Before beginning his legal studies and career, James Rodriguez earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University. After graduating from Texas A&M in 1989, Mr. Rodriguez was selected from a nationwide search to participate as a Fellow in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington D.C. While in D.C he worked as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. In 1996, Mr. Rodriguez graduated from the University of Houston Law Center, after working full time as a legal clerk while attending law school. After law school, Mr. Rodriguez began his career representing catastrophically injured clients and today is a partner with Padilla & Rodriguez, L.L.P., where he continues to work on cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths. Mr. Rodriguez is fluent in Spanish and has worked in a number of capacities advocating for immigrants’ rights. He has served as past president of the Mexican American Bar Association (Houston); past vice president of the Hispanic Bar Association (Houston); past president of the League of Latin American Citizens Council 30. He is currently on the advisory board of the Hispanic Bar Association (Houston) and is a member of the board of directors of the Fe y Justicia Worker Center. He is also a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association of Justice. Mr. Rodriguez is a Member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers (2013). Mr. Rodriguez is a native of Bryan, Texas. His family roots trace back to the earliest Mexican settlers in Brazos County, Texas. While living in Houston, Texas, Mr. Rodriguez remains active with his family and in community, business and civic affairs in Bryan. His interests include fund-raising for various programs aimed at the advancement of minority young adults and speaking to young students about the value of education.

Lisa M VanAuken is a Houston Family Law Attorney. While she grew up in Northern New York, she has lived in Houston, Texas area since 1995 and has made the Houston area her home. Lisa VanAuken graduated Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1995 with a B.A. in Political Science. Lisa went on to graduate from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, a national legal honor society. While in law school Lisa M VanAuken gained her first exposure to the family law court system when she did her legal internship with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Family Criminal Law Division, where she advocated on behalf of victims of domestic violence to obtain protective orders. Since being licensed in November 1998 Lisa has practiced exclusively in the area of family law. Over the last 19 years she has gained valuable experience handling uncontested divorces, contested divorces, high asset property divisions, paternity suits, step-parent adoptions, infant adoptions, interstate adoptions, contested child custody suits, child custody modifications, child support cases, child support modification cases, protective orders, and Attorney General Office cases. While she practices primarily in Harris County, she has also represented clients in Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston Counties.

We give you the leverage you need to make sound decisions when disputes rise to the level of litigation. By quickly and aggressively advancing your interests, we efficiently and effectively move cases toward conclusion, whether by pre-trial settlement, alternative dispute resolution, pre-trial judgment, or trial. Every minute and dime you spend on litigation is time and money taken away from what's important to you. Therefore, we actively prosecute your claims and defenses so that you can focus on what's most important to you.

Attorney Josh Mintz is a native Houstonian who grew up around the law, becoming the 7th lawyer in his family when obtaining his J.D. from U.C. Hastings College of the Law (San Francisco) in 2003. Since then, Josh has developed a rare mix of expertise as both a lawyer and businessperson in a wide variety of professional organizations, including the California firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, the Am Law 100 international law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, and the Beaumont, TX based firm Waldman Smallwood. He supplemented this experience with several years managing multi-million dollar business segments for retailers UncommonGoods and Design Within Reach, and the media company behind Dwell magazine. After spending much of his childhood in Southwest Houston, Josh moved to Kingwood in 1990 and later graduated from Kingwood High School in 1996. He spent his first half of college at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) as part of the LSA Honors Program, before transferring to the University of Texas (Austin) and graduating with a B.A. in 2000. After several years in New York City, Josh gladly returned home to Houston in 2014 where he now lives with his wife, Dr. Emily Mintz, and their three children.

