In significant and important cases, out of state individuals, businesses and lawyers need local representation with adequate resources and knowledge in Texas.
We work with in-house lawyers and with lawyers and businesses who have litigation matters in Texas. Our primary office is in North Texas and we are licensed in State and Federal Courts throughout Texas and have for years worked with lawyers and businesses who do not have a presence in Texas.
Virtually all large and medium sized businesses at some point need access to the ever-growing Texas judicial systems or the federal courts in Texas.
It is also common for smaller businesses and out-of-state lawyers to become involved in litigation in Texas in state or federal court. Many contracts contain choice of law provisions requiring cases to be litigated in Texas state or federal courts.
We know the local rules for State and Federal Courts including:
- Removal to Federal Court
- Remand to State Court
- Challenging service of process
- Motions to transfer venue
- Motions to dismiss
- Motions for summary judgment
- Challenging personal jurisdiction in Texas
- Motions to apply the laws of other states
- Special appearances
- Local procedural rules
- Admission pro hac vice
- Investigation of facts and witness preparation
We can and do try cases, jury and non-jury, and handle hearings before the courts. We also sit second chair to out of state or in-house counsel.
We assist local lawyers when conflicts of interest arise.
And we keep you informed every step of the way through communication and by being easily accessible to you by phone or internet with monthly itemized statements that keep you informed about your case.
We are asked: Do you know the Judge?
The answer is we know the judges and they know us by our hard-earned reputation for good and effective work.
If you want to buy influence, look elsewhere. If your goal is to be fairly and aggressively represented in your significant case, we can help.
Knowledge of local administrative procedures and policies many of which may be unwritten, is invaluable. We know these rules and know how to get the answers.
Knowing about the local population, the judge, and the court staff requires real experience. The competent local counsel is a lawyer who has tried similar cases over a period of many years, and knows how things are done by the court and the court staff as well as local attitudes and events that may shape those attitudes.
Our office assists in the representation of litigants within the State of Texas. Most commonly, we act as Texas local counsel supporting out of state attorneys representing their clients in Texas. Invariably, we make a pro hac vice motion allowing an out of state attorney to appear in court throughout the course of the litigation. At that point, we often monitor the case and guide out of state counsel through the procedural rules of the Texas courts. Depending on the needs and wishes of the client, we oftentimes become involved in developing a litigation strategy, making court appearances, conducting discovery and trying cases.
In addition to assisting out of state counsel, we also directly represent individuals and businesses as prime counsel in Texas civil litigation.
Effective use of local counsel requires consulting with local counsel about the strategy of the case from the beginning, and listening to local advice about any matter where local knowledge is important. Successful use of local counsel starts with hiring experience and continues by taking advantage of that experience at every phase of the case.
When lawyers complain that they were “hometowned,” those cases often result from a failure to consider local matters when planning the case, and a failure to know and understand local procedural rules and policies when prosecuting the case. Good local counsel is valuable because of what he or she knows, not who he or she knows.
- Local counsel for an ERISA matter involving wrongful beneficiary payments by a very large Dallas/Fort Worth company
- Local counsel for an automobile manufacturing of specialty cars wrongly sued in Texas
- Local counsel for an Ohio Company wrongly sued in Texas
- Local counsel for Plaintiffs in personal injury and products defects suits
- Local counsel for out of state lawyers in legal malpractice cases
- Local counsel for out of state businesses in breach of contract and fraud state and federal court suits
- Local counsel for individuals and businesses in “business divorce” cases