Royce J. "R.J." Watts II

Reza Torkzadeh is the Founder of The Torkzadeh Law Firm, a Plaintiff's only personal injury law firm with offices throughout California and Illinois. Reza has been recognized by his peers since 2010 as being a SuperLawyers Rising Star. Every year since 2014, Reza has been selected by his peers to the SuperLawyers list in California - an honor saved for no more than 5% of the lawyers in the country. In the past two years alone, Reza has obtained verdicts, judgments and settlements in excess of...

Mark McElree focuses his practice on real estate transactions, finance, and oil and gas matters. His clients include real estate developers, owners and investors, national and multi-national corporations and money center banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions. Mark also represents owners, producers, and lenders in oil, gas, and other natural resource transactions. Mark’s broad-based real estate development and lending expertise includes representing clients on comp...

Richard Schellhammer focuses his practice on construction law and business litigation, with an emphasis on design professional malpractice defense and commercial and residential construction litigation.Richard has experience in all aspects of the construction process, including negotiation and preparation of design and construction contracts, risk allocation, and project management. He litigates and arbitrates disputes involving design and construction errors, delay claims, building performan...

Kyle helps clients in the financial services industry navigate risk and solve problems. He advises banks, lenders, loan servicers, and securities firms regarding their legal obligations, and then he advocates for their interests when disputes arise. Because of his keen judgment and informed perspective, clients trust Kyle for the real-world advice they need to solve their problems. Kyle’s versatility allows him to perform a wide range of different roles and tasks effectively. From disti...

John is a founding shareholder of Cooper & Scully. A highly skilled and experienced trial lawyer, John's hallmark is his dedication to client satisfaction. John has been selected to the Texas Super Lawyers® list of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas from 2018-2021. He has been elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) with the rank of Advocate, and has been selected to D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas (2015-2020, and 2022). John is AV Preeminent Peer Review rated by ...

Michael Lowe is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Michael, who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Labry Welty is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law. Labry, who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Labry is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Travis M. Brown is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law, Insurance Law, Litigation - Construction and Litigation - Insurance. Travis M., who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Travis M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jervonne D. Newsome is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Jervonne D., who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jervonne D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Thomas Laughlin is one of the founding partners of the Dallas office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Thomas regularly represents clients in mergers and acquisitions (including controlling investments, preferred equity and other minority investments, and SPAC transactions), divestitures, joint ventures, debt and equity financings, restructurings and other corporate matters. Thomas has broad experience across many industries, but in particular, he has focused his practice representing clients in t...