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My law practice is devoted to Family Law, Collaborative Law, Mediation, and Arbitration. We offer highly personalized, discreet service and strive for creative solutions to each client's needs.  I have been working on family law cases for 37+ years and have been Board certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1992. Amicable resolution of cases through mediation or the collaborative process is our goal in family law cases.. Professional Activities: Board Certified in Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, since 1992; Texas Super Lawyer; AV rated, Martindale Hubbell for 25+ years; Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists; Collaborative Divorce Texas, Membership and Forms Committees; President, Collaborative Divorce Austin, 2023-Present; Director, Collaborative Law Council of State Bar of Texas, 2024 - Present; Adjunct Professor, University of Texas School of Law 2017-Present; Member, Austin, Wiiliamson County, and Hays County Bar Associations; former President of Williamson County Women Lawyers' Section; Texas Family Law Foundation; Travis County Women Lawyers Association Foundation; International Association of Collaborative Professionals; Chair, ADR Section of Austin Bar Association, 2018-21, current Treasurer; Former Chair and current Member, Family Law Section of Austin Bar Association; Chair, Preservation Committee of Austin Bar Association, 2021-Present; Directory of Women in Dispute Resolution;  Member, American Bar Association, Mediation, Arbitration, and Women in Dispute Resolution Committees; Member of State Bar of Texas and The Florida Bar.

My goal is to help my clients achieve a respectful divorce that best positions my clients to be able to function with the ex-spouse/partner in the future.  Civil discourse leads to civil proceedings.  I am a child of divorced parents; and I have been through my own divorce. I bring a perspective to the table that embraces possibility and peace rather than burning bridges that will have to be crossed again.. No one comes to the decision to divorce easily.  When the difficult decision is made, it then becomes time to pick your battles wisely; particularly if children are involved. Divorce is expensive – monetarily, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  Getting a pound of flesh to get a pound of flesh does nothing other than pay for my next vacation instead of yours. Once a parent, always a parent – keep the focus clear.. It is very common for a client going through a divorce to get so wrapped-up in the other that emotions take up too much real estate in the mind and body – and, many times, justifiably so.  However, one of my jobs as a counselor at law is to help my client remember that drinking this “poison” and believing that, in so doing, the someone/something not drinking the poison will feel its effects hurts only my client.. There is a better way. Let me show you.

My firm handles catastrophic injury cases throughout Texas and we also specialize in representing military families who have been catastrophically injured at military hospitals around the country.  Our firm is humbled to represent so many military familes and veterans across the United States and in doing so we have achieved three of the largest individual verdicts and two of the largest individual settlements in the history of the federal tort claims act (FTCA).. I have successfully litigated cases in Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington D.C.. Specialties: Litigation and trial of catastrophic injury cases in Texas and around the country in state and federal courts.  Cases include birth injuries (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; cerebral palsy; shoulder dystocia), spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, traumatic brain injuries, failure to diagnose cancer, wrongful death, and other serious permanent injury cases. Please feel free to call us at.

My family moved to the small town of Round Top, Texas, when I was 11 years old, and I grew up in our family's cafe, working from that time on. I learned from my family the value of customer service, hard work, and the value of relationships. In deciding to pursue a career as an attorney, those have all served me very well.. I attended the University of Texas for both undergrad and law school, and have been a resident of Austin since 1998. I originally pursued a legal career in mergers and acquisitions and corporate work, but quickly realized it was not best for me. I was fortunate to find a great mentor with Tim Whitten, and began practicing with Brad Coldwell and Charlie Bowes in 2010.  I have learned a great deal with both Charlie and Brad, and was made partner in early 2016.. I love practicing family law, helping out clients, and working to obtain the best results from my clients, whether working to resolve the issue by way of informal settlement, mediation, or, in some cases, before a judge.

My family always jokes, ‘the legal gene is in her blood.’ I grew up in the courtroom, often going to work with my parents. One of my earliest life memories is watching juvenile court with my dad who was a prosecutor at the time and is now a state district judge. My mom was a court coordinator and has undoubtedly taught me as much law as my dad has. Ever since that day in juvenile court, I have dreamed of helping people in the same way they have. My maternal grandfather was an incredible Austin, Texas defense attorney and was partners in a firm with my uncle. They always fought the good, honest fight for the underdog and instilled in me to do the same. My paternal grandfather taught law at the University of Texas. It really is in my blood.. I graduated from Texas A&M University (WHOOP!) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. I then went on to get my JD from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. There I was Chair of the Board of Advocates and an Editorial Member for The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Race and Social Justice. Advocating for others and social justice are hand in hand very important to me.. I was born in Austin and grew up in Bastrop, Texas. I am always down for adventure and a good hike. In my free time you can find me walking around town with my dog and cheering on the Aggies.

