Tell us a bit about your background and career path. What led you to pursue a career in law?
I\’m a native Texan hailing from Aggieland. When I found out in the ninth grade that I wasn\’t good enough to make the soccer team, on a whim, I joined the debate team. I fell in love with debate and by tenth grade I knew I was headed to law school. I was recruited by the University of Kentucky, which has an extremely competitive and nationally recognized debate program. The persuasive skills I learned in debate have helped me immensely so far in my career as a litigator.
After spending time in the government at the Texas Attorney General’s office, you moved to a law firm. What prompted your decision to move at that point in your career?
Working for the Attorney General was a fantastic experience. I tried six cases in under a year and a half! I also made lifelong friendships and received excellent mentorship. Ultimately, I felt I could have a greater influence on my community and greater direction over my career by entering the private sector.
What inspired you to join the Snell Law Firm?
I believe in fighting hard for my clients, but also fighting smart. So does the Snell Law Firm. Jason Snell’s approach to practicing law is thoughtful, responsive and creative. He is extremely detail oriented but does not lose the forest for the trees. I joined the firm because I believe in its core values and I know I can assist the firm in offering thoughtful yet forceful representation to clients in need.
Can you talk a bit about what your work will focus on as Senior Counsel at The Snell Law firm?
I am passionate about assisting individuals and organizations whose interests have been harmed by the negligence, fraud or carelessness of others. I will work diligently to provide our clients with honest, cost-effective advice. I also hope to help expand the firm’s growing real estate, construction law and entertainment law practices. Finally, I aim to advise clients of their rights and responsibilities regarding increasingly complex financial transactions in a dynamic modern economy.
What are some of the most noteworthy matters you’ve worked on?
I’ve been privileged to work on some very interesting, complex and intense cases and here are a few favorites:
- At the AG’s office, I defended a lawsuit brought by a prisoner claiming to be a vampire who requested special privileges from the prison, such as the right to drink blood because of his vampire “religion.”
- At my prior firm, through the Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, I took a case on behalf of a distressed homeowner in East Austin to avoid foreclosing a lien on his homestead. The lien was dismissed after we moved for summary judgment on the issue that it was not foreclosed within the statute of limitations. The home was my client’s only major asset and clearing the lien was a huge relief for him.
- I successfully assisted a local brick masonry contractor recover over $50,000 after he was improperly removed from the jobsite by the homeowner with whom he had contracted. The homeowner tried to claim the contractor’s work was defective, but in discovery we showed that the homeowner had actually damaged the contractor’s work in an attempt to get out of the contract and pay someone else a lower rate.
What do you do for fun when not working?
I write and record music and play in a band, Cutest Buddhist, that should be landing its first gig very soon (fingers crossed). You’ll often find my wife and I out and about trying different restaurants around Austin (there are so many new ones it is impossible to keep up!). We bring our puppy, Churro, with us, wherever we can. I also play a lot of chess.