Workers' Compensation lawyers within 100 miles of Waco Texas

Kim Smith has been advocating for injured workers in Texas since 2000. After earning her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, she began her career in Workers’ Compensation law, eventually managing her own firm. In 2013, she merged her practice with Bailey & Galyen, where she now leads the Workers’ Compensation Department in the Arlington office. A proud mother of six, Kim balances her passion for family with her dedication to protecting the rights of injured workers across Texas.

Laney Recer is an attorney with Bailey & Galyen, where she focuses her practice on Workers’ Compensation law. She earned her Juris Doctor from Texas A&M University School of Law after completing her undergraduate studies at East Texas A&M University. Before attending law school, Laney was a collegiate swimmer, competing at both Indiana State University and East Carolina University—an experience that instilled in her discipline, teamwork, and perseverance, qualities she brings to her legal practice today. Laney was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2025. Prior to joining Bailey & Galyen, she gained legal experience working in business law, youth rights, and bankruptcy law, providing her with a well-rounded perspective when advocating for clients. Laney is committed to providing thoughtful, dedicated representation and takes pride in helping clients navigate complex legal matters with clarity and confidence.

W. Christian Jenkins has been a licensed attorney for 45 years. Practicing in Arlington, TX at the Law Offices Of Christian Jenkins P.C.

James Bridge serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Firm Managing Attorney at Bailey & Galyen, one of the largest consumer law firms in Texas. A dedicated leader and experienced attorney, James has been instrumental in driving the firm’s success and overseeing its operations. James earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University (TCU) and went on to graduate from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 1998. During law school, he demonstrated his leadership abilities as the President of the Student Bar Association and as the President of his legal fraternity. With a proven track record in litigation, James is a member of the prestigious Top 100 National Trial Lawyers Association. Over the course of his career, he has secured settlements totaling more than $100 million in net attorney fees during his many years practicing personal injury law.

S. Michael Graham was born in Dallas County, Texas on November 4th, 1963, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson high school in 1982. He went on to receive his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. He earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1991. In 1993, Mr. Graham received his Texas law license. From 1993 – 1996, Mr. Graham worked for several small law firms. In 1997 Mr. Graham started a solo law practice. Since 1997, Mr. Graham has devoted his efforts to representing injured workers at administrative hearings before the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation and on appeal. Mr. Graham also represents injured workers in trial by jury in both county and district courts.

Dan Christensen has been practicing law since 1994. He started his career working in military courts, notorious for their strict adherence to rules and procedures. For the last several years, Dan has focused his practice exclusively on representing injury victims. He has been involved in almost 200 trials during his career in numerous federal and state courts against the largest defendants, including the U.S. Government. Dan will utilize his experience and proven results while fighting for you. Regardless of the size of the opponent, Dan has the experience and legal knowledge to aggressively advocate for his clients. And, just as important, he will give you and your case the personal attention it deserves from the initial free consultation through trial. Dan received a bachelor’s degree with Honors in 1991 and his J.D. with distinction from the University of Iowa in 1994. After graduating from law school, he served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) in Fort Hood, Texas. He served as a prosecutor and defense counsel in numerous administrative hearings and courts-martial ranging from minor offenses to kidnapping, rape, and capital murder. After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army JAG Corps, Dan joined a Texas personal injury law firm. Dan worked as the Chief of its Litigation Department and was the firm’s principle trial lawyer for years, trying numerous cases each year. Also, as the head of the firm’s personal injury division, Dan supervised and mentored between 15 and 20 trial lawyers at a time as they prosecuted thousands of cases. Dan is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, as well as Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is an Associate Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a Graduate of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer College. He has been recognized by Texas Monthly as a “SuperLawyer.” Dan is listed in Best Lawyers in America and as National Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Besides representing injured Texans, Dan has contributed substantial time to writing articles for local and national publications, speaking to groups on various legal tops, and serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas School of Law.

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.

Richard Pena is president and CEO of the firm. He was elected by his peers to serve as the President of the State Bar of Texas from 1998-1999. He served as President of the American Bar Foundation and was on the Board of Governors for the American Bar Association. He is also past president of the Travis County Bar Association, former Chair of the Texas Bar Foundation, and former Chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. He was a director to the State Bar of Texas and a State Delegate to the ABA. Richard has received three Presidential Citations from the State Bar of Texas for his meritorious service to the profession and has been selected a member of the prestigious American Inns of Court as well as receiving the Distinguished Lawyer Award presented by the Austin Bar Association in 2007. The Texas Bar Journal recognized him as 1 of 20 "trailblazers" in the February 2014 issue. He also was the recipient of the 2010 Difference Makers Award presented by the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division. Richard is a national leader in the legal field, and is active in the American Bar Association, where he led the Texas Delegation to the ABA. He has also been active in the American Bar Foundation, where he was previously on the Board of Directors. Recently he served as Chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, which is the preeminent attorney group in the country with membership limited to one third of one percent (1/3 of 1%) of the lawyers in America. Richard has been on the Advisory Board of People to People Ambassadors Program and has led Delegations of Texas and U.S. Lawyers to numerous countries including, Turkey, South Africa, China, Tibet, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Israel, and Brazil. He was also Chair of a U.S.-Russian Joint Conference on the Rule of Law in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2006 he received the Eisenhower Achievement Award from the program. Richard's trip to Egypt was featured in an article in the Austin American-Statesman as well as in the Austin Business Journal. He is currently Special Assistant for Legal Program Travel to Academic Travel Abroad.

Jeff Todd has a broad range of legal experience and has practiced law in numerous jurisdictions and settings. Upon graduating from law school, he practiced reinsurance law at Chadbourne & Park in Washington, D.C. He subsequently relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and initially served as in-house counsel to Delta Air Lines, focusing primarily on marketing and mergers. In search of acquiring more courtroom experience, he joined a high volume workers' compensation firm in Decatur, Georgia, where he successfully represented hundreds of injured workers throughout Georgia. Jeff ultimately returned to Texas and was most recently associated with Greer, Herz & Adams of Galveston, where from 2003-2007, he practiced with some of the most highly skilled and regarded attorneys in Galveston County. Jeff started his own firm in 2018 to better serve his clients and has assembled a top notch team to achieve the best results for his clients. Given the broad success of his new firm, Jeff has expanded offices in Galveston and Austin to better serve clients throughout the state and country.

The Devadoss Law Firm, P.L.L.C. is committed to ensuring governmental employees are afforded proper representation in employment arbitration and employment mediation. As federal employees, you may encounter various types of adverse actions, disputes, and grievances. Having an experienced lawyer from our firm to represent you during these proceedings can ensure your rights are protected. Are you a federal employee requiring employment arbitration or mediation? Please call The Devadoss Law Firm, P.L.L.C. at 972-726-7400 to arrange your free case evaluation. We are committed to standing up for the rights of federal employees. Arbitrations often involve labor unions and labor union grievances. But we represent all employees at all pay grades in arbitration. As experienced former federal lawyers, we understand what it takes to successfully represent your interests in employment arbitration. Our firm has a high success rate in mediation. Mediation is considered a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that is less adversarial than litigation and oftentimes administrative proceedings. We believe we are successful in mediation because of our creativity, our negotiation skills, and our strong belief in our clients. We represent federal employees in various arenas of mediation including EEOC, MSPB, Office of Special Counsel, OWCP, and in several administrative forums. If you are a federal employee concerned about any adverse, retaliatory, or disciplinary actions against you, please contact our firm to learn how we can help.