William L. Nealy, IIhas been practicing law for almost 15 years. He received his undergraduate degree from Florida A & M University in accounting in April, 1997. He began working for Parker Hannifin as an accountant in their managerial accounting program in May of 1997; however, after a year and a half, he attended law school at the University of Houston Law Center in August, 1998. He received his law degree in May of 2001. William L. Nealy, II, was licensed to practice law in Texas in November of 2001. He began practicing with Davis & Associates, also in 2001, representing Plaintiffs in employment matters, discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, age discrimination, and religious discrimination. Additionally, William L. Nealy, II represented individuals in criminal matters on the state and federal level. As an associate, he represented clients in criminal appeals in federal court, civil appeals in federal court, and litigation in various employment matters, including sexual harassment, disability discrimination, national origin discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower actions, and worker’s compensation retaliation. William L. Nealy, II also represented clients in mediations and administrative hearings in regards to for cause termination. In April of 2005, William L. Nealy, II became licensed to practice law in Louisiana, where he began working for the Thomas Law Firm. At the Thomas Law Firm, William L. Nealy, II primarily represented a major insurance company in Louisiana and various individuals in Plaintiff’s lawsuits, mostly in personal injury, auto accidents, and wrongful death. William L. Nealy, II also handled several appeals, and represented Defendants in insurance contract disputes and post trial disputes regarding accidents, and subsequent injuries. William L. Nealy, II began his private practice in 2008, which is based in Houston, Texas, and primarily services Houston, Galveston, Pearland, Sugarland, Missouri City, and the surrounding area. Additionally, William L. Nealy, II provides legal services in Louisiana. The Law Office of William L. Nealy, II can represent you, whether you live in Fort Bend County, Brazoria County, Harris County, Montgomery County, Galveston County or Ascension Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, or Orleans Parish. Call the Law Office of William L. Nealy, II and we will provide you with the unyielding fighting spirit that your lawsuit deserves!

Elizabeth Taylor has dedicated her career to protecting the rights of victims. Her aggressive approach and skills in navigating complex legal issues have given clients across Texas the strength to stand up against the most powerful insurance companies and corporate giants, and WIN. She has extensive experience handling lawsuits for those who have been seriously injured in accidents. Elizabeth’s practice focuses on Personal Injury (automobile accident, premise liability, wrongful death, slip and fall) Business to Business Disputes and Debt Collection, Family and Civil Law, Wills and Probate. Elizabeth will fight the insurance company and strive to get you the compensation you deserve. Her methods are proven to maximize your compensation. Call today and schedule a consultation (888) 877-2779.

Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., my law firm, has been a trusted name in Houston since the 1970's. We proudly represent the little guys against big insurance companies and corporations. I earned my law degree and passed the bar in 1995. I immediately began my practice in personal injury trial law with Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. as a trail attorney. I became Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law in 2005 in Texas. I have received recognition as a “Top Lawyer” by H Texas Magazine in 2013 and was most recently named A Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly's Super v Meragazine. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Texas in 1992 and earned my Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law in 1995. While in school, I was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honorary Legal Fraternity, the Student Bar Association Student Concerns Committee, and the Houston Young Lawyer’s Association Environmental Committee.

Derrick King is a practicing attorney in the state of Texas.

If you are facing a serious criminal charge in the Houston area, you'll need an experienced, quality, aggressive defense attorney. The name that should stand above the others when you seek an attorney is Houston's — Ned Barnett. Ned Barnett is a skilled and leading Houston criminal defense lawyer with nearly 30 years of practical legal experience that includes trying criminal cases as a state and federal prosecutor, as well as more than 20 years as a defense lawyer. Since opening his firm in 1994, Ned has represented countless individuals charged with the most serious criminal offenses from DWI, to sex crimes and violent offenses. Barnett is a native of Houston who followed his father, grandfathers, and great-grandfather into legal practice when he pursued his lifelong dream of becoming a criminal defense attorney. After earning his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1987, he sharpened his trial skills as a prosecutor in Galveston County and with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston before taking on the mantle of criminal defense. As an assistant district attorney in Galveston, Barnett prosecuted countless DWI cases, as well as serious felonies including rape, robbery, and murder. During his time as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s office, he focused on large drug prosecutions and gained a valuable perspective on how the government pursues cases involving international narcotics trafficking. Regardless of the offense, whether it’s a misdemeanor DWI or a felony sex crime, Barnett understands how devastating and disruptive a criminal charge can be for the person accused and how necessary a positive result is for your career and life. Barnett fights to obtain the best possible result for each person he defends, with the goal of helping defendants to move on with their lives and leave the stress and uncertainty of a criminal charge behind them. He brings a blend of compassion, discretion, superior ethics, and sharp trial skills to each case, as well as a commitment to providing personal, one-on-one service and communication. For free case evaluation with our reputable law firm, call (713) 222-6767.

Micheal Busby is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, the Houston Association of Debtor’s Attorneys and is admitted to practice in the Federal Courts in the Southern District of Texas. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a Field Artillery Cannoner from 1989 to 1993. Mike also served in the National Guard from 1993 to 1997 in the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Mr. Busby received his Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1996. He graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas in 2002. Mr. Busby is a member of the Phi Delta Phi International Law fraternity and authored an international law legal article in a law journal published by South Texas College of Law. Mr. Busby has been faithfully married for 20 years and is the proud father of two daughters, Viktoria and Hannah Busby and father of Willam Maximus “Billy Max” Busby.