My areas of practices are listed above.  I provide representation for both plaintiffs and defendants in all such actions.  My focus is on helping people in difficult situations and trying to find a way to resolve issues before the become legal problems when possible.  As such, I never charge for my first consultation with a client because it isn't fair for me to charge you if I don't even know if I can help you yet.. I practice in all the state and federal courts of Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee.  I specifically practice in the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas; the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; and the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee.  In addition, I practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Circuits.  During the course of my working life, I have negotiated millions of dolars in settlements and other contracted business by finding ways to resolve difficult cases without the need for unnecessary litigation.. My clients are always my top priority in every representation.  I know how to get business done and bring that ability to every case I work.

Ms.Watkins is a partner of Osborne, Helman, Scott, Knisely & Stanton, LLP. She focuses her practice in the area of fiduciary litigation, primarily involving trust, estate, and guardianship disputes, representing parties on both sides of the docket. Ms.Watkins also represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in connection with probate procedures, trust and estate administration, guardianship administration, and trust terminations and modifications. Additionally, Ms.Watkins handles appeals of all types of civil matters, especially those arising from and involving trusts, estates, wills, probate matters, and guardianships.

Ms. Ritz earned her B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Texas A&I University and her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. As a law student, she gained excellent trial experience as a student attorney for the Juvenile Public Defender’s office and then for the Federal Public Defender’s office, where she discovered her passion for criminal defense. Upon being licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1995, Ms. Ritz joined the Law Office of Joseph A. Turner, trying cases in both federal and state courts.. Ms. Ritz's dedication to practicing criminal defense led her to open her own law office in 2001. The Law Office of Sandra C. Ritz, located at 902 Rio Grande, Austin, Texas, is a thriving law office due to Ms. Ritz’ steadfast tenacity and determination as she defends clients charged with misdemeanors and felonies.. Ms. Ritz is a member of the Travis County Women’s Lawyer Association, National Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. Ms. Ritz spends time volunteering for Girl Scouts of America, raising funds for Crime Stoppers, and mentoring students at the University of Texas School of Law. She is also the proud mother of Savannah and Jackson Ritz. Profiled in both the Austin Woman's Monthly Magazine and the Austin American Statesman, Sandra Ritz has earned great success and continues to enjoy a rewarding career as a criminal defense attorney.

Ms. Jonas is an associate of Osborne, Helman, Knebel & Scott, LLP and practices primarily in the area of estate planning, including representation regarding complex testamentary dispositions, dynasty trusts, family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and related wealth planning strategies.  She advises clients with respect to their philanthropic objectives, including the creation of split-interest charitable trusts and private foundations.  Ms. Jonas also represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in connection with probate procedures, trust and estate administration, guardianship accountings and administration, and trust terminations and modifications.  In connection with this work, Ms. Jonas assists the firm’s litigators in controversies involving trust, estate, and guardianship matters.  Ms. Jonas also assists in the representation of the firm’s international clients, advising on international tax and compliance obligations, asset protection, and fiduciary litigation.

Ms. Healey provides legal solutions and business guidance to entrepreneurs, corporate decisions-makers and individuals about critical business law issues. Her diverse group of clients frequently turns to her for assistance with start-up and organizational matters, design and negotiation of business acquisitions and dispositions, private securities offerings, corporate governance issues, corporate finance and other transactional matters. In addition, Ms. Healey represents credit unions and credit union service organizations on general transaction and regulatory matters including reviewing and negotiating vendor agreements, regulator examinations and compliance with state and federal regulatory laws.

