GOLDSBERRY - Key Persons
Chris is the firm's lead paralegal and litigation manager. With more than eight years of experience in the high-pressure field of family law, Chris oversees all cases and ensures that all deadlines are met and cases are properly prepared for hearings and mediations. Chris knows the importance of family and is mindful of that when engaging with clients during their difficult times. She works closely with clients to ensure they are informed every step of the way. Chris earned her bachelor's degree in pre-law studies from the University of Houston - Clear Lake. She and her husband (also named Chris) love spending their free time with their kids and three dogs.
Demi is our Client Relations Manager and she is the first voice you hear when scheduling an appointment with an attorney. She strives to make all who call or enter our office feel comfortable and welcomed. She listens to your story with great empathy. Demi has a passion for family law. Knowing the stress our clients are experiencing, she strives to make a positive impact in people's lives. When not in the office, you can find Demi actively involved with the arts and community engagement. She serves as Vice President of Clear Creek Community Theatre and she is on the School Art Auction Committee for the Houston Livestock Rodeo.
Practice Areas
Divorce
Emily graduated cum laude from New York University, receiving her baccalaureate in individualized studies with a concentration in Middle Eastern studies and women's studies. She attended law school at Tulane University where she participated in the juvenile defense clinic and volunteered with Associated Catholic Charities in immigration law. She practices primarily immigration law and civil and criminal appellate law and is an outstanding research attorney and brief writer.
Emily is licensed in Texas and Maryland and is temporarily residing in England. Thanks to technology, Emily can work from any location and was able to accept this opportunity to reside in England.
Practice Areas
Divorce
Job Titles:
- Lawyers Association, Member
With more than thirty years of experience in the high-pressure field of family law, Jeannie oversees cases and ensures that all deadlines are met and cases are properly prepared for hearings, trials and mediations. Jeannie has been through her own divorce with a child and knows the importance of family and is mindful of that when engaging with clients during their difficult times. She works closely with clients to ensure they are informed every step of the way. She and her husband, Karl love spending their free time with their grandkids and five dogs.
Lindsay Lutterbie has been practicing family law in the Greater Houston area since she was licensed in 2012. She has been board-certified in family law since 2018, the first year in which she was eligible, and has maintained her board certification since that date.
Job Titles:
- Editor
- Senior Managing Partner
Shari Goldsberry is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and she has dedicated her career to providing effective legal counsel to clients at a reasonable cost. Her practice areas include family law, appellate practice and mediation services. She believes in treating clients as individuals with respect for their legal and financial situation. Ms. Goldsberry works aggressively for fair resolutions while striving to limit the costs associated with litigation
Complementing her excellent skills as a legal advocate and business manager, Ms. Goldsberry has served as the editor of two publications, trained as a mediator and provided pro bono legal services to the underprivileged.
Ms. Goldsberry was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where her family has run a machine shop for over 40 years. Ms. Goldsberry began her career managing this business, taking its annual sales from less than $100,000 to more than $2.2 million. Ms. Goldsberry's business experience also occasioned daily interactions with a diverse group of customers and vendors, increasing her ability to resolve problems with people from all walks of life.
While managing the family business, Ms. Goldsberry was also going to school. After earning an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Houston, she earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law. In law school, Ms. Goldsberry was part of the Trial Advocacy Program that was awarded its first-ever #1 ranking in U.S. News and World Report. She was also named to the prestigious Who's Who Among Law Students.
Following law school, Ms. Goldsberry clerked for a former appellate court chief justice at the prestigious downtown firm of Burrow & Parrott, LLP. During this clerkship, she obtained valuable insight into complex areas of litigation and appellate advocacy.
Since hanging her own shingle in 2005, Ms. Goldsberry has achieved impressive results for her clients in several disciplines of the law, including:
Acting as trial counsel on jury trials, bench trials and private arbitrations
Handling complex civil litigation involving property disputes and personal injury, concurrently managed a seven attorney law firm
Writing appellate briefs in more than a dozen cases - including four Writs of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court
Representing appellate clients in oral arguments before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Being selected as an amicus to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Supervising more than 20 law clerks
Acting as a third-party mediator
Ms. Goldsberry's practice also includes work for Child Protective Services. With a deep passion for protecting at-risk children, she's grateful for the opportunity to serve these little ones, whose voice may not otherwise be heard.
