Constitutional Law lawyers within 300 miles of Dallas Texas

John Robinson has been licensed to practice in Texas since 1991 and attained Board Certification in Criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1998. His Board Certification is a mark of excellence and a distinguished accomplishment that only one in ten Texas attorneys attains. That Certification indicates that Mr. Robinson has substantial, relevant experience and has demonstrated the same in his representation of clients accused of committing crimes. Mr. Robinson is relentlessly committed to the protection of the constitutional rights of every client. For that, Mr. Robinson is respected throughout Dallas County and surrounding Counties. His experience in preparation, negotiation, and the trial of criminal cases is unparalleled. With over twenty five years of experience throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Mr. Robinson has successfully defended hundreds of clients. His results include numerous dismissals and not guilty verdicts at trial.

Carmen Jo Rejda-Ponce (“CJ”) is a Principal in Germer’s Houston office, but her practice takes her all across Texas. She regularly counsels and defends both private and public sector clients on matters involving employment issues and civil (constitutional) rights. She handles matters from the pre-claim and pre-suit stage, through litigation, and through appeal. She is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. CJ focuses on a broad range of labor and employment litigation, including, discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, disability accommodation, workers’ compensation retaliation, on-the-job injuries, and wage and hour issues. She has represented private and public sector clients in employment-related disputes before federal and state courts, federal and state administrative agencies, and arbitrators. CJ counsels private and public sector employers on labor and employment concerns, including, addressing medical leave, developing and revising workplace policies and procedures, investigating and addressing employee complaints, conducting employee disciplines and terminations, drafting employment, separation, and other agreements, and determining proactive solutions to workplace problems while avoiding litigation. CJ also defends public sector clients —including counties, cities, and law enforcement officers— in a variety of civil rights matters, including defense of first amendment retaliation, excessive force, wrongful arrest, inmate medical care, and jail death matters. Many of these civil rights matters involve qualified immunity issues for law enforcement officers. Through her civil rights defense work, CJ has gained appellate experience. She has handled multiple federal and state appeals. She has successfully argued for her clients twice before the Fifth Circuit, and is looking forward to more opportunities. CJ also has experience with personal injury litigation, including on-the job-injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and negligence claims against public entities. CJ’s private practice experience includes Baker Botts LLP and Reed Smith LLP. CJ also previously served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Houston in Labor, Employment, and Civil Rights Division. She was also a registered lobbyist during the 2013 Regular Session of the Texas Legislature.

Larry J. Simmons, Jr., a principal in the firm, has tried dozens of cases as lead attorney in a variety of commercial, employment, civil rights and personal injury lawsuits. Larry is one of only seven Texas attorneys double Board Certified as a Specialist in Labor & Employment Law (2005) and Personal Injury Trial Law (1999) by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Larry is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has been recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer”, a Thompson Reuters publication, in 2007, 2010-2020, and 2022-2025. In 2015, he was recognized in the Top 100 Houston Super Lawyers List, a Thompson Reuters publication. Larry is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and is also listed in the 2010-2022 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, by BL Rankings. Larry represents dozens of public and private sector employers in a variety of matters, ranging from consultation to trial work, including general litigation, discrimination, wrongful termination and wage & hour class action cases. Larry also represents public sector clients in a variety of civil rights matters, including defending excessive force, inmate medical care and jail death cases, many of which have received national media attention. Larry graduated in the top five percent of his Baylor Law School class, receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, cum laude. While in law school he held several positions with the Baylor Law Review including Executive Editor, Research & Topics Editor and Notes & Comments Editor. He was elected to the Baylor Order of Barristers. He was selected as a Top Ten Speaker in Moot Court and was awarded an Academic Merit Scholarship. Prior to law school, Larry obtained a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Lamar University and a Masters degree in Engineering Management from Southern Methodist University. Larry is an active member of the local business community, currently serving on the state and local boards of multiple employer associations. He is also a member of the State Bar of Texas Labor & Employment Section, and Texas Association of Defense Counsel. He is admitted to practice before Texas courts, and the United States District Court for the Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas. Larry has been a principal with Germer since January 1997.