Ms. Grossman’s practice encompasses a wide variety of corporate and partnership transactions with international, federal, and state tax implications, including stock and asset acquisitions, partnership freeze transactions, planning, structuring, and implementation of mergers, real estate transactions, and other recurring and non-recurring business transactions. Ms. Grossman has a breadth of experience in corporate and partnership formation and operation, entity conversion and reorganization, business planning, business succession planning, and asset protection planning. She represents business clients at all stages of their ventures, from establishing start-ups and negotiating and structuring angel and later round debt and equity financing, to growth planning and implementation, to devising and implementing appropriate exit strategies, including equity and asset sale transactions. Ms. Grossman also assists clients with proper planning and structuring of cross-border transactions, as well as with strategic offshore placement of business assets for asset protection and tax planning purposes. Ms. Grossman utilizes her expertise in tax-efficient entity planning to assist individual clients in the establishment or maintenance of complex estate planning structures involving partnerships, limited liability companies, and other entity types. In addition to her experience with entities, Ms. Grossman has represented clients in federal and state tax controversies. Ms. Grossman graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in 2004 after receiving her M.A. in philosophy from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2002 and her B.S. in Biology as well as her B.A. in Religious Studies from Emory University at Atlanta in 2000.

Ms. Bernstein’s practice focuses on criminal defense in the Austin, Texas area.. She is available to provide quality representation in every sort of criminal charge, from a traffic ticket to a felony.. She places a high priority on representing each and every client with honesty, compassion, and dedication.. She believes in providing her clients with realistic expectations while fighting zealously for the best possible outcome.. She will help you understand and navigate the difficulties of our flawed criminal justice system.. Many people find themselves enmeshed in the criminal justice system at a major low point in their lives. Ms. Bernstein takes the “counselor” in the title “attorney and counselor at law” seriously and strives to ensure that her clients find themselves at the conclusion of representation in a better overall position to move on and put this phase behind them.. If this is the sort of criminal defense representation you are seeking, contact Ms. Bernstein today for a free consultation.

Mrs. Stanton is a partner of Osborne, Helman, Knebel & Scott, LLP.  Mrs. Stanton specializes in probate and estate planning law and she is board certified in these practice areas.  Her practice includes the representation of individuals  with respect to their estate planning needs and the representation of fiduciaries and beneficiaries with regard to the administration of trusts and estates.  She advises with regard to testamentary and lifetime gift and generation–skipping planning in addition to the use of family business entities, life insurance and life insurance trusts.  She also provides advice concerning post-mortem tax planning, prepares federal estate tax returns and handles state probate proceedings for fiduciaries of estates and guardianships.  In addition, Mrs. Stanton is a Certified Financial Planner® and has more than 14 years’ experience as a Director of Trust Services for a regional bank.

Mr. Wenholz has been practicing law for over 20 years. He decided to open his own firm to concentrate on helping ordinary people and small businesses understand their rights and solve their legal problems. Being the first lawyer on either side of his extended family, Mr. Wenholz knows first hand how folks feel about lawyers and their perceptions about our justice system. This background has shaped the way advice and counsel is given at the firm - straight forward, practical and respectfully. Mr. Wenholz firmly believes that the lawyer and client should be a team, with the lawyer clearly understanding his role to be honest, professional and to fully inform the client so the client can make sound decisions about his or her case.. Mr. Wenholz and his family are fully entrenched in the Austin way of life. He is also an animal lover - being the proud owner of dogs, cats and horses

Mr. Walters practice focuses on motor carrier transportation-related litigation, property damage claims, and insurance disputes.

Mr. Swanger has extensive experience in assisting U.S. and . clients with the design and implementation of traditional and more sophisticated estate planning and asset protection strategies. This includes the preparation and implementation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, disability documents, marital property agreements, corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies for business succession planning, as well as beneficiary designations necessary to coordinate a client’s life insurance and retirement assets with his or her overall plan. Mr. Swanger has worked extensively with individual and corporate executors and trustees, advising them with respect to the tax and non-tax issues associated with the administration of estates and trusts, and is experienced in the judicial construction, reformation, modification, and termination of trusts. Mr. Swanger also has substantial experience in advising clients about charitable giving issues and about the creation of tax-exempt organizations, including public charities, private foundations, and private operating foundations. Mr. Swanger is board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council, serves as a legal advisor to the Ballet Austin Foundation, and is an active member of various other professional and civic organizations. Mr. Swanger graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1984 after receiving his B.B.A. in Accounting, with highest honors, from The University of Texas at Austin in 1981.

