KEMP SMITH - Key Persons
Ancel Escobar is a partner in the firm's trial department focusing on commercial litigation. Ancel is an El Paso native. He attended the University of Houston where he earned his B.S. in Economics and Baylor University School of Law where he earned his J.D. in 2016.
Drew Miller is a partner in the firm's Austin office where he practices water, environmental, and administrative law, and serves as Chair of the firm's Public and Environmental Law Department. He regularly represents industrial and commercial entities, political subdivisions, and individuals including landowners in matters involving water rights and utilities, litigation, compliance, enforcement, permitting, and environmental and water due diligence matters. He has particular experience in litigation involving groundwater management, contaminated property and environmental permitting. He has also guided clients through Texas' brownfields redevelopment programs. Mr. Miller was recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2019-2023.
Job Titles:
- Attorney in Government and Administrative Law
Carl E. Ryan is a partner in the firm's Business Department focusing his practice on estate planning, probate and trust matters, gift and estate tax planning and exempt organizations, foundations and related charitable issues.
Mr. Ryan is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of Texas (since 1983), and is a member of the American Bar Association (Sections of Taxation [Exempt Organizations Committee], Business Law and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law [Special Problems of Charitable Institutions]).
He has participated as an author and speaker in various lectures and seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, the El Paso Bar Association, the El Paso Estate Planning Council, the Council on Foundations, the University of Texas at Austin and other organizations. Mr. Ryan is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory, is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, listed by The Best Lawyers in America, Woodard and White, 1994-2022, named 2013 El Paso's Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year and is a Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly.
PRACTICE AREAS
Estate Planning
Charlie High, partner, is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has consistently been listed in Best Lawyers in America and recognized as a Super Lawyer, one of the top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, and a top-50 Super Lawyers in the Central and West Texas Region. In 2007, Mr. High was listed in Texas Lawyer's Go-To Guide as one of the top five lawyers in Texas in the area of labor and employment law. Chambers USA also ranks Mr. High in the No. 1 Group of lawyers in Texas. In addition, he is past Chair of the Texas State Bar Labor and Employment Law Section. Charlie is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Chambers USA quotes "Charlie High is consistently held in high esteem by peers across Texas. Sources single him out as one of the deans of the labor practice"
PRACTICE AREAS
Labor and Employment
Darcy is a Partner in the firm's Public and Environmental Law Department. Darcy's practice focuses on serving as General Counsel to the Edwards Aquifer Authority in San Antonio, Texas. Included among the areas of Darcy's practice at the EAA are water rights, water districts, environmental law, endangered species, administrative law, public law, permitting, enforcement, and compliance counseling. Other positions that Darcy has held are Deputy Attorney General to the Idaho Department of Water Resources (Boise), Hearings Examiner for the Texas Water Commission (Austin), and Legal Advisor to the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (El Paso). Darcy has authored numerous articles in the area of water and environmental law and is a frequent speaker at conferences.
Deborah C. Trejo is a partner in the firm's Trial Department and Public and Environmental Law Department focusing on representing governmental entities and private clients in administrative matters and in trial and appellate proceedings before state and federal courts. Ms. Trejo specializes in groundwater issues, open government, regulatory takings, endangered species, elections, water quality, constitutional issues, enforcement, permitting and litigation.
Ms. Trejo is a frequent author and speaker and has consistently been selected for inclusion by Best Lawyers in America in the area of Administrative/Regulatory and Environmental Law and was named a Top Attorney by Austin Monthly in Government and Administrative Law.
Prior to joining Kemp Smith, Ms. Trejo worked on the Texas-Mexico border as an Assistant District Attorney for Cameron County, Texas, where she was involved in extensive litigation in state courts. During law school, Ms. Trejo held clerkships in the law firm of Clifford Chance in London, the Texas Office of the Attorney General in Austin, TX, and El Centro Legal Campesino in New Mexico and served as an attorney in the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic representing clients in state trial and appellate proceedings and before state and federal administrative agencies. She was also part of a special Tulane delegation to Havana where she worked with members of Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment to translate Cuba's Law No. 81 on the Environment.