Mr. Banker is a board certified specialist in criminal law with 30 years experience. He is dedicated to the best interest and well-being of those he represents, and with whom he is a true “brother in arms”. As such, he advocates for the success of his clients in courts of law all over Texas and the United States. A native Texan, Mr. Banker was born and raised in the Houston area. He graduated with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin and received his Law degree (J.D.) from the University of Houston Law Center. In between these degrees, Mr. Banker achieved a Master’s degree in Theology from Regent College, and a Master’s in Legal and Constitutional History from Rice University. Additionally, Mr. Banker has travelled extensively throughout Latin America and is fluent in the Spanish language. All this training and education has prepared Mr. Banker for what he believes is his vocational “calling” in life: To stand with and defend those who have found themselves in the very difficult circumstance of facing judgment in a court of law. As a Christian lawyer, he believes that helping people through difficult times is a natural outworking of this faith. Additionally, he counsels his clients to ultimately look to God as their helper, and see that adversity often produces more strength of character and greater faith in Him. Over the years, Mr. Banker has been involved in several “high profile” cases. One of which involved his representation of a high ranking member of the separatist group, the Republic of Texas. Several members had been charged in Federal Court in Dallas with bank fraud. After a month long trial, Mr. Banker’s client was the only one of the nine defendants found "not guilty". Another case involved the owner of a bus company, whose bus caught on fire when evacuating the Houston area because if Hurricane Rita. More than a dozen elderly people were killed in the accident. Mr. Banker’s client was charged in Federal Court in McAllen with several counts involving the operation of his buses. He was found “not guilty” of the felony charges that could have put him in prison for up to ten years, and given probation for two minor misdemeanors. On a personal note, Mr. Banker has been happily married to his wife Rose for over 20 years, and he has been actively involved in the lives of their children, Stevan, Faith and Joshua. They are members of Christ Family Church, where Mr. Banker teaches Sunday school and has been active in leadership for many years.