Mr. Smits has over 20 years of experience in intellectual property litigation and transactional practice, involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright and other technology law related issues. Over the course of his career, he practiced in Los Angeles with Robbins, Berliner & Carson, which became the Intellectual Property Section of Fulbright & Jaworski in LA, before returning to Austin in 1998, initially joining the IP Section of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Following his time at Akin, Gump, Mr. Smits worked at several start-up companies doing both legal and technical work before joining National Instruments in 2010, where to this day he is the head of their IP section as Senior IP Counsel at NI. During his stay at NI, the IP litigation and transactional practices have made major improvements in efficiency, cost savings and performance. Mr. Smits started his career as a product engineer with Texas Instruments in Dallas, first earning a BSEE from his home state's Michigan State University, along with an MBA in Engineering Management during his time at TI, before moving to Austin to secure his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He is licensed with the State Bar of Texas and the United States Patent Bar. Away from work, he enjoys travel, languages, reading, sports, gambling, craft beer, and supporting animal-related causes, both personally and through various charities.

Mr. Slaughter moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1983 to train for the Olympic Trials. At the same time he represented the United States in national and international competitions, he also earned his Bachelor's degree from Trinity University. Following the 1992 Olympic Trials, Mr. Slaughter attended law school at St. Mary's University, and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1995.. From the time he joined the Texas Bar until 2004, Mr. Slaughter practiced Environmental and Public Utility Law at the TNRCC, PUC, State Office of Administrative Hearings, and in State Court. Mr. Slaughter then served for almost 13 years in the Travis County District Attorney's Office where he prosecuted a wide variety of felony offenses in District Court, Juvenile Court and before the Grand Jury.. In 2017, after he left the Travis County District Attorney's Office, Mr. Slaughter began defending Central Texans accused of criminal conduct. As an associate in the Austin office of a successful statewide law firm, Mr. Slaughter's clients were respectable local residents, most of whom stood accused of Driving While Intoxicated, Assault, and various drugs and weapons offenses. Mr. Slaughter also, in 2017, followed his passion to help others and joined the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services where he worked for the last half of the year as a Medic 1.. In January 2018, Mr. Slaughter started his own criminal defense law firm. In his spare time, Mr. Slaughter serves on the Board of Directors for Colin's Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing childhood drownings (), and in the Texas State Guard where he serves as a medic, search and rescue technician, and in disaster response/preparedness/relief.

Mr. Shrum attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received a degree in Biology. After working in the high-tech, dot-com industry for 2 years and then in the House of Representatives for the 78th Session of the Texas Legislature, Mr. Shrum attended the University of Texas School of Law. Throughout law school, Mr. Shrum worked for several Austin law firms gaining experience in probate and estate law, business law, and various areas of civil litigation including contract disputes, civil rights actions, mass torts, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, product liability, and personal injury litigation, including negotiating with insurance companies. He also returned to the House of Representatives to work in the 79th Session of the Texas Legislature. Additionally, while still in school, Mr. Shrum became certified as a mediator and mediated several lawsuits.. After graduating in the spring of 2006 and passing the Texas Bar, Mr. Shrum went to work for the Travis County Attorney's office as a prosecutor. During his time as a prosecutor, Mr. Shrum prosecuted and negotiated literally thousands of criminal offenses ranging from simple traffic offenses in the JP courts to Class A misdemeanors such as second offense DWIs and Domestic Violence Assaults. He has been assigned to several of the Travis County Courts at Law, prosecuting a broad range of Class B and Class A misdemeanors including: DWI, marijuana and drug offenses, theft, burglary of vehicles, driving with suspended license, deadly conduct, unauthorized carrying of a weapon, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, public intoxication, lewd condut/public indecency, prostitution, and failure to ID, among others. Eventually, Mr. Shrum moved to County Court at Law #4, Travis County's unique felony and misdemeanor Domestic Violence court, where he prosecuted and negotiated pleas in criminal offenses such as assualt with bodily injury, violation of protective orders, harrassment, terroristic threat, and interference with emergency calls, among others. In addition to his experience in the Travis County criminal courts, while with the Travis County Attorney's office Mr. Shrum also served as the State's attorney in mental health/psyciatric commitment hearings at the Austin State Hospital and Shoal Creek Hospital.. During his time as a prosecutor, Mr. Shrum became experienced in the courtroom and took many cases to jury trial including DWIs, Assualts, and Violations of Protective Orders. In addition to his courtroom and trial experience, he learned the justice system and created lasting relationships with all the players in the system from Judges to probation officers to court coordinators to pre-trial services and sheriff deputies.. If you or someone you love is in jail or facing a criminal charge of any sort contact the Law Office of Matthew Shrum.  We offer free consultations and easy, flexible payment plans.. To schedule a free consultation call us today at