PRACTICE AREAS
Appellate
Job Titles:
- Partner in the Corporate and Business
Gene Wolf is a partner in the Corporate and Business department and a member of the Management Committee. A native El Pasoan, he began as an associate in 1991 practicing primarily in the areas of securities, business and tax law. He was promoted to partner in 1997 with practice emphasis on tax, estate and business planning.
PRACTICE AREAS
Corporate and Business
Gilbert L. Sanchez is a partner in the firm's Labor and Employment Department. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico. Gilbert is a native of El Paso, Texas and attended the University of Texas at El Paso where he earned his B.A. in Business Finance in 2004, and the University of Wisconsin School of Law where he earned his J.D. in 2007.
Gilbert joined the firm in January 2008. Since that time, Gilbert has successfully represented employers in various types of employment matters including discrimination lawsuits and wage and hour disputes. In addition, Gilbert has represented employers in unfair labor practice and representation hearings before the National Labor Relations Board. Gilbert has successfully obtained summary judgments for clients on various issues both in state and federal court.
Gilbert is a frequent speaker on the topic of employment issues at local employment and human resource seminars in Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Sanchez was selected for inclusion in Texas Rising Stars in 2014 - 2021 and Texas Super Lawyer in 2022 by the publisher Thompson Reuters.
PRACTICE AREAS
Labor and Employment
Job Titles:
- Legal Assistant
- Legal Secretary
Ken has been consistently selected for inclusion in Texas "Super Lawyer" by publisher Thomas Reuters in the area of Civil Appellate Law since 2005, and has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America in Appellate Law, Commercial Litigation and Banking and Finance. He was named Appellate Lawyer of the Week" by Texas Lawyer Magazine - Texas Lawyer
Ken serves on the editorial board of the State Bar Litigation Section Report - "The Advocate".
PRACTICE AREAS
Appellate
Prior to joining Kemp Smith, Ancel's practice focused on the representation of diverse entities and individuals in various matters including the prosecution and defense of commercial claims and the defense of FELA, product liability, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death suits. He has also assisted various national entities in pre-litigation investigation of serious potential claims.
PRACTICE AREAS
Product Liability
James W. Brewer is a partner in the firm's Corporate and Business Department and serves on the Management Committee. He practices in the areas of bankruptcy, business restructuring, lending, and commercial litigation. Mr. Brewer is Board Certified in both Business Bankruptcy and Consumer Bankruptcy by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Brewer has extensive experience representing parties in bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings, commercial litigation, and commercial lending and finance transactions. Mr. Brewer was recognized In Best Lawyer and as a "Texas Super Lawyer" in 2012-2023.
Job Titles:
- Legal Operations Support Manager
Ken Slavin is a partner in the firm's Litigation Department and is licensed to practice in Texas and New Mexico. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Slavin's practice areas include civil appellate law, oil and gas litigation, condemnation litigation, governmental litigation, contract and fiduciary litigation, bank litigation, insurance litigation, commercial litigation and construction litigation. In addition to his trial work, Mr. Slavin has handled over 200 civil appellate matters including appeals before the Texas Supreme Court, various Texas courts of appeals, the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Tenth Circuits, the New Mexico Supreme Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
Mark Osborn is Chief Executive Officer of Kemp Smith focusing on the firm's long term strategic growth and development. He has over 35 years of experience representing clients in commercial lawsuits and appeals in state and federal courts. A substantial portion of his practice is in the areas of governmental representation, business ownership and control disputes, real estate, contract, class action, environmental, and intellectual property litigation, and trademark registration. He is a member of the Litigation, Intellectual Property, Antitrust and Business Litigation, and Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas and the Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections of American Bar Association. Mr. Osborn has authored articles, lectured and organized continuing legal education programs for the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, and local professional and business groups on litigation in Mexico, legal ethics, using technology in the practice of law, antitrust law, intellectual property law, state and federal debt collection law, litigation involving the FDIC, and pro-bono death penalty representation.
Bobby Maddox, J.D., C.P.A., is a partner in Kemp Smith's Corporate and Business department and primarily practices in the areas of estate planning, probate, taxation and business law. Prior to joining Kemp Smith, Mr. Maddox served with the Supreme Court of Virginia as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Leroy R. Hassell, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. A fourth-generation El Pasoan, Bobby decided to return to his hometown in 2002 to practice law with Kemp Smith with the goal of carrying on the Maddox family tradition of serving the El Paso community with excellence just as his grandfather Truett (the oral surgeon) did throughout his life and his father Bobby (the ophthalmologist) did for 38 years.
