. Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Houston, 1995-1997. Member: State Bar of Texas; District of Columbia Bar. Reported Cases: Weaver v. Highlands Ins. Co., 4 S.W.3d 826 (Tex. App. - Houston (1st Dist.), 1999, no writ) successfully upheld summary judgment in breach of employment contract dispute: Kelley-Coppedge, Inc. v. Highlands Ins. Co., 950 S.W.2d 415 (Tex. App. - Fort Worth, 1998) successfully overturned summary judgment interpreting industry-wide pollution exclusion clause; Pankow v. Colonial Life Ins. Co. of Texas, ET, AL., 932 S.W.2d 271 (Tex. App. - Amarillo, 1996) successfully upheld summary judgment on all issues raised in motion in case involving alleged breach of contract, DTPA, fraud; Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. v. Lindsay, 787 S.W.2d 51 (Tex. 1990) successful mandamus in case involving question of finality of summary judgment; Colwell Realty Investments, Inc. v. Triple T Inns of Arizona, Inc., 785 F.2d 1330 (5th Cir., 1986) successfully upheld dismissal of suit on complex jurisdictional grounds. Practice Areas: Appellate Practice; Torts.
Marcus D. Pinney (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern, Northern, Eastern, Western Districts of Texas. Education: Lamar University (B.B.A., cum laude, 2001); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004). "A Constitutional Dilemma: The Conflict of the Title VII Alien Exemption Clause with the Civil Rights Act of 1991," 26 Hous. J. Int'l L. 707 (2004). This article was chosen by the State Bar of Texas - Labor and Employment Law Section as the 2004 outstanding law review article in Texas concerning labor and employment. Member: State Bar of Texas; Houston Bar Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: Litigation.
James E. Soto (Associate) born Caripito, Venezuela, March 23, 1959; admitted to bar, 1995, Texas and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: Louisiana State University (B .A., 1988); University of Houston (J.D., 1992). Mentor: Communities in Schools-Houston. Member: Houston Bar Association (Probate, Trust and Estates Section) State Bar of Texas (Real Estate, Probate and Trusts Section); Houston Trial Lawyers Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Hispanic Bar Association; Mexican-American Bar Association; Disability and Elder Law Attorneys Association; National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Probate; Personal Injury.Email: James E. Soto
OF COUNSEL
Ned Barnett (Of Counsel) born Houston, Texas, May 10, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit,U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Texas (B.B.A., 1984); University of Houston (J.D., 1987). Assistant District Attorney, Galveston District Attorney's Office, 1988-1991. Assistant United States Attorney, Houston, Texas, 1991-1994. Member: Houston and Galveston Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys; Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association; National College for DUI Defense (Founding Member). (Board Certified, Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization) (Also Practicing Individually). Practice Areas: Criminal Law.Email: Ned Barnett
Robert C. Kuehm (Of Counsel) born Houston, Texas, July 3, 1951; admitted to bar, 1982, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Houston (B.S., 1978); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1982). Mediator (Trained at the A.A. White Dispute Resolution Institute). Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; College of the State Bar of Texas; Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists; Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists. (Board Certified, Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Family Law.Email: Robert C. Kuehm
Harry Grant Potter, III (Of Counsel) born Wichita Falls, Texas, April 29, 1963; admitted to bar, 1987, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1985); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 1987). Member: State Bar of Texas; Travis County and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Legal Ethics; Appellate Practice; Personal Injury.Email: Harry Grant Potter, III