Mr. Scott is a partner of Osborne, Helman, Knebel & Scott, LLP. He focuses his practice on fiduciary litigation, including trust, estate, partnership and guardianship disputes, representing parties on both sides of the docket. Mr. Scott also advises settlors, trustees, protectors, and asset holders in high value disputes related to international trusts and asset protection structures. Additionally, Mr. Scott represents charitable organizations in a wide variety of controversies and has experience in construction and general commercial litigation. Mr. Scott served as law clerk to the Honorable Felix Recio, United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division, before joining Osborne, Helman, Knebel & Deleery. While clerking for Judge Recio, Mr. Scott also acted as adjunct professor of business law at the University of Texas at Brownsville.

Mr. Robinson's practice emphasizes the litigation that includes consumer protection, veterans' claims, criminal defense, real estate law, expunctions of criminal records and cases involving breach of contract. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Robinson was a Recon Marine who served his country honorably in the War on Terror.. Mr. Robinson graduated from The University of Arkansas Fayetteville. He also graduated law school with an LLM. from Sydney Australia.

Mr. Ripp represents high net worth individuals and family offices in the design, implementation, and administration of domestic and international trust, investment, and life insurance structures, including the tax planning and compliance aspects of such structures. A significant portion of his practice involves advice regarding mechanisms for deploying leverage in the acquisition or monetization of assets, including real estate. In addition, he counsels major financial institutions and boutique financial service providers on matters of interest to the ultra high net worth marketplace, including advice to hedge fund and fund of funds managers regarding the establishment and operation of insurance dedicated funds (IDFs), including an IDF’s legal and business relationships with domestic and international insurance carriers. Mr. Ripp’s practice also includes counseling fiduciaries with respect to the administration of trusts and estates, and he is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Ripp is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Mr. Ripp graduated from Washington University School of Law in 1997 after receiving his B.B.A. in Business Analysis (Management Information Systems) from Texas A&M University in 1994.

Mr. Radbil has extensive experience litigating individual cases and class actions filed under federal and state consumer protection statutes. He has negotiated settlements on behalf of millions of class members. He has successfully tried cases to verdict in federal and state courts across the country. And he has briefed and argued issues of significant consumer interest before courts of appeals spanning the nation.

Mr. Pugh was born and raised in Austin, Texas and has resided in the area for the last 40 years. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas in 1999. He received his law degree from the University of Texas and was licensed to practice law in the State of Texas in 2005 and before the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas in 2005 as well.Mr. Pugh began his legal career with Slater Kennon & Jameson in 2002, while still a student at the University of Texas Law School. Since that time, he has concentrated his practice in the area of civil litigation with primary emphasis in the areas of commercial litigation, collections, real estate, and consumer protection (DTPA).Mr. Pugh practices in state and federal courts and is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Travis County Bar Association, and Texas Young Lawyers Association.. Areas of Practice:. Litigation Percentage:. Bar Admissions:. Education:

Mr. Pereira did his undergraduate studies at MIT, where he received a bachelor's degree in Economics. While still an undergraduate, Mr. Pereira carried out technically rigorous, mathematics-intensive research. Between university and law school, he was part of a cutting-edge laboratory at MIT researching neuroeconomics. Mr. Pereira carries over his technical and scientific training to his analytical approach to the law.. After MIT, Arnaldo studied at Boston University School of Law, where he received his J.D. (doctor of jurisprudence) degree. While at law school, Mr. Pereira worked for two federal judges: a federal trial-court judge in Puerto Rico, and a federal appellate judge in Boston.. Before starting his own law practice, Mr. Pereira practiced as an attorney in the Dallas law firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal. At Carrington Coleman—a nationally renowned firm—Mr. Pereira focused on commercial and real-estate litigation. He also worked on cases involving insurance-coverage disputes, fraud, personal injury, and asbestos product liability.. Arnaldo is an entrepreneurially minded lawyer who understands the needs of small- and medium-sized business owners. While he works with all kinds of businesses, he is particularly attuned to the needs of tech startups. Arnaldo also works with individuals who need legal representation in civil and family-law matters. A native of Puerto Rico, Mr. Pereira is natively fluent in Spanish.