Joseph C. "Lum" Hawthorn

Phillip W. McCrury is the chair of the firm’s Estate, Trust, Probate, and Asset Protection section. He assists individuals, families, and family offices with all varieties of estate planning, generational wealth transfer strategies, trusts, life insurance strategies, and asset protection planning. In addition, he is involved in probate matters throughout Texas, including contested probate matters. Mr. McCrury is an active member of a number of bar sections involving estate and probate m...

Sumit K. Arora is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Construction. Sumit K., who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sumit K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Sam E. Taylor, II is the Managing Attorney of the asbestos litigation section in the Lanier Law Firm’s Houston office. Mr. Taylor has over 30 years of experience representing clients in state and federal courts. He has successfully tried to verdict over 50 civil jury trials in state district courts and federal district co...

Abbey Garber focuses his practice on tax litigation and providing advice in connection with applying tax laws to individuals, estates, corporations, and partnerships. Serving more than 30 years in the Office of Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service, he tried cases of all sizes in Tax Court, earning significant favorable opinions in fraud, tax shelter, and many other cases; received a full Tax Court opinion in an attorneys’ fees case; and prosecuted criminal tax cases in United S...

Alexandre A. Afanassiev is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Immigration Law. Alexandre A., who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alexandre A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Steve Fernelius successfully handles high-profile and complex litigation, especially matters that come under intense public scrutiny. He has a sophisticated understanding of how cases affect his clients’ business, and he does everything he can to resolve his clients’ problems. His work for clients includes representing an international oil and gas company in three separate trials from 2005 to 2009 involving a catastrophic explosion at one of its oil refineries, which ultimately re...

Jay A. Thompson has considerable experience in both regulatory and legislative issues involving the business of insurance. He regularly participates in regulatory proceedings involving contested case hearings, contested rate hearings, policy form approvals, rulemaking, licensing, mergers, acquisition and dissolution of insurance companies and other regulatory matters before the Texas Department of Insurance. As a registered lobbyist, Jay has represented both the property/casualty and life, ac...

Tyson Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Tyson, who practices law in Austin, Texas, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Tyson is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mark Dundon is a tax partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mark’s practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings and financing transactions, primarily in the energy industry. He has represented large and mid-cap private equity funds and their portfolio companies, as well as large public and private corporations.

Randy Howry is a partner at Howry, Breen & Herman LLP, and is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law. He has 25 years of experience representing individuals and businesses as a litigator, and has established a solid reputation as one of the top trial attorneys in the state. He has been recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine each year since 2004, and he was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (copyright by Woodward/Wh...