Canyon, TX

Carson Smith

Carson Smith founded the law firm in 1976. His practice areas include oilfield and industrial accidents, truck and automobile collisions, product liability, nursing home negligence and abuse, wrongful death claims, vehicle rollovers, train accidents, and social security disability claims. Carson received a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering in 1960 and graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1964. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1964. He is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. Carson is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Amarillo Area Bar Association, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, the State Bar of Texas, and a member of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson has been with the law firm since 1988. His practice areas include personal injury, truck and automobile collisions, product liability, nursing home negligence and abuse, wrongful death claims, medical malpractice, commercial litigation, and social security disability claims. He received his B.S. degree from West Texas A & M University in 1983, and then graduated from Texas Tech University Law School in 1986. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1986. He is admitted for practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Mark is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Amarillo Area Bar Association, and National Organization of Social Security Claimant's Representatives. In 2011, Mark was elected as a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation in recognition of service and devotions to the highest traditions of the bar.

Abel A. Leal

Abel Leal has over 20 years of litigation experience representing clients throughout the US, including in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Missouri in federal and state court cases. He provides aggressive and wise counsel at the trial and appellate court levels. Abel’s litigation practice focuses on tort and commercial matters, including those involving contracts, employment, insurance coverage, professional negligence, personal injury, and wrongful death. Abel also regularly represents clients in complex commercial arbitrations. Abel has worked with Simmons & Brown PLLC, and its predecessor firms for many years, and the firm is proud to have Abel working with the firm, in an of counsel capacity, handling a broad range of litigation matters. Some examples of Abel’s prior cases are: Representing a reinsurer in trial involving claims of breach of contract and fraud against its managing general agent that resulted in a jury verdict in favor of the client; Representing a large poultry company in an arbitration proceeding involving breach of contract and fraud claims that resulted in an arbitration award in favor of Abel’s client; Defending a roofing contractor in trial involving a wrongful death claim that resulted in a settlement prior to the jury rendering a verdict; Defending a large insurance company in a bad-faith case in New Mexico in which the trial court invited an investigation into the fraudulent conduct of the insured; Representing a large national insurance company in several putative class actions involving claims-handling practices and contract matters; Representing a restaurateur in a putative class action involving tip-pooling arrangements; Defending insurance companies in numerous cases involving complex insurance coverage issues and extra-contractual claims; Representing a chemical design engineer in a professional negligence case involving the design of a natural gas processing plant; Defending several clients in federal court regarding employment-related claims of employment discrimination. Representing the claimant in wrongful death action involving road construction related accident. Abel graduated cum laude from Texas Tech University in 1996. He then attended Texas Tech School of Law and received his J.D. in 2000. During law school, he was a member of the Board of Barristers and represented Texas Tech in numerous national mock trial competitions, including one in which he won First Place in the prestigious William W. Daniel National Mock Trial Competition. Abel is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts, the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Abel is a native son of Muleshoe, Texas. He and his wife Marcie live in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas and they have four sons. They are active members of Northwest Bible Church. Abel and Marcie also oversee the production and sale of Leal’s brand salsa, chips and other products based on the recipes used in his family’s landmark Mexican food restaurants in the West Texas area.

Stewart D Matthews

Stewart D Matthews has been aggressively pursuing the rights of accident victims in Texas and its surrounding states including Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana for over 15 years. He is experienced in handling all aspects of claims involving injury or death from car or truck accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, defective products, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, and all cases where one is injured through the fault of another. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in May of 2003 after graduating from Texas Wesleyan School of Law, (now known as Texas A&M Law School), in December of 2002. His practice has been devoted to representing injury victims as well as offering quality legal representation to clients needing help with general civil matters, (wills and estate planning, general contract negotiations, contract disputes, and various real estate matters) and criminal issues such as DUI.

Cody L. Simmons

Cody Simmons has more than 20 years of experience guiding clients through complex transactions in renewable energy, farm and ranch, commercial real estate, and business acquisitions. He has negotiated and drafted hundreds of solar and wind leases, easements, land use agreements, and infrastructure contracts, giving him a unique perspective on both landowner and developer needs in large-scale projects. Clients rely on Cody’s ability to protect their long-term interests while keeping negotiations practical and moving forward. In addition to renewable energy and land transactions, Cody regularly represents buyers and sellers in significant business sales and purchases, whether structured as stock deals, membership interest transfers, or asset acquisitions. He works closely with clients to structure transactions that align with their goals, ensuring that deals close smoothly and efficiently. Cody’s broader practice includes business entity formation and governance, estate planning, probate, and contract negotiation. This range of experience allows him to see the full picture of a client’s needs-whether protecting family land, building a new venture, or passing assets to the next generation. As a lifelong West Texan with deep agricultural roots, Cody understands the practical realities his clients face and pairs that understanding with the sophistication needed for high-value, complex transactions. His approach combines technical precision with a focus on building genuine, long-term relationships. Clients often remark not only on the quality of his work but also on the trust and rapport they develop with him throughout the process. Cody enjoys spending time with his family, reading, skiing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and exploring the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon.

B. Cole Brown

Cole Brown is an attorney with Simmons & Brown, PLLC. Cole practices primarily in the areas of real estate, renewable energy, farm and ranch transactions, business entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, contract drafting and review, estate planning, and probate matters. Cole has quickly become a go-to attorney for landowners and developers needing counsel with renewable energy matters throughout Texas and the U.S. He regularly assists renewable energy developers and landowners with a wide range of real estate-related activities, including curing title matters and negotiating leases, easements, mineral surface waivers, and other agreements. Cole also provides representation in a broad range of real estate and business matters such as entity formation, contract drafting and review, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. Finally, he regularly works with individuals on estate planning and probate matters such as drafting estate planning documents and admitting estates to probate. Cole is a member of the Amarillo Area Bar Association and currently serves as a member of the Board of the Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association. Cole grew up ranching and playing six-man football in the small town of Turkey, Texas. He is actively engaged in farming and ranching activities along with his wife Lucy and four wonderful children. Cole and his family are members of Hillside Christian Church in Canyon, Texas. When he is not in the office, Cole enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, hunting, fishing, and ranching.

Kim Barnes is an attorney with a background in transactional law and real estate. Born and raised in El Dorado Hills, California, Kim completed her Juris Doctor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. While there, she served as Chief Legislation Editor and staff writer for the University of the Pacific Law Review. She also graduated cum laude with her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, with a concentration in ethics, politics, and law, from California State University in Sacramento. Outside of the office, Kim enjoys spending time in nature.