Joshua D. Smeltzer

Carol Willis Butrus is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law. Carol Willis, who practices law in Plano, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Carol Willis is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Podvin Jr. is a partner in the firm with more than 25 years of regulatory agency, law firm, and corporate experience. He is based in Dallas, Texas, where he works nationally with the firm’s clients. His practice areas include banking and financial services, litigation, corporate governance, finance, financial crisis advisory and litigation, financial regulatory, government relations strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. As outside counsel, Mr. Podvin works closely with the firm&r...

Mike is a trial lawyer with a passion for handling complex and technical cases. He has been repeatedly named a Texas Super Lawyer in commercial litigation, a Top Litigator, and a Best Lawyer in Dallas (D Magazine) and a Best Lawyer in America (Woodward White). Clients entrust Mike with their largest and most important cases, and he frequently represents clients as either a plaintiff and defendant where the amounts in dispute exceed $100 million. In the past few years, Mike has acted as trial ...

George Carlton is a founding member of Godwin Bowman PC, with more than 40 years of experience handling numerous trucking, oil field, construction accident cases, many involving death and serious injury. He also has extensive experience litigating numerous personal injury, property damage, toxic tort and product liability cases. Reflecting the standard of long-term excellence established in his legal practice, he has been selected among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, named to t...

Jerry Harris’ practice covers a broad and complex range of intellectual property issues with a primary focus on patents and trademarks. His straightforward yet persuasive communication style is key to understanding what his clients want and helping them achieve their desired goals. With substantial experience representing both patentees and alleged infringers, Jerry possesses a unique perspective regarding IP litigation. He has also developed a significant trademark practice advising cl...

Sidney H. Scheinberg chairs the Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights section of Godwin Bowman PC, representing clients in complex and critical cases. Based in the firm’s Dallas office, the primary focus of his practice is on bankruptcy and business litigation matters, with an emphasis on the representation of secured creditors, such as automobile finance companies and national banking associations. His clients have included such luminaries as Bank of America, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota Financial...

Throughout his career, Thomas R. Stauch has helped numerous clients throughout Dallas and northern Texas with complex commercial litigation cases, including construction, real estate and business tort litigation, as well as other matters. A partner at Nowak & Stauch, PLLC, in Dallas, Texas, he devotes the majority of his practice to litigation, but is often asked to review and draft contracts for his clients as well. In 2018, Tom was added to the Roster of Arbitrators for the American Arb...

Todd W. Spake is the chair of Kelly Hart's Oil & Gas/Energy Practice Group and represents oil and gas operators and interest owners across the state in his broad-based energy practice. Mr. Spake's primary focus is on transactional matters, including the purchase and sale of oil and gas producing properties, farm-outs, joint development agreements, natural gas processing and sale agreements, seismic agreements, complex rural and urban oil and gas leases and surface use agreements, pipeline...

Jennette (“Jenny”) E. DePonte is a true employment law litigator and counselor, eager to defend her client’s interests through trial and prepared to provide day-to-day advice at a moment’s notice. Board certified in both labor and employment and civil trial law, Ms. DePonte has successfully tried numerous cases in state and federal courts and arbitration, ranging from employment matters, contracts disputes, and torts to lawsuits involving catastrophic injury. She is al...

W. Alan Wright is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. W. Alan, who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which W. Alan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.