LOVELL - Key Persons
Brian W. Farabough has practiced law in Amarillo with Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP since being admitted to the Texas Bar in 2011. Brian is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law. His practice focuses on oil and gas matters, contract and business disputes, contractor representation, cattle transaction disputes, and landowner representation in all types of matters, including condemnation. His oil and gas practice covers everything from the review and drafting of industry contracts to representing clients in oil and gas disputes through trial and appeal. On behalf of his clients in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, he regularly seeks the enforcement and/or protection of real property rights and rights under the terms and provisions of contracts and real property conveyance instruments. Brian also assists his clients with the collection of amounts owed for unpaid work, services and materials through breach of contract lawsuits and the filing and foreclosing of liens.
If you do not have a legal question for Brian, ask him about one of the other things that keep him busy outside of the office - his wife Becca, his daughter Lulu, or Texas prehistory and archaeology.
Education
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 2011
Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business, Master of Business Administration in Energy Finance and Real Estate Development, 2011
University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology/Archaeology, cum laude, 2005
Courtney D. Miller is a trial and appellate attorney with Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP. She has worked with the firm for over 16 years since graduating law school in 2006, focusing her practice on commercial litigation, personal injury litigation, immigration, and appellate work.
Courtney graduated from West Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, magna cum laude, in 2002. Subsequently, she earned her law degree from Baylor Law School in 2006.
She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Bar Foundation. She is also a member of the Panhandle Trial Lawyers Association, a director on the board of the Amarillo Area Bar Association and the Amarillo Area Bar Foundation. She is a former president of the Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association and the current president of the Amarillo Women's Bar Association.
Outside of practicing law, Courtney spends time with her family, including two young daughters.
Education
Baylor Law School, Juris Doctorate, 2006
West Texas A&M University, Bachelor of Science in Biology, magna cum laude, 2002
Jody Sheets has handled high profile litigation throughout Texas and across the country, having successfully handled cases in 17 states. He joined Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP in 2020 as Of Counsel focusing on complex civil litigation. Mr. Sheets' career includes a highly publicized win at the Texas Supreme Court in a decade-long property dispute over shifting boundaries along the Canadian River. Mr. Sheets won the day for a group of landowners that included oilman T. Boone Pickens and the prominent Whittenburg family of Amarillo after the state's highest court reaffirmed the method used to determine river boundaries in Texas.
Additionally, in other noteworthy past cases, he represented Trans-Pan Gathering Inc. in contractual disputes over Liquid Energy's refusal to accept the delivery of gas, which ended in large judgments in Trans-Pan's favor in three cases totaling about $42 million (Liquid Energy Corp. v. Trans-Pan Gathering Inc.). He also represented the sellers of gas in a case that challenged the circumstances under which Phillips Petroleum could hold escrow funds from the sale of that gas. The case established the gas producers' rights to the escrow money (Phillips Petroleum Co. v Gillman).
With close to 50 years of trial experience, Jody is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and achieved the status of Certified Civil Trial Advocate with The National Board of Trial Advocacy. He maintains the highest possible rating of AV Preeminent® with Martindale-Hubbell, a significant accomplishment in that his peers ranked him at the highest level of professional excellence. Furthermore, only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability are eligible to receive this rating.
Education
St. John's College, Master of Arts in Liberal Arts, 2014
University of Texas School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1971
The University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Government, 1969
John Lovell is the Managing Partner of Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP where he has worked since 1997. While he has had a wide range of successes in both state and federal courts, he is one of the few trained agronomists practicing cattle law on a regular basis. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, John learned about crop production, plant physiology, soils, irrigation, and more. He also worked on a ranch for five years after college, which contributed to his depth of understanding about cattle.
John takes pride in being extra thorough as he builds strong foundations for his cases by propounding and reviewing all items produced in an extremely thorough and complete discovery process. Being a document and witness focused lawyer gets him the proof he needs to bring the responsible parties to justice. In addition to intensive case-related preparation, John lets his clients know he cares about them as people and that they are not just cases to him. He feels that as a good lawyer it's important to be mindful of how each case is affecting the client emotionally, gain information about their feelings by listening to them, and provide them with details about what will be required of them so they are prepared and he can help them deal with any anxiety.
John is a trial lawyer who has experience at every stage of litigation, from filing lawsuits through appeals. While a premier cattle lawyer, John also handles an array of litigation for businesses and individuals on both the plaintiff and defense side. He has represented clients in litigation involving construction, liens, fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, RICO, and tortious interference. John is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization - a distinction less than 7% of licensed Texas attorneys hold.
John graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy in 1975, summa cum laude. He earned his law degree from Baylor University Law School in 1984. During law school, John won the Republic Bank Estate Planning and Trusts Award and the George C. and Albina Kacir Memorial Award.
John has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers every year since 2005, achieving his 15th year of the award in 2020. He has also achieved the highest possible rating, AV Preeminent, by legal industry rating service Martindale-Hubbell.
John was appointed to serve on the board of directors of the Texas Lawyers' Insurance Exchange - and has served as a board member for the past 13 years. He is also a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Amarillo Area Bar Association, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
Baylor University Law School, Juris Doctorate, 1984
Kevin Isern is a name partner with Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP. He has practiced law with the firm since 1999, focusing his practice on all aspects of complex civil litigation. Kevin has worked in the legal industry since 1991, working as a Briefing Attorney for the Fifth District Court of Appeals - Dallas for the Honorable John Whittington and the Honorable Barbara Rosenberg and working at some of the top law firms in the region for his practice areas.
Kevin's career includes the highly publicized case Texas Beef Group, et al. v. Oprah Winfrey, et al., in which he represented members of the Texas cattle industry in a lawsuit against the talk show mogul. Kevin is proud to have represented the interests of local Amarillo-based beef and pork production companies and workers.
He is licensed to practice in Texas and Oklahoma and admitted to practice in all federal district courts for Texas and Oklahoma. He is also admitted to practice before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Kevin is one of only a select few Texas lawyers to qualify as Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization - and he has maintained that designation since 1997. He is also double certified in civil and civil practice by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
What Kevin enjoys most about being a lawyer is it allows him to meet all types of people from all walks of life. He really gets to know each of his clients well; through building a real relationship with them, he can learn more about the situation beyond the initial facts. A self-described "people person," Kevin takes the time to get to know everyone involved in the legal process in this way - whether it's opposing counsel, judges, mediators, or experts. The care he puts into developing these relationships creates a professional and respectful environment within which to develop his cases. Of this approach, one opposing counsel stated, "I have tried a lawsuit against Kevin Isern and found him to be a very skilled advocate on behalf of his client. He is a very good communicator and is not the least bit afraid to try cases in court. I would gladly recommend him to others."
Kevin is a seasoned trial lawyer who has experience at every stage of litigation, from filing lawsuits through appeals. He handles an array of litigation for businesses and individuals on both the plaintiff and defense side in Texas, Oklahoma, and across the United States. Across his career, he has represented clients in litigation involving personal injury, business law and commercial litigation, probate litigation, and more.
Kevin graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1988. He earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1991.
Kevin has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Litigation for over 15 years - every year since 2005. He has also achieved a Distinguished Rating with legal industry stalwart Martindale-Hubbell - where at least one commenter noted that Kevin is "not only a terrific attorney but he is trustworthy."
Kevin is a member of numerous professional associations, including the State Bar of Texas. He was selected for inclusion in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and was appointed by Commissioners Court to the Committee For the Research of a Public Defender's Office in Potter County. Outside of work, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family and attending First Presbyterian Church.
Education
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1991
Arizona State University, Bachelor of Science in Political Science, 1988
Matthew Merriott is a trial attorney with Lovell, Isern & Farabough, LLP, having worked with the firm since 2017. Since then, he has worked on a wide variety of litigation matters, including commercial and real property issues, highly technical personal injury cases, and complex probate disputes. He has also handled appellate matters and has argued before the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. In his practice, Matthew enjoys learning about specialized industries and issues and using that knowledge to solve his clients' unique problems.
Matthew graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2014. He earned his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law, summa cum laude, in 2017. During law school, he received academic honors in Commercial Litigation, Advanced Bankruptcy Law, Income Tax Law, and many other classes. During school, he competed in Intraschool competitions for Moot Court, Mock Trial, and Negotiations and then served in leadership on the Board of Barristers that administers the competitions. He participated in the Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic and worked as a mediator with Lubbock's Dispute Resolution Center. After graduation, Matthew was selected for membership in the Order of the Coif honor society.
Since moving to Amarillo in 2017, Matthew and his wife, Deirdre, have started becoming part of the Amarillo community. Deirdre is a teacher at Travis Middle School Matthew serves as a board member for the Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association and for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Texas Panhandle. Matthew and Deirdre enjoy trying new local restaurants, hiking in the canyon with their dogs, and visiting the Amarillo Little Theatre.
Education
Texas Tech University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, 2017