Marshall, TX

Joe Stephens is a Houston Accident and Injury Lawyer, double board-certified by the state of Texas in personal injury law and nationally by the National Board of Trial Advocates. With over 35 years of experience, he has tried over 150 cases, many of which have garnered statewide and national media attention. He is a published author and a frequent guest on TV programs, providing expert opinions on personal injury cases. His work has been featured in publications like The Houston Chronicle, The San Antonio Express, The Texas Lawyer, Verdict Search, The Texas Reporter, and The National Law Journal. Other experienced attorneys often refer cases to him, and he is known for his hands-on approach, personally handling cases rather than delegating to junior attorneys.

Eric H. Findlay

Eric Findlay is a trial lawyer and litigator based in Tyler, Texas. Since he began his practice nearly 30 years ago, he has tried everything. From slip and fall cases, to car wrecks, to product liability and patent litigation. Patent cases currently make up the majority of his practice. He has tried dozens of patent cases in Texas and appeared in over 1000 patent cases throughout Texas. He and his firm have extensive experience with patent cases in the Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of Texas, and handle cases both as local and lead counsel.

Melissa R. Smith

Melissa is a partner in the firm of Gillam & Smith. She tries lawsuits in the state and federal courts of the Eastern District of Texas for both plaintiffs and defendants. As a result of her courtroom success on the plaintiff side, she has had verdicts listed as Verdict Search’s Top Texas Verdicts for 8 separate years including most recently in 2017 and was inducted into the Texas Lawyer’s , Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame in 2013. On the defense side, Melissa has tried multiple patent cases to verdict that resulted in both non infringement and invalidity verdicts. She has served as local counsel for visiting lawyers in more than fifteen hundred patent cases. Melissa is recognized among the top lawyers in her field. She has been named a Texas Superlawyer every year since 2008, a top 50 Texas Female Lawyer for multiple years, and has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as both a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and previously as a Top 40 lawyer under age 40. She has been designated as a “go-to” lawyer by numerous Fortune 500 Companies in the area of intellectual property. She has been rated AV Preeminent by Lexis Nexis / Martindale-Hubbell. Most recently she was included in Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation. Melissa is actively involved in activities in the Eastern District of Texas as a member of the T. John Ward American Inn of Court and the East Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. She has served in appointed positions including the Eastern District Local Rules Advisory Committee, Eastern District of Texas Bar Board of Directors where she currently serves as Vice-President, Federal Magistrate Merit Selection Panels, and Federal Magistrate Reappointment Evaluation Committees. Melissa serves as a Jaworski Fellow at Baylor Law School. Melissa lives with her family on a working cattle ranch and rides and shows cutting horses in her free time.

Harry L. “Gil” Gillam, Jr.

A native of Bryan, Texas, Gil Gillam was first introduced to the courtrooms of East Texas when he went to Longview for his law school’s mock trial preparations. After graduation, he settled in the region because “I knew this was where I could go and practice among the best.” A Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Gil’s clients include businesses and professionals in complex commercial litigation and intellectual property matters. Nationally known law firms and in-house counsel from Fortune 500 companies turn to Gil for his insights and acumen in the courtroom. Decades of trying cases in the courts of the Eastern District have deepened his roots here, but he’s often called upon to represent clients in matters across the country. Regardless of whom he’s representing or where the case takes him, however, he says “the principle is the same. The courthouse is one place where no matter who’s involved, in a court of law, before a judge and a jury, you stand on equal footing.” Just as he was in his law school days, Gil Gillam remains at home in the courtroom.

J. Travis Underwood

Travis is a partner at Gillam and Smith with experience beyond his years. Within the last two years, he has tried seven jury trials where he conducted direct and cross examinations of key corporate representatives and expert witnesses, picked juries, and gave closing arguments in cases with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Travis also regularly argues discovery and pretrial motions. Travis enjoys having a practice that spans a wide range of subject matter. Over the course of his career, he has litigated complex commercial disputes, patent cases, trade secrets and unfair competition cases, False Claims Act cases, copyright cases, employment disputes, probate disputes, products liability cases, class actions, and personal injury and wrongful death cases. After graduating from Lorena High School in Lorena, Texas, Travis attended the University of Arkansas, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his law degree summa cum laude from Baylor Law School, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review as the Managing Senior Executive Editor. During law school, Travis served as an intern to the Honorable Catharina Haynes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After graduating, Travis clerked for the Honorable Rodney Gilstrap of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Travis and his wife Lindsey live in Tyler, Texas with their three young children.

Victoria Whiddon

Victoria Whiddon is an attorney at Sovany Law Firm, specializing in personal injury and commercial litigation, with a focus on medical malpractice. Her non-litigation experience includes corporate due diligence, statistical strategies for efficiency, and tax matters like succession planning and international corporate reorganizations. A Houston native, Victoria earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Political Science from Baylor University. She then attended The University of Houston Law Center, where she served as Head Senior Articles Editor of the Houston Journal of International Law and received LEX Awards for academic excellence. She passed the Texas Bar and was sworn in as an attorney before graduating law school. She is also rated by Super Lawyers.

McKellar Karr

McKellar is an associate at Gillam and Smith. McKellar has experience litigating patent cases, copyright cases, business litigation cases, and personal injury and wrongful death cases. McKellar and his wife, Hunter, live in Tyler, Texas with their daughter and a son who is on the way.