Top best State Lawyers in Austin | 717 available

Expertise in commercial legal matters as a transactional lawyer for large and small businesses, including electric cooperatives, especially related to real estate transactions and development, including eminent domain matters related to railroads and electric transmission lines, as well as certificates of licensing thereof; environmental compliance related to pulp, paper and forest products industry (including Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act issues); and commercial transactions including building-supply and corrugated packaging sales and sourcing contracts; timber and other mineral rights; and similar matters.  Representative transactions included involvement in $30 million rail yard acquisition on behalf of BNSF Railway Company, in CA, and $2.4 billion timberlands sale, in TX and GA, and separation agreements related to spinoffs of two publicly traded companies, Guaranty Financial Group and Forestar Real Estate Group, from Temple-Inland.Specialties: Negotiation, drafting, and review of various types of commercial contracts, leases, easements, rail trackage rights agreements, governing documents and other complex agreements.  Overseeing environmental compliance practice areas of Fortune 500 level pulp, paper and forest products company.

Experienced Attorney with a demonstrated history of providing trusted legal counsel to real estate owners/investors, business owners and individuals. Skilled in Commercial Real Estate, Business Transactions, Estate Planning and Asset Protection. Alumnus of Baylor University School of Law and the University of Texas at Austin.

Experienced Attorney with a demonstrated history of advocating for children, creating solutions that benefit the community as a whole, and negotiating results in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner.

Emily S. Rickers graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 2004 and began practicing law in the Rio Grande Valley.  She began her legal career handling probate cases and real estate matters, bringing water, wastewater, and clear title to substandard rural developments. These complex cases helped develop her creative and practical approach to solving difficult problems, working with government entities, elected officials, private landowners, and financing sources to achieve her clients’ goals.  Since then, her practice has expanded to include estate planning and administration, guardianships, and real estate litigation, as well as family law, where Emily found her experience with complex property matters valuable in resolving cases with significant community estates. During the 82nd and 83rd legislative sessions, she also represented clients’ interests before the Texas Legislature as a registered lobbyist.  She is admitted to practice before all Texas courts, as well as the U.S. Southern District of Texas.. As a former legal services lawyer, Emily believes in using her legal skills to serve the community.  Prior to attending law school, she worked as a legal advocate for residents of a family violence shelter.  In 2012, Emily founded a nonprofit with partner Carlos Salinas to advocate for low-income Texas families on matters of family violence, housing access, and property tax relief.  She is especially proud of her affiliation with the Rio Grande Valley Multibank CDFI, which during her service as a board member launched a program to replace predatory payday loans in South Texas.  She was an officer of the Poverty Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and a subcommittee chair of the Supreme Court of Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.  Emily and earned a B.A. from Davidson College in 1998 in Political Science and a concentration in International Studies. She is fluent in Spanish and sings with the Chorus Austin Symphonic Choir.

Emily G. Toland is licensed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and focuses her practice on estate planning, elder law, guardianship and conservatorship, probate, and trust administration, among other areas. Emily regularly presents to both local and national audiences on estate planning and elder law topics. She received her juris doctorate, with honors, from Marquette University Law School. Prior to going to law school, Emily spent nearly a decade working in the Wisconsin State Legislature where she gained expertise in legal analysis and policy development.. Emily enjoys giving back to the community and to the legal profession. She is a member of the Austin Area Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the Austin Rotary Club, along with volunteering for the planning committee of the annual Albert Lea/Austin Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Wills for Heroes Foundation. Emily was named to the 2022 Wisconsin Rising Stars list (an honor for lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice) and is a member of the Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation. She is also the co-author of “Gray Tsunami: Advice for Planning with Elderly Clients”, which was published in the Journal of Financial Service Professionals.. Emily was raised in the Mankato areaa and moved back to Minnesota after beginning her legal career in Wisconsin. She lives with her family and two dogs in Austin.

Daniel Wannamaker is a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and Board Certified Criminal Appeals Specialist. His office is located in Austin.. He has won numerous federal and state jury trials and has secured a presidential pardon for a client. He has recently won a not guilty in an aggravated robbery jury trial, and has represented a number of high profile clients in the news.

Craig Williams is the firm’s senior Real Estate lawyer. He represents shopping center developers, owners of office buildings, owners of farms and ranches, real estate investors and end users. He also represents individuals and businesses in the acquisition, sale and financing of all types of real property and assists tenants in negotiating leases for retail, office, warehouse and industrial space.

Carole Callaghan is an estate planning and probate attorney located in the Austin area.  Carole’s education and experience make her an excellent representative for each of her clients.  However, her passion is her family, and it was this passion this that led her to start Carole Callaghan Law.  Carole uses wisdom, compassion and empath to helps her clients as they experience life’s changes.  Contact Carole with any questions you may have about your estate planning and probate needs.