Bobby's academic achievements have exhibited his commitment to excellence. After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso with highest honors and spending several years in the accounting field, Bobby went on to attend law school on full academic scholarship at Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he graduated summa cum laude and was named Co-Outstanding Graduate from the School of Law. While in law school, Bobby served as Managing Editor of the Regent University Law Review and on Regent's Student Bar Association as President of his class.
PRACTICE AREAS
Corporate and Business
Mike McQueen is a former partner and managing partner of the firm who has retired and is now serving in an Of Counsel role. When he is not at his "Westside office" at El Paso Country Club, Mike will be around to use his almost 45 years of experience to provide guidance to younger attorneys and to make sure there are no leftovers from firm pot luck luncheons. He is grateful to the many clients who trusted him with their labor and employment needs and to the outstanding attorneys in the firm's Labor and Employment Department with whom he has collaborated, celebrated, and commiserated over the years. While Mike is no longer available to handle your legal matters, they are ready to assist and he would be delighted to introduce you to them.
Mitzi Shannon is a former partner in the firm's Trial Department who has retired and is now serving in the Of Counsel role. Ms. Shannon's focus was commercial litigation involving construction, contracts, civil rights defense litigation, environmental matters, class actions, lender liability matters and government contracting issues. She has participated in numerous arbitrations and mediations as part of alternative dispute resolution, and has represented clients both in state and federal court.
While Mitzi is no longer available to handle your legal matters, our trial department is ready to assist and Mitzi would be happy to introduce you to them.
Job Titles:
- Legal Assistant
- Legal Secretary
Rachel C. Moreno is a partner in the firm's Trial Department. The focus of her practice is commercial litigation and appeals. Ms. Moreno previously worked for the firm from 2012 to 2019 representing clients in complex personal injury and wrongful death litigation, and commercial disputes. She then served as the senior staff attorney to Chief Justice Yvonne Rodriguez at the Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso, Texas.
Randolph H. Grambling is a partner in the firm's Trial Department. Mr. Grambling is a native El Pasoan and the third-generation of the Grambling family to practice law in El Paso.
CaraLyn Banks is a partner in the firm's Trial Department. Ms. Banks maintains a diverse civil litigation and general healthcare practice. The focus of her practice is the defense of healthcare providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, physicians, nurses, and nurse midwives, product manufacturers, building contractors, and various other governmental and business entities in tort and commercial litigation. She has also defended physicians who appeared before the New Mexico Board of Medical Examiners, nurses who appeared before the New Mexico Board of Nursing, and accountants who appeared before the New Mexico Accountancy Board. In addition, she has represented healthcare entities before other administrative bodies, including the New Mexico Department of Health, Children Youth & Families Department, and the New Mexico Human Services Department.
In addition to litigation, Ms. Banks works with and advises hospitals in the area of risk management, contract development, dispute resolution with third-party payers, licensure review by regulatory and administrative agencies, employment disputes, peer review proceedings, and compliance with various federal and state statutes and regulations applicable to healthcare providers, including patient privacy and security. Ms. Banks also works with other healthcare providers in the formation of business entities and obtaining relevant licenses and certifications.
Ms. Banks received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Weber State University in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1982 and a Bachelor Degree in Nursing in 1987 from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. She then attended St. Louis University in St. Louis Missouri, earning both her Juris Doctor and Masters Degree in Health Administration in 1992. Before moving to Las Cruces in 1999, Ms. Banks worked as a Bureau Chief for the New Mexico Human Services Department, Medical Assistance Division.
PRACTICE AREAS
Health Care
Ms. Moreno was selected for inclusion in 2017, 2018, and 2019 "Texas Rising Stars" by the publisher Thomson Reuters.
PRACTICE AREAS
Appellate
Areas of practice include motor vehicle accidents, insurance coverage and claims and litigation. Mr. Grambling has received an AV® Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Randy has been consistently selected for inclusion in Texas "Super Lawyer" by publisher Thomas Reuters.
His geographic area of practice includes El Paso, Midland, Odessa and Lubbock, Texas.
PRACTICE AREAS
Trial