Shari Goldsberry - the firm's founder and senior managing partner - not only has a proven track record as a lawyer; she is been a successful business woman as well. Knowing what it's like to face the pressures of meeting a payroll, achieving sales goals, and ensuring unquestionable customer service in a family business, Ms. Goldsberry's business experience informs her approach to practicing law, while her business acumen directly contributes to her impressive list of courtroom victories. Ms. Goldsberry is also Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Ms. Goldsberry founded this firm with the unwavering belief that its clients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. In a world where huge law firms farm their clients out to unknown associates and are more concerned with billable hours than courtroom success, Goldsberry, Portz & Lutterbie, PLLC is a breath of fresh air.
Shari Goldsberry: Shari Goldsberry has dedicated her career to providing effective legal counsel to clients at a reasonable cost. Her practice areas include civil litigation, appellate practice and mediation services. She believes in treating clients as individuals with respect for both their legal issues and their pocketbook. Ms. Goldsberry works aggressively for fair resolutions while at the same time attempts to limit the prohibitively high cost of litigation.
Ms. Goldsberry was born and raised in Houston, Texas where her family has run a small business for over 40 years. While managing that business, she earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston. After college, she earned a law degree from South Texas College of Law. In law school, Ms. Goldsberry was part of the management team that earned the school's Trial Advocacy Program its first ever #1 ranking in U.S. News and World Report. In addition to her excellent skills as a manager and advocate, Ms. Goldsberry served as editor for two publications, trained as a mediator and provided pro bono legal services to the poor. As a result of her distinguished work in Law School, Ms. Goldsberry was named to Who's Who Among Law Students in her senior year.
Ms. Goldsberry clerked for a former appellate court chief justice at the prestigious downtown firm of Burrow & Parrott, LLP where she obtained valuable insight into complex areas of appellate advocacy. After law school, Ms. Goldsberry opened her own firm because she believes her talents are best utilized by serving clients directly instead of at a large law firm of anonymous attorneys whose purpose, oftentimes, is to bill the client as much as possible and speak to them as little as possible.
Education
South Texas College of Law Houston, Houston, Texas
J.D.
Sharon has more than thirty years of litigation experience, initially in the personal injury field for a few years and exclusively in family law since then. Sharon oversees all cases assigned to her, ensuring that deadlines are met and cases are ready prior to mediation, hearings, and trials. Sharon utilizes her experience gained throughout her extensive career as a family law paralegal to consistently and effectively assist clients and attorneys in every step of the case, including preparing discovery and assisting in court. Sharon ensures that clients feel comfortable and informed throughout their cases, while balancing the necessary deadlines and actions to keep the cases moving forward.
Job Titles:
- Billing Clerk
- Receptionist
Tawana is our receptionist, billing clerk and bookkeeper. She is the friendly and attentive voice you hear first. Tawana understands the adverse circumstances our clients are facing when they contact the firm. Her enormous amount of patience with potential and existing clients is what keeps the firm true to our vision of helping clients in their time of need. She is excellent at helping the client connect with the right attorney or legal assistant to help start their experience with the firm off on the right foot. Tawana's passion for helping people is just one of her many qualities. She is enthusiastic, compassionate and always ready to assist.
Virginia Portz believes in zealously and virtuously defending the rights and interests of her clients and fuses her naturally competitive and strong-willed mentality with the integrity and beliefs she values in the practice of law. It is this unique combination of qualities and her compassionate nature that drive her need and desire to win for her clients. Away from the office, Mrs. Portz enjoys personal time with her family and friends, bike riding, exercising and playing with her two dogs. She believes that an even balance between her work and personal life enhances her ability to be the best for her clients.
Virginia Portz is licensed in the state of Texas and provides representation in the Family and Civil Courts of Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Montgomery and Galveston counties.
Virginia Portz has been practicing in the greater Houston area since 2013. Mrs. Portz graduated from The University of Texas San Antonio with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Legal Studies in 2010. She received her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2013.
Pursuing a career in law was an easy decision for Mrs. Portz. She is a third-generation attorney following the footsteps of her father, Charles "Chuck" H. Portz, III, and her late grandfather, Charles H. Portz, II. Being raised in a family of attorneys it was only natural for her to gravitate towards a career in the legal field and practicing law was what she always wanted to do.