Brenham, TX

M. Chad Gerke

M. Chad Gerke is a trial lawyer with almost 25 years of experience in estate planning, probate, personal injury, and wrongful death cases, serving individuals and families throughout Texas. He founded The Gerke Law Firm after becoming a partner at a prominent Houston firm. He holds an "AV Preeminent" rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been recognized as a "Texas Super Lawyer" and "Rising Star," and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law and a B.S. from Texas A&M University.

Jad J. Stepp

Jad Stepp is an experienced business and trial attorney licensed by the State Bar of Texas for over 40 years. He is also licensed in the Supreme Court of the United States, The United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and selected Federal District Courts in Texas. He attended The University of Texas as well as St. Mary’s University School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1980 and Texas Bar Admission in May 1981. He has enjoyed a distinguished career as a trial lawyer in Business Law, Inheritance/Probate litigation, Land/Property litigation, Guardian Disputes and Personal Injury and Death litigation. Through his experience in Business, Inheritance/Probate, Land/Property and Guardianship cases, Jad has gained a wealth of knowledge in Estate Planning and Legacy Planning. Mr. Stepp holds an AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubble which is a peer review rating held by only 10% of attorneys who exhibit the highest skill levels and integrity. He has also achieved a 10 Rating by AVVO and has been Selected as a Lawyer of Distinction. Mr. Stepp is a member of the Real Estate Probate and Trust Law Sections as well as the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas. Mr. Stepp is also a Certified Mediator.

Chris Bell

Chris Bell has been practicing law in Texas for more than 30 years and, during that time, has handled a very wide variety of cases. His focus has primarily been commercial litigation but, along the way, he has also handled many personal injury cases as well. Regardless of what kind of case it is, Chris brings a great deal of passion and the ability to tell the story to a jury like few others. During a trial several years ago, a former longtime judge told Chris, “Mr. Bell, you’re one of the best lawyers I’ve ever had in my courtroom.” After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism, Chris became an award-winning television and radio reporter. While attending law school at South Texas College of Law Houston and working for KTRH Radio at the same time, he was selected the best radio reporter in the state by the Texas Associated Press. After earning his law degree, he went on to become AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell, the most respected legal directory in the United States. He has worked for a number of highly regarded firms and has now gone back to what he loves most, having his own law firm. After starting his career as a lawyer, Chris ventured into politics and was elected to the Houston City Council in 1997 and the United States Congress in 2002; he lost the congressional seat after being redistricted and returned to Texas to become the 2006 Democratic nominee for Governor.

Licensed since 2002 by the State Bar of Texas, Scott Ballard is an Estate and Probate Law and Criminal Defense lawyer in Brenham, Texas who attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. While most of Mr. Ballard’s cases are Estate and Probate Law, he has won verdicts across many types of Criminal Defense cases such as DUI / DWI, Juvenile Defense, and Drug Crimes among others. Mr. Ballard is particularly effective in helping clients seal or expunge their criminal records, and has also won Personal Injury cases for clients injured in motor vehicle accidents.

Travis Fleetwood, licensed since 2005 by the State Bar of Texas, is a Criminal Defense and Domestic Violence lawyer in Brenham who attended St. Mary’s University School of Law after receiving his undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University. Mr. Fleetwood is an expert Criminal Defense lawyer who has successfully defended clients in cases such as DUI / DWI, Domestic Violence, Drug Crimes, Criminal Record Seal / Expungement and Juvenile Defense. Mr. Fleetwood continues to win verdicts for clients in Family Law cases such as Divorce and Child Custody as well as Personal Injury cases. Mr. Fleetwood is licensed to practice in all Texas state courts.

Ryan Neal Hagens

Ryan Hagens has handled a variety of Litigation cases. His focus has primarily been civil litigation, which includes land disputes, property taxes, eminent domain, breach of contract, and many other areas of litigation. Ryan brings great passion, determination, and creativity to achieve his clients’ goals. After graduating from the University of Houston-Victoria with a degree in Healthcare Administration, Ryan became a supervisor with Quest Diagnostics and oversaw and mentored phlebotomists from Waco to Buda. However, he always had a passion and interest in the law. In 2019, Ryan applied and was accepted to St. Mary’s School. During Law School, Ryan interned with Federal District Judge the Honorable Xavier Rodriguez from the Western District of Texas in San Antonio and was a Law Clerk for the Office of the Texas Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division. Ryan graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into the Harlan Society for graduating in the top 5% of his class and was the only one in his class to take the bar and pass it before graduating. He was also a member of the St. Mary’s Law Journal, where his article on the Sale of Law Practice in Texas was published. After Law School, Ryan worked for a law firm in Dripping Springs, Texas, where he learned and fell in love with all law concerning rural land and landowners. This is also where Ryan met Chris Bell, who always saw great talent and potential in Ryan. When Chris Bell started the Law Office of Chris Bell, Chris knew he wanted to bring Ryan in to help grow the firm and help his clients with their legal matters.