Do you need a relentless criminal defense? If you have been charged with a crime in Texas, you deserve the aggressive, detail-oriented, and cutting-edge defense that Attorney John L. Venza Jr. will provide. Based in Sugar Land, Texas, John L. Venza Jr. defends citizens accused of crimes throughout Southeast Texas, including the following counties: Fort Bend County, Harris County, Brazoria County, Wharton County, Matagorda County, Galveston County, and Montgomery County. From the time he was old enough to think about it seriously, John L. Venza Jr. aspired to be a criminal defense lawyer, and he began laying the groundwork for this goal early. When other children were reading the comics, John L. Venza Jr. was sitting at his parents' breakfast table, scouring the newspaper for stories about big trials and the lawyers who argued them. Later on, while other high school students busied themselves with typical teenage pursuits, John L. Venza Jr. took on a demanding schedule that involved honors classes, writing for the school newspaper, playing football, serving on the student council, and working at a pizza restaurant. Ultimately, John L. Venza Jr.'s dedication and hard work enabled him to graduate cum laude from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas.Staying focused on his goal, John L. Venza Jr. enrolled in college at the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in Government and minored in English. He concentrated on the system of government, the motivations behind it, and - most importantly - how the government could direct its power at its citizens through the court system. During those studies, John L. Venza Jr. developed an insider's understanding of the challenges people face when they are criminally accused by the government.After obtaining his undergraduate degree, John L. Venza Jr. enrolled at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. In law school, John L. Venza Jr. excelled academically. He graduated in the top fifteen percent of his class and, based on his high grades, was honored with a position on the prestigious South Texas Law Review. While on Law Review, John L. Venza Jr. wrote two lengthy research papers on criminal law topics, one on capital punishment, and the other on Texas constitutional search and seizure law. A brilliant writer, John L. Venza Jr. volunteered for and was granted the honor of serving as an Assistant Articles Editor on the Law Review While Law Review and his studies enabled John L. Venza Jr. to assimilate an incisive understanding of the law, it was his tireless work in mock trial that John L. Venza Jr. believes best prepared him for the things to come. Like his other extracurricular pursuits, John L. Venza Jr.'s enlistment in mock trial was purely voluntary. He could have been at home at night watching television. Instead, he concentrated on evidence law, rehearsed opening statements, and crafted the first of what would later become his calling card: excruciating cross examinations. John L. Venza Jr. competed in a series of rigorous mock trial tournaments, which often went on late into the night. During these simulated trials, John L. Venza Jr. began to develop a keen understanding of the law of evidence, an awareness of how judges evaluate cases, and an appreciation of what juries want. For his total commitment to mock trial work, John L. Venza Jr. was recognized with several individual awards and a school-wide team championship. In addition to classes, homework, Law Review, and mock trial, John L. Venza Jr. also worked during law school as an intern for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. In this capacity, John L. Venza Jr. was awarded a temporary bar card, which enabled him to prosecute actual criminal cases == while still only a law student. Also during law school, John L. Venza Jr. worked as a law clerk for a Houston law firm, which specialized in white collar criminal defense. His work at that firm included researching federal criminal issues and coauthoring articles, which were published statewide, on federal white collar crime. Both of these jobs, which John L. Venza Jr. held at the outset of his legal career, helped John L. Venza Jr. hone his understanding of the government, its powers and its ways.After graduating law school, John L. Venza Jr. went to work as a Do you need a relentless criminal defense? If you have been charged with a crime in Texas, you deserve the aggressive, detail-oriented, cutting edge defense that attorney John L. Venza Jr. will provide. Based in Sugar Land, Texas, John L. Venza Jr. defends citizens accused of crimes throughout Southeast Texas, including the following counties: Fort Bend County, Harris County, Brazoria County, Wharton County, Matagorda County, Galveston County and Montgomery County. From the time he was old enough to really think about it, John L. Venza Jr. aspired to be a criminal defense lawyer, and he began laying the groundwork for this goal early. When other children were reading the comics, John L. Venza Jr. was sitting at his parents' breakfast table, scouring the newspaper for stories about big trials and the lawyers who argued them. Later on, while other high school students busied themselves with typical teenage pursuits, John L. Venza Jr. took on a demanding schedule that involved honors classes, writing for the school newspaper, playing football, serving on the student council, and working at a pizza restaurant. Ultimately, John L. Venza Jr.'s dedication and hard work enabled him to graduate cum laude from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas. Staying focused on his goal, John L. Venza Jr. enrolled in college at the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in Government and minored in English. He concentrated on the system of government, the motivations behind it, and - most importantly - how the government could direct its power at its citizens through the court system. During those studies, John L. Venza Jr. developed an insider's understanding of the challenges people face when they are criminally accused by the government. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, John L. Venza Jr. enrolled at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. In law school, John L. Venza Jr. excelled academically. He graduated in the top fifteen percent of his class and, based on his high grades, was honored with a position on the prestigious South Texas Law Review. While on Law Review, John L. Venza Jr. wrote two lengthy research papers on criminal law topics, one on capital punishment, and the other on Texas constitutional search and seizure law. A brilliant writer, John L. Venza Jr. volunteered for and was granted the honor of serving as an Assistant Articles Editor on the Law Review. While Law Review and his studies enabled John L. Venza Jr. to assimilate an incisive understanding of the law, it was his tireless work in mock trial that John L. Venza Jr. believes best prepared him for the things to come. Like his other extracurricular pursuits, John L. Venza Jr.'s enlistment in mock trial was purely voluntary. He could have been at home at night watching television. Instead, he concentrated on evidence law, rehearsed opening statements, and crafted the first of what would later become his calling card: excruciating cross examinations. John L. Venza Jr. competed in a series of rigorous mock trial tournaments, which often went on late into the night. During these simulated trials, John L. Venza Jr. began to develop a keen understanding of the law of evidence, an awareness of how judges evaluate cases, and an appreciation of what juries want. For his total commitment to mock trial work, John L. Venza Jr. was recognized with several individual awards and a school-wide team championship.

Karen Landinger is a highly experienced appellate attorney who has spent 30 years successfully representing public and private clients in state and federal courts. She began her career as the Deputy Appellate Chief for the El Paso District Attorney’s Office, where she represented the State in high profile cases and helped secure the passage of key legislation. Karen transitioned into private practice in 2000, expanding her experience to constitutional law, construction, insurance, contract, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, business, international law administrative law and medical malpractice. Karen joined Germer in its San Antonio Office in 2022 where she focuses her practice on appellate work and the defense of corporate and individual business.

Nadine Ona is originally from Houston, graduated from Texas Tech, and joined Germer in 2017. While at Tech, she served as editor for the Business & Bankruptcy Law Journal and the Texas Bank Lawyer. She also interned for a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas—Beaumont Division and a justice at the First Court of Appeals in Houston. She has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star, a Thompson Reuters publication, in 2025. Nadine is licensed in Texas and Louisiana, and practices primarily in the areas of personal injury defense and civil litigation.