Litigation

Ted Lyon was born and raised in Terrell, Texas. His undergraduate degree is in political science that he obtained from East Texas State University (now known as Texas A&M Commerce). Prior to law school, Ted married his high school sweetheart, Donna. While working as a police officer, he put himself through undergraduate school and then went to Southern Methodist University School of Law. Over the past 41 years, Ted has represented clients in over 150 jury trials. Ted has over 41 years’ experience representing clients in complex litigation, involving personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, and business disputes. He has received verdicts that were ranked in the top ten in the nation on three occasions. He has been interviewed and featured by national and local media outlets, including Good Morning America, 60 Minutes II, NBC Dateline, Texas Lawyer, Dallas Observer, The National Law Journal, D Magazine, and Texas Monthly. Ted specializes in complex litigation. Ted has repeatedly (2003 through 2018) been named to the Super Lawyer List by Texas Monthly, and was named one of the top 100 Lawyers in America by American Trial Lawyers Association consecutively since 2007.

Carl Ritter is a senior attorney at Bryan Fagan, PLLC, representing clients in family law and estate planning matters. HIs focus areas are contested divorces, child custody disputes, guardianships, and contested wills. Carl doesn’t shy away from the cases involving parties with difficult pasts, or cases involving Child Protective Services (CPS). He is a fierce advocate for clients that are attempting to keep or regain custody of their children, and he also provides assistance to grandparents who are fighting for their grandchildren. He understands that the best interest of the child is always the most important factor in any case. Carl’s representation extends to clients that are interested in estate planning as well as clients that need help with issues of guardianship. Carl has substantial experience in contested probate cases that must proceed through litigation. Litigation and the courtroom have always been Carl’s favorite part of being an attorney. With over 35 years as a practicing attorney, Carl has an extensive background, including serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer in the United States Air Force. His understanding of the nuances of military law, as well as the intricacies involved in military life, combine to make Carl an astute choice for military personnel and their families. He has also spent 10 years as an attorney with the Office of the Attorney General in Texas. Carl and his wife of 25 years recently relocated to Houston to be near their two children who attend school at Texas A&M and Houston Baptist University. Carl enjoys time spent with his family at the beach and in the mountains, where you can find him golfing, swimming, relaxing in lazy rivers, eating fantastic foods, and enjoying the great outdoors.

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.

Partner Casey Goolsby focuses his practice on civil litigation, personal injury and wrongful death, business, consumer, collections and appellate law, and patent litigation. Successful in trial courts and appellate courts throughout Texas, Mr. Goolsby is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), and a number of bar associations, including Northeast Texas, Gregg County, Smith County, and Harrison County. Mr. Goolsby is also active in his community, including in the United Way and Junior Achievement, and he serves on the boards of area foundations, schools, and his church. Mr. Goolsby resides in Longview, Texas, with his wife and their two children.

Attorney Geoffery Mayfield founded Geoff Mayfield, Attorney at Law in 2005. He practices in the areas of Estate Planning, Wills & Probate, Real Estate, and Business Law. He also has experience in assisting and representing numerous small businesses, including Auto Dealerships, Residential and Commercial Property Managers, Contractors, and other small businesses. From his office in San Antonio, Texas, Attorney Geoff Mayfield serves clients in and around the communities of Hondo, Laredo, New Braunfels, Seguin, Kerrville, Del Rio, Boerne, San Marco, Comal County, Guadalupe County, Atascosa County, Hays County, Frio County, Medina County, Kendall County, Blanco County, and Bexar County. To schedule a free consultation with Attorney Mayfield, visit his website, or call 210-535-0870.

Mike Tilton is a trial lawyer and a founding partner of Tilton & Tilton LLP. He is a fearless and relentless lawyer for his clients. Mike has helped to obtain millions of dollars for injured clients, taking on oil companies, railroads, trucking companies, drug manufacturers, and some of the largest corporations to ensure that his clients receive the justice they deserve. Growing up as the son of a military father and school teacher mother, Mike learned early on that hard work, preparation, and dedication are the keys to success. He takes these skills and applies them to all areas of trial practice, whether it is negotiating a settlement with insurance adjusters or battling some if the biggest defense firms in the court room. Mike received his bachelor’s degree with honors in Political Science and Psychology from the University of Houston and earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. While in law school, Mike honed his courtroom skills by excelling in numerous advocacy programs and serving as a member of the interscholastic Moot Court team and the Board of Advocates. Immediately following law school, Mike worked at one of the oldest and most prestigious litigation firms in Houston where he participated in his first trial immediately after being sworn in as a lawyer. He later joined another successful plaintiff’s practice where he helped obtain millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients. Mike has gone to trial and handled cases throughout Texas and in almost a dozen different states Throughout his legal career, Mike has worked on a wide variety of cases, ranging from automobile accidents to complex pharmaceutical litigation with millions of dollars at stake. No matter the size, Mike treats every case with the attention it deserves. He realizes that an injury is one of the most traumatic events his clients will suffer, and therefore fights tooth and nail to get his clients the justice they deserve. Mike’s commitment to his clients and professionalism has earned him numerous accolades. For every year since 2012, Mike’s colleagues voted him as a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star, an honor bestowed to only 2.5% of all attorneys in Texas. Mike was also nominated as a “Top 40 under 40” by the National Trial Lawyers, an honor given to only 40 trial lawyers in Texas every year. In 2021, Mike was voted as one of the Top 100 Rising Stars in Texas by Super Lawyers and featured in Texas Monthly Magazine.

Craig Provorny is Managing Director of Herold Law. His practice focuses on counseling clients in employment-related matters, representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in business and shareholder disputes, trust and estate litigation, environmental cost recovery actions, plaintiff insurance recovery, and general commercial litigation. Craig has appeared in both state and federal courts, including the trial, appellate, and New Jersey Supreme Court and has numerous published opinions.

Mr. Boyd completed his undergraduate studies at Mississippi College in 1981. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Mr. Boyd completed his legal education at Mississippi College School of Law in 1984. During law school, Mr. Boyd was selected to serve as a member of the Editorial Board of the Mississippi College Law Review, and he had a casenote selected for publication in the Fall1983 Law Review. Mr. Boyd is also a “graduate” of the 1996 MiniMed School seminar sponsored by the University Of Mississippi Medical Center. Mr. Boyd devotes most of his legal practice to personal injury and wrongful death claims including car wrecks, 18-wheeler/big truck wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, slip and fall injuries, and UM insurance claims (underinsured and uninsured auto insurance issues).

I have been a practicing attorney for the past 37 years, concentrating in Family Law, Personal Injury, Probate and Civil Litigation. If your case is contested, whether it be a divorce, custody, personal injury, or almost any matter requiring litigation, you need a trial lawyer in your corner. I have successfully litigated numerous jury trial (injury cases), and non-jury matters(divorce, custody etc.) Call me for a free initial consult.

Nick Deets has been a partner with Hovde Dassow + Deets in Indianapolis since 2001. His primary areas of practice are personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and wrongful death. He has tried more than 80 jury trials to verdict. Nick was named the Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association in 2010, Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Plaintiff’s Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, in 2018, and Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice, in 2020. He has been recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer by Indianapolis Magazine every year since 2006 and has been listed in Best Lawyers, Personal Injury Plaintiffs, every year since 2010. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Litigation Counsel of America, and is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell.