Ms. Dean's professional experience encompasses a broad range of legal matters. Her primary emphases are estate planning, elder law, and probate. Her estate planning practice involves helping clients orchestrate their estates by drafting a vast array of trusts, wills and powers of attorney. Ms. Dean also provides compassionate legal advice while assisting families through the probate process. Ms. Dean's legal expertise in civil appeals includes both advising at the trial court level and handling all aspects of the appeal. She has handled appeals dealing with complex insurance matters, business matters, personal injury and family law appeals. She has successfully argued in federal and state courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, on behalf of a major insurance company, corporations, and individuals. She works with trial attorneys and clients to preserve error on the trial court level, preparing legal motions, handling mandamus actions, preparing and arguing the jury charge and handling all post-judgment motions. At the appellate level, Ms. Dean leads the appeal of a judgment, including preparing briefs, petitions for review and briefs on the merits to the Texas Supreme Court, and presenting oral argument before diverse panels of judges. Throughout her career, Ms. Dean has handled other civil matters as well, such as complex commercial litigation, corporate buy-outs, employment and business contracts, consumer issues, family law litigation, adoptions, real estate transactions and personal injury litigation. She successfully negotiated and closed a multi-million dollar buy-out of a snowboard clothing company to a major sporting goods conglomerate. Prior to specializing in appellate law, Ms. Dean engaged in a successful trial practice and as a result, understands the needs of trial attorneys and what it takes to make them successful at the trial level and on appeal. Integrity and operating under a high standard of ethics are of utmost importance to us at The Dean Law Firm. We abide by the Texas Lawyer's Creed.

A native of Angleton, Texas in Brazoria County, Jeff Gilbert is a 6th generation Texan with deep roots to his community. Graduating from Angleton High School in 1978, Mr. Gilbert attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he was involved in the leadership of many campus service and social organizations. Upon completion of his business degree (BBA) in 1982, Mr. Gilbert returned to Brazoria County going to work for the First Freeport National Bank in Freeport, Texas. Mr. Gilbert later returned to Baylor where he enrolled in the graduate school of business obtaining his degree (MBA) while working as the night manager of the Baylor Student Union. Upon graduation, Mr. Gilbert began a career in banking and corporate investments before entering South Texas College of Law at the age of 27. While in law school, Jeff participated in many intramural moot court and mock trial competitions. Interestingly and of note, Jeff tried and won his first jury trial while in law school serving as an intern with the Harris County District Attorney's office before receiving his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in December 1989. Mr. Gilbert then accepted a position in the Trial Bureau of the Harris County District Attorney's office in Houston, Texas where he tried multiple jury and non-jury cases as a juvenile, misdemeanor and then felony prosecutor. In 1993, Mr. Gilbert left the District Attorney's office to join a prestigious Houston based civil litigation firm. Since that time, his practice has concentrated on litigation, including medical malpractice, pharmaceutical and toxic tort litigation with firms in Houston, Angleton and Dallas, Texas. In January 2006, Mr. Gilbert began a Brazoria County based practice and formed Jeffrey R. Gilbert, P.C. Mr. Gilbert is a member of The State Bar of Texas (Section Memberships include: Criminal Law, Family Law, Juvenile Law), The Brazoria County Bar Association (Past President 2008-2009), The Houston Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, The College of the State Bar of Texas and is a Fellow of the Trial Advocacy Institute of the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. He is admitted to practice before all courts of the State of Texas and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Mr. Gilbert remains a Trial Attorney. His practice focuses on criminal, family and general litigation. Mr. Gilbert was honored to serve two terms (1996 through 1998) as a special judge of the Harris County Criminal Courts at Law. This appointment was made by the 15 county criminal court at law judges of Harris County. Mr. Gilbert presided over hundreds of case dispositions and numerous trials in this position. Active in his community, Mr. Gilbert currently serves on the City of Lake Jackson Planning Commission, as a Board Member and Preseident-elect of the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra Council, as a three-term President of the Brazoswood Buccaneer Band Booster Club (2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011), he is a past president and former board member of the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club, and has been a delegate to every Senate District (1996 and 1998, SD #7; 2000, SD #8; and 2002, 2004 , 2006 and 2008, and 2010, SD #17) and State Republican convention since 1996. Mr. Gilbert and his family are proud to trace their Texas roots to John Bradbury Follett who settled in Texas on Follett Island near San Luis Pass in Brazoria County. Accordingly, Mr. Gilbert is a proud member of the Stephen F. Austin Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Mr. Gilbert attends BrazosPointe Fellowship in Lake Jackson, where he serves as an usher, greeter, has previously led an adult "Home Team" and has been active in its children's ministries. Mr. Gilbert is the father of two children: Will, a student at Texas A&M University and Morgan, a student at Brazoswood High School. Mr. Gilbert is the son of the late Ralph W. Gilbert, a long-time Angleton attorney, and Fannie Mae Follett Gilbert a life-long resident of Brazoria County. Special Training and experience - Trained Mediator - AA White Dispute Resolution Institute; University of Houston Law Center; Certified for Approval of Court-Ordered Mediations; Trained Family Law Mediator Travis County Dispute Resolution Center; Credentialed and Qualified Family Law Mediator; Trained Ad Litem - Harris County Civil Court Ad Litem Training Course, 1998, 2005; Trained Guardianship Attorney Ad Litem - Completed Training Required by Texas Probate Code for service as Attorney Ad Litem in State Courts Areas of Practice Mediation Business & Commercial Law Contracts Business Organizations Sexual Harassment Construction Law Criminal Law DUI/DWI Guardianships & Conservatorships Wills Family Law Adoption Custody & Visitation Divorce Litigation & Appeals Personal Injury -- Plaintiff Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff Probate & Estate Administration Products Liability Law Medical Malpractice Real Estate Law