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.

Tanner and Associates, PC is a nationally recognized firm on the leading edge of labor and employment law. With a strong client base, the firm’s cornerstone is representation of international and national labor organizations in litigation, administrative proceedings, arbitration and collective bargaining matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act. The firm’s employment and business litigation practice is focused on representing professionals, executives and employees in contract, tort, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and retaliation cases. The firm also undertakes collective actions and other complex litigation. Rod Tanner established the firm in 1999 with the singular objective of providing superior legal service in major labor, employment and business disputes. Tanner is Board Certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has extensive experience in trials and appeals in federal and state courts, administrative proceedings before federal and state agencies, labor arbitration and in mediation. Whether in the courtroom or at the bargaining table, the firm’s attorneys employ sophisticated and innovative strategies designed to achieve successful outcomes for their clients in a cost-efficient manner. Labor and employment law is a dynamic field that often presents difficult challenges for organizations and individuals. Tanner and Associates’ attorneys have the reputation, expertise, experience and vision necessary to succeed in any setting. And they never lose sight of the fact that their value to clients is determined by the results they achieve.

Ashok Bail is the principal attorney for The Bail Law Firm, a Houston, Texas law firm that practices federal & private sector employment law and labor law nationally and throughout the state of Texas. Mr. Bail has represented clients in the following Texas cities: Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, McAllen, Marshall, Tyler, Corpus Christi, Laredo, El Paso, Beaumont, Brenham, Brownsville, El Campo, and Orange. Mr. Bail has represented clients in the following states across the United States of America: Texas, Washington D.C., Louisiana, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New York, and North Carolina. With nearly two decades of experience, Mr. Bail's client centered approach is what distinguishes The Bail Law Firm from many other law firms. In our profession we are known as "Attorneys" and "Counselors of Law." Mr. Bail understands that his role as counselor is equally important as his role as attorney. When a client comes to visit Mr. Bail for the first time, Mr. Bail understands that it might be the first time the client has spoken to anyone who is interested in helping them with their legal issues. Mr. Bail listens to his clients.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Escover served in the United States Marine Corps for ten years as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician. While fulfilling his military duties, John earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Park University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. In December 2000, John graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law, where he was a Law Review Write-On Invitee as well as a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honors Fraternity. After law school, John began his legal career as a prosecutor in Williamson County’s Attorney’s Office where he was responsible for prosecution of all classes and phases of misdemeanor litigation including jury and bench trials, plea negotiations, probation revocations, and appeals. In 2003, John transitioned to civil litigation becoming an associate at Watson, Rossick PC, a firm specializing in toxic tort and products liability defense. John later served as an enforcement attorney for the Texas Lottery Commission representing the Commission during enforcement hearings at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. He also investigated, prosecuted and negotiated the largest fine at that time ever assessed against a bingo game manufacturer in the State of Texas. In 2006, John honed his trial experience in Austin concentrating his practice in medical malpractice, labor and employment, products liability, and personal injury actions securing millions in settlements and judgments on behalf of his clients. In 2011 the most destructive wildfire in Texas history decimated 1500 homes and business in Bastrop County, Texas. John and Bill Rossick filed suit on behalf of over 60 families and business owners against the electric company servicing Bastrop County and its vegetative management services company for failing to properly maintain its electrical lines that became entangled with tree branches that caused the fire. After over three years of doggedly prosecuting the claims of those home and business owners John and Bill secured a multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of their clients. Although John and Bill have since formed their own law firms, they continue to work together and represent clients in various matters as co-counsel. John is licensed in the United States Supreme Court, State of Texas, the United States District Court Western District of Texas, and is a member of the Texas Bar Foundation which is an organization of attorneys who represent the top 1/3 of 1% of the legal profession. From 2001 until 2010, John was also a professor of Criminal Justice for the University of Phoenix. John lives in Leander with his wife Donna and they have four children Bailey, Nolan, Keeli, and Wesley, two dogs, a turtle, and a hedgehog. Their lives are filled with sports, sports, and more sports from baseball, volleyball, football, basketball, and track.

Guy Neil Goodson graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1973, and then attended law school at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1976. Guy began his legal career at the law firm of Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller in Fort Worth, Texas specializing in tax practice, and moved to Beaumont in 1978 as regulatory counsel for Gulf States Utilities Co. Guy is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas, Texas courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Guy is active in the legal community having been President of the Jefferson County Bar Association in 1991-1992, and President of the Young Lawyers Association in 1984. He represented Ward II on the Beaumont City Council from 1990 – 2003, and served as Mayor for the City of Beaumont, Texas, 2005 – 2007. Guy is also active in state municipal affairs and served as President of the Texas Municipal League in 2001 – 2002. Guy is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Bar Foundation, and a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Guy N. Goodson concentrates and has extensive experience in public entity and administrative law with a strong emphasis on municipal bond and special project financing while representing local government units including cities, counties, port and navigation districts, river and water authorities, special districts, economic development corporations, and emergency service districts.