Brian Deitch was born in Austin, Texas. He attended the University of Texas where he studied Economics and Business Foundations. His studies in economics taught him to examine problems from every angle and calculate the outcome from any choice made. Following his graduation as a Longhorn, he attended his first year of law school at South Texas College of Law. In his first year, Brian was named a Dean’s Merit Scholar. Brian then transferred to the University of Houston Law Center where his studies focused on litigation and business law. While at the University of Houston Law Center, Brian served as a candidate for the Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy, and went on to serve as the Journal’s Managing Editor.. Brian actively participates in several organizations including the Austin Bar Association, Austin Young Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, and the Real Estate Council of Austin. Brian also serves as the Co-Editor in Chief for the Technology for the Litigator Newsletter produced by the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association and on the Board of Directors as the VP of Membership for Club Red of Central Texas (American Red Cross Young Professionals of Central Texas). Brian was recently selected to serve on the Hill Country Conservancy‘s 2012 EPIC Leadership Council.. Brian is member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Brent Stahl is a partner at Stahl, Bernal, Davies, Sewell & Chavarria LLP  where he works on renewable energy and commercial real estate law matters. He helps wind and solar energy developers with leases, permitting, easement, acquisition, title, and survey matters.  Brent’s work has included projects in Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and New Mexico, including constructed projects totaling more than 3,500 MW of generating capacity. Brent also works with clients in the purchase, sale, financing, and leasing of commercial real estate properties.

Before attending law school, I worked for the Governor of Texas. While there, I managed the 300 million dollar Emerging Technology Fund.. In addition to running my law firm, my husband and I also run our family ranch, which is located in the Brazos Valley. I understand how every decision you make is a business decision and that legal counsel is an important part of that decision.. To this point, I have started two businesses, where I manage company operations and serve as General Counsel. I take pride in and enjoy planning and understanding the various decisions that people make when starting and building a business.. One of the most important things to me is family. To this end, I take the time to help my clients plan to preserve what they have built over their lifetime, and ensure that together we are meeting their goals in estate planning.. I am a member of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, American Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association.

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.

Ari Kuchinsky focuses his practice on commercial real estate and is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Andréa Villarreal joined Barnes Lipscomb & Stewart PLLC in November 2021 after over a decade of practice in the areas of estate planning, probate, fiduciary litigation and entertainment law. Her practice includes the assistance of families through the probate process, the preparation of wills, trusts, estate and gift tax returns, and other estate planning, asset protection, charitable gift planning and business succession documents. Andréa is uniquely skilled to assist musicians and artists with tax and estate planning given her background in music and the complex considerations of administering copyrights after death.. Recognitions2024 & 2023 Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers2023 & 2021 Austin Under 40 top 5 Legal Finalist2020-2021 Leadership Academy for the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law (REPTL) Section of the State Bar of Texas

An associate with Sprouse Shrader Smith whose practice focuses primarily on oil and gas transactions, real estate law, including land use, development, regulatory, and zoning law, and corporate transactions.  I have been licensed to practice law since 2012, handling a variety of corporate transactional, energy industry, and real estate matters.  I am licensed to practice law in both Texas and New Mexico, where I assists clients in a variety of legal matters.

Amanda Bergstrom was born in Austin and is a fifth-generation Texan. She provides general business representation, litigation, wills and probate law services for Kiester, Lockwood & Ciccone LLP. Prior to joining KLC, she was an Associate at the Law Offices of Kenton D. Johnson, where she developed her focus in business, wills and probate law. Amanda also formed her own practice where she met a variety of legal needs for Spanish-speaking clients.. Prior to returning to Austin, Amanda lived in California where she clerked at the California Department of Justice in Sacramento. At that office, she worked in the Appeals, Writs and Trials section on criminal appeals. During law school, she spent a summer in Bulgaria working at a non-governmental agency in the capital city of Sofia.. Amanda has lived in Central America, South America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Before law school Amanda taught Spanish and history to high school students in northern California. She has also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras and Liberia. As a result of her life experience, Amanda is approachable and is able to meet the legal need of clients from any background.. Amanda enjoys taking several Volunteer Legal Services cases every year. In her spare time, she trains for road and trail running and has completed three Boston marathons.

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.

After growing up in Victoria, Texas, I left for college among the big-city lights at St. Edwards University, eventually transferring and graduating from Texas A&M University in College Station. After college, I interned with State Representative Tan Parker, but before too long I was back in school–this time South Texas College of Law in Houston.. At STCL I served as an Editor on Currents, the school’s international trade law journal, where I published an article on the landmark European copyright law ruling UsedSoft v. Oracle. I took advantage of the Frank Evans Mediation Clinic, mediating landlord-tenant disputes, and earning my certification as a mediator while still in school. Before graduating I also worked as a research assistant for a favorite professor, reviewing European civil codes for an art law (who knew there was such a thing?) article he wrote on the so-called “Getty” bronze.. Upon gaining my state bar license, I spent about three years working for (primarily) family law firms in Denton and Pearland, picking up valuable experience in probate, estate planning, real property, and general litigation along the way. I’ve appeared before judges in counties with populations in the millions, advocating against one-size-fits-all custody orders; and before judges in counties with a single family law judge, arguing for a fair shake before courts that sometimes saw the same people repeatedly, where familiarity breeds contempt.. In my free time, I enjoy hunting, writing fiction, and exploring this beautiful city with my even more beautiful wife and young daughter.