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As the only former federal prosecutor in Austin to specialize in federal criminal defense cases, Joe Turner has earned the nickname "Mad Dog" because of his passionate defense of his clients. Mr. Turner's federal practice includes the defense of federal drug conspiracies, mortgage and bank fraud, computer-related crimes, weapon offenses, and an extensive list of other crimes. He is board-certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and he is licensed to practice in every federal and state court in the State of Texas. With over 30 years experience, Mr. Turner has successfully represented citizens wrongfully accused of everything from DWI to murder and has tried more than 100 jury trials.. "He is the best...," said Willie Nelson after Joe Turner had his case dismissed. Willie had been charged with possession of marijuana while passing through the small town of Hewitt, Texas. After a pretrial hearing, Joe Turner successfully moved to have the case dismissed because of an illegal search.. After his successful representation of Ruth Riddle, a Branch Davidian charged with federal conspiracy and murder, he gained national recognition appearing on Nightline, CNN, and other nationally and internationally recognized media services.. According to Kelly Fero's The Zani Murders, "Today he (Joseph Turner) is one of the most successful defense attorneys in Central Texas." The Zani case is one of the most famous cases in Austin history, and set a national precedent for the admission of hypnotically-induced testimony in the courtroom.. Joe Turner successfully defended "A Time to Kill" star Matthew McConaughey during his famous bongo playing incident. McConaughey's charges were dropped after Mr. Turner argued police did not have probable cause to enter the home without a warrant.

As the founder of Hembree Bell Law Firm, Hannah Hembree Bell dedicates her practice to family law, divorce, and estate planning. Hannah’s commitment to helping families—rather than representing corporations—stems from her passion for making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Early in her career, she worked at a major law firm but soon realized her calling lay in guiding individuals through complex and emotional legal matters. Personally familiar with the trials of divorce, Hannah is known for her empathetic, honest, and practical approach, striving to support her clients with the same advocacy she once needed. As a mother in a blended family of four children, Hannah intimately understands the realities her clients face and is steadfast in her resolve to stand by them through every challenge. Her firm serves clients in divorce, custody, and related family law matters throughout Austin and San Antonio, and provides estate planning and divorce coaching across Texas. Hannah’s dedication and career journey were recently highlighted in Attorneys at Law Magazine, underscoring her reputation as a trusted advocate for families.

After spending many years representing large companies in litigation matters, I decided to turn my focus to individuals, families and small to mid-sized businesses.  In 2011, I opened my firm in central Austin and began advising clients in the areas of estate planning/Wills, probate and business law matters.. On the estate planning side, I help clients navigate through the sometimes emotional process of determining how they want their property to pass at their death, who will take care of their minor children in the event of their untimely death, appointing agents to act on their behalf during life in the event of incapacity and generational wealth planning.  I represent traditional families, blended families, single individuals and LGBT families.  Each of these groups have their own individual set of considerations that must be fully thought through before an adequate plan can be put in place.. On the probate side, I assist clients in the entire probate process.  This includes advising Executors and Administrators before the application to probate the Will or determine who the heirs are is filed, preparing them for the hearing and handling the post-hearing matters.  I also assist clients in preparing the transfer documents that are necessary to effectuate their loved one's wishes.   I assist Executors and Administrators in handling debt issues and distributing the estate to the beneficiaries or heirs.  In the probate context, I also handle non-administration matters as well, including: small estate affidavits, affidavits of heirship, determinations of heirship without an administration, and probating will as a muniment of title.  Finally, I advise clients in the area of guardianship.. My business clients range from small start up companies to mid-sized companies. Typical matters include: advising on entity formation, drafting and advising on formation documents and implementation of the same, advising on implementation of probate matters as it relates to employees, review/drafting of contracts and other general business matters.

A practicing attorney and mediator for more than three decades, Ben has successfully resolved  thousands of disputes in his capacity of mediator and settlement counsel. Ben's mediation experience is broad, encompassing disputes involving general commercial litigation, contruction, real estate, governmental, civil rights,  employment, torts, contract disputes,  intellectual property, First Amendment, personal injury, professional liability, med-mal, securities law, insurance law, premises liabilty, workplace, taxation, oil and gas, environmental, telecommunications, church disputes, probate, entertainment law, defamation, and one memorable dispute over miniature horses.. Ben has also litigated and tried numerous civil law cases while practicing as a trial attorney, and has argued appeals in state and federal appellate courts, and has moved cases to the U.S. Supreme Court.. Ben is a nationally recognized trainer of mediators, President-elect of the Austin/Travis County Dispute Resolution Center, and ten year member of the Texas State University, San Marcos, Graduate Advisory Board for Legal and ADR Studies, designated by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association as "Credentialed Distinguished," it's highest rating. He is member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Ben holds the highest rating in Martindale Hubble, Who's Who Legal, and was named in Austin Monthly Magazine as one of top 20 ADR attorneys in Austin, Texas.. Mediation Practice: Lakeside Mediation Center. Ben is a founding partner of Galton, Cunningham & Bourgeois, PLLC  (Lakeside Mediation Center), an expert dispute resolution firm that has mediated and arbitrated thousands of cases since its inception in 2000: . Lakeside Mediation partners mediate disputes nationally and internationally.. Settlement Counsel:. Since 2007, Ben's legal practice has been limited to acting as Settlement Counsel for selected clients in a braod range of complex disputes nationwide and internationally.. A more complete bio may be found at

29 years of practice is a long time.  Many things change but one does not; respect, the right to fight, and the right to an attorney who will fight for you.  I have seen my share of the innocent accused, pre-judged by those who seem to believe that the police (or they) never make mistakes.  My job is to expose them.  Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then.