Brant Stogner grew up in El Campo, Texas – a small town about an hour southwest of Houston. In high school, Brant excelled at both athletics and academics. Brant graduated in the top ten percent of his high school class; in sports, Brant and the Ricebirds won six district championships in football and baseball during his three years starting on varsity. Brant earned all-district honors all three years in both sports while also participating in theater and the National Honor Society. Despite a knee injury and subsequent knee surgery in his senior year of high school, Brant accepted a full scholarship to the University of Houston to play linebacker for the Cougars under former head coach Kim Helton. In college, Brant’s academic success continued. In his freshman year at the University of Houston, Brant earned the 1997 Conference USA Academic Excellence Award, earning the highest grade point average (GPA) of all football players in the conference. After playing two seasons, and having three surgeries in as many years, Brant decided to hang up his football cleats and transfer to Texas A&M University to complete his business degree. In College Station, Brant’s scholastic accolades continued to mount. Brant was a member of numerous honor societies and graduated in the top ten percent of his class with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. After graduation from Texas A&M University, Brant moved back to Houston to attend law school at South Texas College of Law Houston. In law school, Brant quickly became a member of the law school’s nationally ranked mock trial and moot court program under Dean T. Gerald Treece. Following just his third semester in law school, Brant won the Intramural Summer Academy Mock Trial Competition and received the Best Speaker Award. Ultimately, Brant competed as a varsity advocate in 15 mock trial and moot court competitions across the country. In addition to numerous individual speaker awards, Brant won a state tournament championship, a regional moot court tournament championship, two regional mock trial tournament championships, and, ultimately, a National Championship in mock trial at the ATLA National Trial Competition in his final semester of law school. Brant graduated law school in May of 2006 in the top fifteen percent of his law school class, was admitted into the Order of Barristers, and received the 2006 Dean’s Outstanding Student Advocate Award. Following graduation from law school and after taking the bar exam, Brant accepted an associate position at Houston law firm, Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering (now named LeClair Ryan) while waiting for bar results. In November of 2006, Brant received his license to practice law from the State Bar of Texas while working at Hays McConn. As a licensed attorney, Brant continued to work with multiple partners on a wide range of cases in civil litigation, representing primarily defendants in personal injury and business disputes. Brant worked as a lawyer during the day and as a law professor at night while he coached South Texas College of Law Houston mock trial teams for his alma mater. After learning the ropes at Hays McConn for nearly two years, Brant accepted an associate position with Abraham Watkins in August of 2008. Brant has been with Abraham Watkins ever since and is now a firm partner with his name in the firm’s name. At Abraham Watkins, Brant has continued to consistently try cases to verdict. Brant tried twelve cases to verdict in his first three years at the firm. Today, he exclusively represents plaintiffs. Brant’s practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury matters, including gas explosions, commercial auto and 18 wheeler cases, refinery and petrochemical explosions, product defect cases, commercial business disputes. Since joining the firm, Brant has helped hundreds of his clients obtain compensation for their injuries and damages caused by others. Brant is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. He received this certification within his first five years of legal practice, which is the soonest an attorney can become board certified in Texas. In 2009, Brant received the largest verdict (over $20 million) in Texas for workplace safety and injuries and was listed in Verdict Search’s Top Texas Verdicts of 2009. Brant is a board member of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association and is a founding member of the South Texas College of Law Houston Young Alumni Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the South Texas College of Law Houston Alumni Association and served as President in 2019. Brant was named to the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star list from 2011 to 2013. He was named to H Texas Magazine’s “Houston’s Top Lawyers 2013” list and has been named to Houstonia Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” list since 2013. Despite being only thirty-four years old, Brant was selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list in 2013. He has been named to the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2013 and the Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers and Top 100: Houston Super Lawyers lists since 2019. In 2014, Brant was also added to the Top 40 Texas Attorneys Under 40 list by the National Trial Lawyers Association and received the award each year until he turned 40 years old. Brant has also been named to the Nation’s Top One Percent list by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel since 2015. Brant was also nominated for and inducted into the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) as a member in 2015 and was the youngest inductee in the 2015 class. In 2016, South Texas College of Law Houston honored Brant with the inaugural Young Alumni Award. He was the first recipient to receive this award from South Texas College of Law Houston. Brant met his wife, Jennifer O’Brien Stogner, in law school and she was one of his mock trial partners when they won the ATLA Regional Championship in Dallas, Texas and the National Championship in Miami, Florida. Brant and Jennifer have two boys, Ryker and Beckett Stogner, and one girl, Holland Stogner. Brant and Jennifer’s partnership continues as Jennifer joined the firm in 2018 as Of Counsel.

