ON THE MOVE
Michael Ripp, Cindy Grossman, and Lauren Fitte have launched the law firm of of Ripp Grossman & Fitte LLP (“RGF”). RGF will provide personalized legal services in the areas of domestic and international estate, gift, and income tax planning and preparation, closely held business planning, insurance coverage analysis and procurement, and asset protection planning. While the launch of RGF begins a new chapter for this group of professionals—many of whom have practiced together for over 15 years—the RGF team is committed to providing the same high-quality counsel that their individual professionals are known and recognized for in their respective practice areas.
KUDOS
Congratulations to the following, who were among those named by Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice fields in and around Austin:
Ann M. Coffin
Administrative/Regulatory Law
Coffin is a founding partner of Coffin Renner, which specializes in the representation of electric, gas, and telecommunication utilities before regulatory agencies and the Texas courts.
Kelly J. Dwyer
Corporate Law
A partner at Dwyer-Murphy-Calvert, Kelly has been a trusted adviser to businesses and individuals across various industries. His clients include founders, executives, and investors in all stages of the lifecycle of a privately held business, from inception to liquidity.
Cliff Ernst
Banking and Finance
A partner at McGinnis Lochridge, Ernst’s clients range from start-up companies to large corporations in the fields of real estate and hospitality, professional services, technology, entertainment, oil, gas, and publishing, as well as nonprofits and governmental agencies.
Kelly Caperton Fischer
Collaborative Law: Family Law
Fischer is a partner at Goranson Bain Ausley. In addition to her recognition by Best Lawyers, for the past three years, she has received Austin Monthly’s Top Attorney award.
David Gonzalez
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
David is a partner at Sumpter & Gonzalez. He has practiced criminal law for 20 years and is the 2017 recipient of the Austin Bar’s Professionalism Award and the Federal Bar Association’s 2018 Advocate of the Year. He is especially versed in federal and state criminal cases involving mental health issues.
Christopher M. Gunter
Criminal Defense: General Practice
Christopher is a partner at Gunter, Bennett & Anthes. He is board-certified in criminal law, a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is a former county and district attorney in Travis County.
Sherrard L. Hayes II
Employment Law: Management
Sherrard “Butch” has tried cases across the country and on three continents for more than three decades. Butch is a trial lawyer who has tried dozens of jury trials and arbitrations to verdict or award. He’s also successfully defended 10-figure bet-the-company cases and recovered, while representing business plaintiffs, as much as eight-figure payments for his clients.
Robert B. Neblett III
Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law
Robert is a partner in Jackson Walker’s Austin office and one of the preeminent condemnation lawyers in the state. He represents condemnors, such as public utilities, private entities, pipeline companies, railways, and others in counties across the state. He also has extensive litigation experience.
Emilio B. Nicolas Copyright Law
A partner at Jackson Walker, Nicolas’ practice focuses on copyright, trademark, and media rights and involves litigation and transactional work, such as rights protection, enforcement, and licensing.