Areas of Practice

My primary areas of practice are banking, bankruptcy, agriculture, real estate, oil & gas, probate and commercial law, including commercial and business litigation and arbitration. I am licensed by the State Bar of Texas, Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Clients Represented

Representative clients include: The First National Bank of Ballinger, Bank of San Angelo, Ballinger National Bank, Uvalde National Bank, Chadbourne Oil, Inc; Chadbourne Ranch; Lowery Cotton Company, D & E Ranch, LLC, Los Arroyos Ranch, LTD, Wes Tex Feed Yards, Inc; and WTF Finance, Inc.

Education & Professional Background

I am a native of Ballinger, Texas, and graduated from Ballinger High School in 1973. I received an undergraduate degree in Animal Science and Agriculture Education from Texas Tech University in 1978, and after 7 years as a vocational agriculture teacher at Ozona High School and Bronte High School, I returned to Texas Tech University to to obtain my law degree.

While attending the Texas Tech Law School, I served as managing editor of the Texas Bank Lawyer student publication, was named as “Outstanding Commercial Law Student” and was a co-editor of Texas Commercial Law for Bank Lawyers. I graduated, cum laude, from the Texas Tech University School of Law in 1987, and was named to the Order of the Coif.

Following law school, I joined the law firm of Logan, Lewis, Symes & Keeling in San Angelo, Texas. In 1992, I left that firm and opened my law office in Ballinger, Texas, and have built a statewide practice in banking, bankruptcy, and agriculture law.

I have also served as a visiting Professor of Commercial Law and as an adjunct Professor of Agriculture Law at the Texas Tech University School of Law

Professional Activities

• Texas Association of Bank Counsel, past member Board of Directors (2 terms); past President.
• Texas Business Law Section, past committee chairman and Council member.
• American Agriculture Law Association.
• State Bar Agriculture Law Committee, past member
• Banking Law Institute Planning Committee (1987-1997)

Publications, Papers & Presentations

Texas Agriculture Law, (HTML text materials developed and produced on CD for teaching Agriculture law at Texas Tech University School of Law, 2004-2008)

UCC Articles 3, 4 & 4A, Updates & Developments, (America Community Banker’s 2003 Compliance and Attorney Conference, September 23, 2003).

The Revised Texas UCC Chapter 9, (CLE Panel for numerous CLE programs 2000-2001).

The Time-Price Doctrine, Contracts for Deed, and Leases as Exceptions to the Usury Limitations of the Credit Code, (Banking Law Institute 1997).

Technology & the Internet in a General Law Practice, Business Law Council Seminar, State Bar of Texas Convention, June 25, 1997.

Texas Commercial Law for Bank Lawyers, (Texas Tech Law School Foundation, 1994) (Co-Author-Articles 3 &4).

Negotiating Medical Debts for Special Needs Children, (WTRC Parent-Case Management Bulletin, 1994).

Checking, Account and Loans to Governmental Agencies. (Co-Author) (Banking Law Institute, 1994).

Simplifying Your Collection Practice. (Banking Law Institute 1990).

An Overview of The Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, (State Bar of Texas Business Law Section Bulletin, September 1988).