Jacksonville, TX

Eric T. Penn

Eric T. Penn is a trial lawyer based out of Jacksonville, Texas. Eric’s practice has evolved to focus on representing people who have been seriously injured in truck crashes nationwide. He founded The Penn Law Firm, PC in 2012 and later was a founding partner of Penn, Kestner & McEwen. Eric is a Board-Certified Advocate in Truck Accident Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), on staff with the Trial Lawyer’s College (TLC), a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a member of the Attorney Information Exchange Group (AIEG) where he serves on the Board of Directors and as chair of the AIEG Trucking Group, a member of the Academy of Trucking Accident Attorneys (ATAA) where he serves on the Board of Governors, a member of the AAJ Trucking litigation group, and a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). Eric has developed into a widely recognized expert within the legal community, working to make the trucking industry more accountable for safety on our highways and roads. Because of Eric’s vast knowledge and experience in successfully prosecuting and trying cases against the trucking industry, he is sought after as a speaker on Trucking Litigation and Trial Advocacy throughout the country.

Steve Kennedy

Attorney Steve Kennedy is a very accomplished trial lawyer and partner in the firm’s Ridgeland, MS office. He has significant experience in wrongful death and catastrophic damages claims against motor carriers and product liability claims concerning a wide range of defective products. Steve has also compiled significant wins/recoveries for clients in commercial, contract and business tort cases. Steve has tried 35 cases, handling wrongful death and serious injury matters across multiple states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina. Arkansas, Tennessee, Wyoming, Colorado and California, among others. He has recovered millions of dollars for his clients through verdicts at trial and favorable settlements.

Gregory N. McEwen

Gregory N. McEwen has the distinction of being voted by his peers as one of the Super Lawyers in Minnesota from 2004 to 2023. He’s earned this designation for obtaining consistent results for his clients and has recovered over $450,000,000 for his clients across 46 states. He has appeared on television, radio, podcasts, and numerous times in newspapers, including NBC, ABC, CBS, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Minnesota Lawyer, Pioneer Press (St. Paul), Star Tribune (Minneapolis), Forum (Fargo, ND), and Herald (Grand Forks, ND), The Des Moines Register (Des Moines Iowa).

Ricky Richards

Born in Pasadena, Texas, November 26, 1956; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas; also admitted to practice before U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western District of Texas. Preparatory and legal education, Baylor University (B.A., 1978; J.D., 1980). Fraternity: Phi Delta Phi, Explorer Post Advisor, Cherokee County, Texas, 1981. Member; Cherokee County (President, 1982-83) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Grievance Committee, 1992-98; Special Prosecutor 2001-2003); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) 2012 - present, State Bar of Texas (Member of Executive Committee 2012 - present, State Bar of Texas (Client Security Fund-Vice Chair 2011-2012, State Bar of Texas (Discipline & Client Attorney Assistance-Committee Chairman 2012-2013, Client Security Fund-Member 2012-2013, Family Law-Advisor 2012-2013, Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct-Advisor 2012-2013.

Pete Kestner

Peter Kestner has extensive experience with truck accident cases, both as a private attorney and representative for trucking insurers. He is a co-founder of the law firm McEwen & Kestner and recently a founder of a national trucking practice with Penn, Kestner & McEwen. Peter earned his B.S. from Skidmore College in 1989, and his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in 2001. He is the current chair of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA), past chair American Association of Justice’s (AAJ) Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, a member of the Amicus Committee for AAJ’s Interstate Trucking Litigation Group and he also holds a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation in insurance. He has litigated truck accident cases in 24 different states in both State and federal Court. He is also Board Certified in Truck Accident Litigation in Minnesota by the National Board of Trial Advocates (NBTA).

Jill Penn

Jill was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a minor in Business Administration in December 2001. Jill started law school at LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center the following fall where she graduated 5th in her class and received various honors including Dean's List, CALI awards for the highest grade in numerous classes, and Order of the Coif (top 10% of her graduating class). She was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and Vice-President of the Legal Association of Women. After law school graduation, Jill and her husband Wes moved to Dallas, Texas, where Jill practiced law for 6 years at one of the state's largest law firms. In 2011, Jill and Wes decided to be closer to family and to begin a trial-intensive law practice. Today, Jill focuses primarily on protecting individuals that have been harmed by someone else’s actions. She is admitted to practice in all state courts in Texas as well as all four U.S. District Courts of Texas. Jill is a member of the Jacksonville ISD School Board, PTO, and volunteers for the Cherokee County Bar Association and American Moot Court Association. She was elected a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation in 2021 and awarded the Outstanding New Volunteer Award by Lone Star Legal Aid in 2021.

Mary Eliasen

Mary Eliasen is an associate attorney at Penn, Kestner & McEwen, where she represents plaintiffs who have been injured by commercial motor vehicles. Prior to joining PKM, she was an associate at a North Dakota-based personal injury firm and clerked for the federal judiciary. She currently serves on the board of governors of the Minnesota Association for Justice (MNAJ). She has published articles in the American Association of Justice (AAJ) Trucking Litigation Group (TLG) Journal of Trucking Litigation and the North Dakota Law Review.