Turner Thornton is a highly-regarded Fort Worth family law attorney who leads Varghese Summersett Family Law Group. A skilled negotiator and experienced litigator, Turner has successfully guided hundreds of individuals and families through the most tumultuous time of their lives. Divorce, child custody disputes, and property division are among the most contentious and complex cases in the legal system. Turner understands the intricacies and complexities involved in family law and works strategically to find and implement the best strategy for each client. While many cases are resolved through mediation, others require an aggressive courtroom battle. Turner is skilled in all aspects of case resolution and treats every person who walks through his door with honesty, professionalism, and compassion. In addition to being a highly adept lawyer, Turner is also a family man with deep ties to the community. He was born and raised in North Texas along with his older sister, Katie. He attended Martin High School in Arlington. After high school, Turner attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated in 2009. Afterward, he returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to attend Texas A&M University School of Law (formerly Texas Wesleyan University). There, he obtained his law degree and also met his future wife, Alex – who is a defense attorney at VARGHESE SUMMERSETT. Turner and Alex recently welcomed their first child, Charlotte. They are also the proud parents of two dachshunds, Clifford and Annie. Fun Fact: In 2015, Turner appeared on the game show, Celebrity Name Game — and won.

Mr. Meza is the founder and lead attorney of The Meza Law Firm, PLLC. A bilingual practitioner fluent in both English and Spanish, he focuses his legal work on immigration and criminal law. Since establishing his firm, Mr. Meza has represented numerous immigrants and U.S. citizens, adults and juveniles, facing criminal charges, offering a deep understanding of the unique legal hurdles immigrants encounter when arrested. His combined knowledge of immigration and criminal proceedings allows him to take immediate steps to help clients protect their legal status and future in the United States. Over the years, Mr. Meza has managed hundreds of cases, guiding individuals and families through both the immigration process and the criminal justice system. He is a determined advocate committed to helping clients preserve their rights and remain with their loved ones. Known for his negotiation skills and passionate approach, Mr. Meza provides steadfast representation rooted in integrity and compassion. He believes every client deserves to be treated with dignity and given the highest level of care and attention. A lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Texas, Mr. Meza draws personal insight from his family’s immigrant experience—his mother and wife both came to the United States from Mexico. This connection fuels his drive to serve the immigrant community. He attended both Catholic and public schools in the Fort Worth and Arlington areas before earning his law degree from Texas Southern University School of Law in Houston. To speak with Mr. Meza about your case, call The Meza Law Firm at 817-732-6392 or complete our online contact form.

As a Fort Worth defense attorney, Cody has worked privately defending hundreds of clients and was also appointed as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. His trial experience includes practically every kind of criminal charge: sex trafficking, drug conspiracy, murder, theft, DWI, and white-collar crimes. He has argued appeals in state and federal court, including the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; Fort Worth Second Court of Appeals; and the Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. Cody regularly teaches evidence and trial advocacy to other attorneys. Meet with Cody to talk about your Tarrant County or Federal criminal case, and to ask about his 10 years as a criminal trial attorney.

Keith Spencer is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law. That Board Certification mark of excellence and distinguished accomplishment is attained by only one in ten Texas attorneys, and indicates that Keith has substantial, relevant experience and has demonstrated the same in family law cases. Keith was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1987. Mr. Spencer is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and holds Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in Communications from the University of North Texas. Keith is a Board Certified Family Law specialist. Mr. Spencer has practiced Family Law in Tarrant County for over 30 years. He is a qualified mediator authorized to assist in the resolution of family law matters involving children. The founder of the AV rated Fort Worth firm of Spencer, Greene, Cox & Warren, and Keith joined Bailey & Galyen in 2002. Keith is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas, as well as the Fifth and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. An experienced trial lawyer, he has tried numerous cases in state and federal state courts and state criminal proceedings. He is also experienced in the prosecution of appeals and the defense of Child Protective Services investigations. Keith is trained in “collaborative law” and is a long standing member of the Tarrant County Bar Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Tarrant County Family Bar Association.

Mark S. Cochran exclusively practices Family Law, which includes divorce, visitation establishment and enforcement, child support establishment and enforcement, modification, custody, paternity, contempt, pre-marital agreements, step-parent adoption, and other child and family-related matters. Mr. Cochran has extensive litigation experience, and is qualified and capable of the trial of complex or large estates. We believe it is essential that a client be fully informed of his or her options and the progress of the case. We zealously represent our clients' interests while frankly advising as to the reality of the clients' expectations, given the specific circumstances of the case. Although Mr. Cochran is a trial attorney, we acknowledge that most family law matters are best settled and resolved prior to trial. Settlement, when fairly done, can save a client significant time and money. Settlement also allows the parties to have total control over the decision-making involving their children and property. Each attorney, therefore, has extensive experience in alternate dispute resolution, including mediation, settlement conferences, access facilitation and old-fashioned negotiation between lawyers. While encouraging alternate dispute resolution, we recognized that certain cases and issues must be tried by a Judge or jury, and are prepared to do so. Most importantly, we believe that an effective family law attorney must work to resolve problems, not create conflict and escalate hostilities.