Ruth M. Willars is a Partner in the Labor & Employment practice group at Monty & Ramirez LLP, where she represents employers and businesses in employment law, business law, regulatory compliance, workplace investigations, and commercial litigation. Ruth advises companies across a variety of industries on complex workplace and operational matters, delivering practical legal strategies designed to reduce risk, resolve disputes, and protect business interests. Ruth has extensive experience defending employers in litigation, administrative proceedings, and government investigations involving workplace and business-related disputes. She has successfully represented clients in matters involving discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour claims, breach of contract disputes, workplace safety issues, and other complex employment-related litigation. Ruth also has strong trial experience and is recognized for effectively advocating for clients in high-stakes disputes and achieving favorable outcomes. In 2025, she represented a plaintiff in a jury trial that resulted in a judgment entered in the plaintiff’s favor following the jury’s verdict, and subsequently handled post‑trial and enforcement proceedings arising from that judgment. Her practice includes conducting internal investigations and advising employers responding to investigations by government and regulatory agencies, including OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She regularly counsels employers on OSHA compliance, workplace safety investigations, employee discipline, harassment and discrimination investigations, retaliation claims, wage and hour compliance, and employment policy enforcement. In addition to her employment law practice, Ruth advises businesses on commercial contracts, business disputes, and day-to-day operational matters. She regularly assists clients with contract drafting and negotiation, breach of contract claims, regulatory compliance issues, and business risk management strategies. Her combined experience in employment and business law allows her to provide comprehensive counsel to employers navigating legal challenges affecting both their workforce and overall business operations.

Karen R. Bennett, managing principal with the firm, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from the University of Texas at Arlington. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech University. Karen has handled a docket of personal injury and civil litigation files since the beginning of her practice. She is also the principal in charge of the firm’s Family Law Department. She has litigated cases in the discovery phase and trial of several complex cases including those involving class actions and prescription drugs. She is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Texas, Texas state courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is a member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, State Bar of Texas, Texas Women Lawyers, Jefferson County Bar Association along with Family Law Section, Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, American Board of Trial Advocates, and Houston Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates. She also has served on the Board of Directors for the Jefferson County Bar Association and has been a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and Mickey Mehaffy Inns of Court. She has served on the Board of the Jefferson County Bar Association Auxiliary and is a past President. She has also served on the Board of the Junior League of Beaumont. She was recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer”, a Thompson Reuters publication, in 2013-2024. Karen has been active in many local volunteer organizations in the community.

Victoria L. Plante is the founding attorney of Plante Law Firm, P.C. Since 1997, she has represented individuals and small to mid-sized businesses in business formations, transactions, contracts, day-to-day operations as well as in litigation and internal matters related to employment and labor law. She has trained and assisted corporate management in the implementation of policies and procedures related to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, overtime pay, minimum wage, medical leave, and employee and independent contractor designations. Ms. Plante earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Arkansas William H. Bowen School of Law. She also holds a Master of Divinity in Missions from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ms. Plante is licensed by the State Bar of Texas. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, United States Court of Federal Claims, and United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She has also represented clients in employment and labor lawsuits outside the state of Texas, including California, Louisiana, and New Jersey. For more than two decades, she has successfully tried many cases in federal and state courts as well as administrative bodies like the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Texas Workforce Commission. She has authored several state and federal appellate briefs and has orally argued multiple times before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Federal Circuits. She has also briefed for review legal issues presented to the U.S. Supreme Court. She has also drafted legal memorandum as a U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Jones law clerk for the Eastern District of Arkansas. She is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the Texas Employment Lawyers Association, and the Labor and Employment and Real Estate sections of the State Bar of Texas. She is legal counsel and a member of the Board of Directors of two 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Evangelism and Missions organizations. She is an active member of the Missions and Evangelism ministries at her church. She has performed foreign missionary work in Africa and other countries and plans to devote more time to foreign missionary work in the future. Ms. Plante has been a panel speaker or presenter for various community and government based agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Government Procurement Connections. She has also given several pro bono seminars for employees and union members on employee rights. Throughout her scholastic and professional careers, she has received multiple awards and certificates. In 2009 and 2013, she was named among the successful businesses in Who’s Who in Black Houston.

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.