Sylvan was born in San Antonio, Texas, and has lived most of his life in South and Central Texas. He received his undergraduate degree in History, with Special Honors, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986, and obtained his law degree from the Southern Methodist University Deadman College of Law in 1989, graduating Cum Laude and Order of the Coif. During law school, Sylvan served as the Assistant Editor in Chief of the Southwestern Law Journal. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1989, and is licensed to practice law in the state courts in Texas, as well as the United States District Courts in the Western, Southern and Northern Districts of Texas. Sylvan is also licensed to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Sylvan's legal career has been both rewarding and multi-faceted. After law school, from 1989 to 1990, Sylvan had the unique opportunity to serve as law clerk to the Honorable Edith Hollan Jones, on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Thereafter, Sylvan returned to San Antonio as an associate at Plunkett, Gibson and Allen from 1990 to 1994, practicing insurance defense and handling cases in the areas of personal injury, automobile accident, product liability, insurance, medical malpractice, and legal malpractice, from the defense perspective. From 1994 to 1996, Sylvan chose a new and challenging experience, following his wife, Amy, to Dallas while she completed her medical fellowship. During this time, Sylvan sought and obtained a unique and completely different experience-serving the under-represented poor at Legal Services of North Texas (civil legal aid). After practicing law at legal aid, Sylvan knew he could never work for insurance companies again. Upon returning to San Antonio, Sylvan co-founded Lang & Kustoff LLP in 1996, focusing one hundred percent of his practice on representing clients with claims related to insurance, construction matters, personal injury, and employment law. In 2008, Sylvan founded Lang Law Firm, P.C., where he continues the same focus of trial work, delivering personalized, client-focused results in an ever-changing world. Sylvan cherishes recreational time with his wonderful family, wife and two daughters. He has devoted over a decade of Board service and leadership to both Temple Beth-El and Saint Mary's Hall. His other hobbies include ranching, hunting, fishing, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.

Christine D. Burkhart is a principal in the San Antonio office. She has over 19 years of experience in civil litigation primarily focusing her practice on construction defect litigation, representing general contractors and subcontractors, premises liability, product liability and trucking/transportation matters. Most of her cases concern highly complex matters with substantial damages. While a talented and skilled litigator, Christine has successfully achieved highly desirable settlements in multimillion dollar cases. Prior to pursuing her career in the law, Christine worked in mortgage lending for 13 years in Northern Ohio and Las Vegas. During that time, she handled loan originations, loan closings and became an underwriter. Thereafter, she moved into management and oversaw loan operations and sales for branch offices in the region. Her knowledge of the business and ability to understand the relationships and impact of the laws and regulations give Christine’s clients added value beyond her legal knowledge.

Javier T. Duran is a Principal with the firm, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Rice University in 1995, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from The University of Texas School of Law in 1999. Prior to law school, Javier worked in residential construction repairing and remodeling homes in low-income neighborhoods. During his 20-year career, Javier T. Duran has first-chaired felony jury trials as a Bexar County Criminal Assistant District Attorney. Javier’s legal expertise also spans an impressive array of substantive areas. He has worked with complex, multi-party, and multi-district litigations, and his practice areas emphasize representing businesses and individuals in employment, business litigation, personal injury, and products liability. Javier also has experience representing the transportation industry and major retailers.

Attorney James S. Bettersworth was raised in Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas Lutheran University. He later went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s Law School in 1997, a feat he was able to accomplish in just two-and-a-half years. Upon graduating from St. Mary’s, he became license on June 4th, 1998. Since then, he has successfully represented clients in legal matters that pertain to a very wide range of laws. Some of these include, but are not limited to: Personal Injury Car Wrecks Truck Accidents Wrongful Death Nursing Home Abuse Premises Liability Defective Products Medical Malpractice In addition to being licensed to practice in the state of Texas, Mr. Bettersworth is also licensed to practice in the Federal Courts of the Western District of Texas. He also holds a license that allows him to practice in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, located in New Orleans and has had the distinct honor of arguing before a judicial panel for the court. Mr. Bettersworth is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum as well as the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, for his successes as a personal injury lawyer. He maintains a Superb rating on the Avvo legal directory. He is also a member of the Texas Bar Association and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. In May 2015, Mr. Bettersworth was elected as the New Braunfels Independent School District Board of Trustees. Mr. Bettersworth is well known throughout the legal community for his aggressive and straightforward approach. He relentlessly concentrates his efforts on achieving the best result for his clients in a timely manner. Mr. Bettersworth works with all types of clients to help resolve legal matters pertaining to work-related injuries, construction accidents, and other personal injury matters. To schedule a free consultation with Mr. Bettersworth, visit his website, or call 830-606-0404