Greg spent 20 years in the military, both Army and Air Force, and retired as a captain in the reserves in 1999. He also served as a police officer in Texas for over 20 years, and holds a master peace officer certification. Greg, as a police officer, was a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Instructor, an Intoxilizer Operator, and a police academy instructor. He has an Associate's degree (in Liberal Arts) and a Bachelor's degree (in Political Science), the later earned while he was on active duty in the Air Force. After his law enforcement career was over, he attended Texas A&M Law School in Fort Worth and graduated in 2014. Greg has written for Fault Lines, an ABA Top 100 Legal Blawg, and occasionally contributes as a guest columnist to Simple Justice, an ABA Hall of Fame Legal Blawg. Greg clerked for Criminal District Judge Mollee Westfall.

With 36 years of legal experience, Jane Mapes has dedicated the past 26 years to Family Law in Texas. After starting her career in real estate and personal injury law in Florida, she moved to Texas in 1996 and quickly became well-versed in the courts of Tarrant and Dallas Counties. Since joining Bailey & Galyen in 1999, she has focused exclusively on helping families navigate complex legal matters.

Attorney Lori Shannon focuses her practice on family law, representing clients out of the Bailey & Galyen offices in Bedford, Texas. Originally from Sweetwater, Texas, Lori graduated for Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, earning her bachelors degree in advertising. She then worked in television and radio before returning to school, completing her juris doctor at the Texas Tech School of Law. Upon graduation and admission to the Texas State Bar, Lori honed her trial skills as a city prosecutor. An Assistant Attorney General in Texas for 23 years, she has extensive experience in matters related to both paternity establishment and exclusion, as well as establishment, modification and enforcement of child support and medical support. Her practice experience also includes employment law, criminal law and general civil law. She has also served as a managing attorney for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

I am a native of Chicago, Illinois, and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and speech communication from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, spending one semester studying abroad in London and traveling all over Europe. Following that, I earned my Juris Doctorate from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. I moved to New Jersey following graduation from law school and was licensed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1994 and the Supreme Court of New York in 1995. Moving back to Chicago, I was then licensed by the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1995, and after moving to Texas, I was licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas in 2016. I have also been admitted to practice in the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, when I was appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals as attorney to an inmate in his criminal appeal. I have also practiced in various state and federal courts around the country. During my practice, I have practiced in the areas of family law, corporate and securities litigation, mediation and arbitration, as well as product liability mass litigation, probate, and civil litigation. I am also a certified family law mediator. My primary focus now is on all aspects of family law including divorce, child custody, child support, visitation, and spousal support. Starting in Chicago and then New Jersey, I was blessed with three amazing children. After we moved to Texas, I was divorced from their father, took in two more children, and decided I could best help people by combining my life experiences with my abilities as a lawyer. The practice of family law involves intense emotions in the clients. As an experienced litigator and from my life experiences, I am able to empathize with and fervently advocate on behalf of my clients while offering creative solutions and ideas to help clients adjust to their new “normal”.

After practicing for almost a decade at well-respected Dallas law firms, Andrew J. Anderson decided to form Anderson Legal Group, P.C. The focus of the new firm was to assist clients in family law related matters (such as divorce, custody, adoptions, premarital agreements, wills and child support issues) and/or criminal defense matters. These particular cases are extremely stressful for the client and often plague clients until they are resolved. Mr. Anderson explains all options available to the clients, which empowers them to make good decisions during these difficult times. Mr. Anderson supplemented his legal education with an extensive hearing and trial practice. Specifically, he has tried numerous cases before the Judges of Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, and Collin county courts. Further, Mr. Anderson often writes and presents seminars to teach other attorneys through the Texas Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education programs. Mr. Anderson is also Board Certified in Family Law which is the highest award for specialized competence issued by the State Bar of Texas and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2011. Mr. Anderson represents clients by listening to their goals, and then creating a specifically tailored plan for achieving their goals as quickly as possible. He firmly believes that clients must be thoroughly informed, and then he strives to develop and present all possible options. When an attorney offers all possible options, along with the potential outcomes, it allows the client to make informed decisions about their case. Due to Mr. Anderson’s extensive courtroom experience, clients are confident that if their case cannot be resolved before trial, that Mr. Anderson will work to receive all possible relief from the Judge. The majority of Mr. Anderson’s caseload involves complex divorce matters with substantial assets. Typically, these cases deal with businesses, Family Limited Partnerships, Sports Contracts, or complex benefits for officers of large corporations. Mr. Anderson structures the property transactions to obtain the best possible results for his clients. Often these complex divorce matters also have emotionally charged custody litigation. Mr. Anderson is able to objectively craft a plan to obtain as much time with the children as the client desires. Mr. Anderson also represents clients in criminal matters. While typically these cases stem from divorce and family law litigation, this is not always the case. Specifically, Mr. Anderson deals with Federal and State authorities mainly dealing with charges regarding: drug possession, pornography, abduction, alcohol, sex offenses, assault and weapons charges. Mr. Anderson is respected by Texas attorneys and judges. To evidence this, Mr. Anderson has received the highest peer review rating as established by Martindale-Hubble (for both ethics and legal competence). Further, Mr. Anderson is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas which is a prestigious group of lawyers that pride themselves in exceeding the minimum requirements for continuing legal education.