Spring, TX

Arthur Schechter has been practicing law since 1964, helping thousands of clients in maritime and personal injury claims. He has represented local, national, and international seaman's unions and individual seaman worldwide. His dedication has led to clients naming children, boats, and businesses after him. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and as Board Chairman of METRO, where he helped pioneer the Houston light rail. He has received numerous awards, including the highest civilian award from the U.S. Coast Guard, and has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer and a Top Lawyer for the People by H Texas magazine.

Matt Shaffer joined Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. in 1992. As a managing partner, he has represented thousands of clients across the United States, including successfully settling the largest single victim Jones Act case on record for a client with a brain injury. He has played a significant role in litigation related to major maritime disasters like the Deepwater Horizon explosion. He is board certified in Personal Injury Trial law in Texas and licensed in Colorado. He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine every year since 2006, recognized by H Texas magazine as one of Houston’s Top Lawyers for the People, and listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Admiralty and Maritime Law.

Jason Holladay

Mr. Holladay is the managing attorney and founder of Holladay Law Firm, PLLC. He has over 17 years of legal experience, concentrating on personal injury law. A U.S. Navy veteran, he is a highly skilled trial attorney who has obtained successful results in cases involving catastrophic injuries. He was named 'Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney' by Attorney & Practice Magazine, 'Litigator of the Year' by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers, and 'Elite Advocate' by the American Institute of Legal Advocates.

Karl Wayne Koen

Mr. Koen’s civil practice has focused on litigation involving Fortune 500 Companies in business and personal injury lawsuits, including oil and gas exploration and operations accidents, commercial transportation claims, product liability claims, Employer liability claims, premises liability, catastrophic injury and property damage claims, subrogation, Dram Shop claims, and Wrongful Death/Survival Claims. After graduation from the University of Texas, Mr. Koen worked as a CPA for a Big Eight accounting firm and a national communications firm before returning to law school at Texas Tech University, serving on the Board of Barristers and mock trial programs, while also obtaining his private pilot license for aviation defense cases. Mr. Koen then went into private practice and has successfully litigated and tried numerous lawsuits defending his clients in multi-million dollar claims in both state and federal court throughout the state of Texas. Mr. Koen has been a Super Lawyer since 2006, and has a preeminent AV peer review rating by Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Koen is a member of the Texas Bar, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Dallas Bar Association (Litigation Section), TIDA (Trucking Industry Defense Association, the TADC (Texas Association of Defense Counsel), the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western U.S. District Courts, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Koen is a member of Christ Church Plano and an avid bicyclist, runner, snow skier, and scuba diver.

Kristie Halloran Hanson

Kristie Halloran Hanson is the founding and managing attorney at Hanson Law Firm, P.C. She has 32 years of experience in bankruptcy law, including Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, and personal injury cases such as construction accidents, slip-and-falls, medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, and nursing home abuse. She also handles residential real estate, Social Security Disability, estate planning, probate, and traffic violations. She has held various committee and delegate positions with the New York State Bar Association and other professional associations.

Geoffrey S. Binney

Mr. Binney is the Managing Partner of Gauntt, Koen, Binney & Kidd, L.L.P. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants and covers a wide variety of commercial and personal injury litigation matters, including contract disputes, Qui Tam lawsuits, automobile accidents, products liability, catastrophic construction-related accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, and litigation stemming from the purchase/sale of residential properties. A large percentage of Mr. Binney’s docket is comprised of home inspector errors and omissions defense cases. Mr. Binney, who represents home inspectors all over the country, does public speaking focusing on topics relating to home inspectors, specifically how they can best protect themselves from claims and litigation. After graduation from West Point, Mr. Binney served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, after which he served in the FBI for eight years. As an FBI Special Agent, Mr. Binney initiated and led Operation Candyman, one of law enforcement’s largest investigations into online child pornography, resulting in over 100 convictions and the identification of dozens of victims. In that regard, he appeared on several local news stations, Wired Magazine and on Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor. As a Supervisory Special Agent, Mr. Binney created and staffed the Houston Area Cyber-Crime Task Force, supervised the computer forensic examination efforts of all Houston-FBI investigations including the Enron and Arthur Anderson investigations. He also oversaw all cyber-crime related investigations, including computer intrusions, online crimes against children, fraud, cyber-terrorism, and theft of intellectual property. Mr. Binney is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, American Bar Association (Litigation Section), The Houston Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, The Woodlands Bar Association, and the West Point Society of Greater Houston. He is licensed to practice law in Texas as well as federal court in the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. He is a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. He and his wife Amy raised three sons in The Woodlands.

Sean Tracey

Sean Tracey, managing partner at Tracey Fox & Walters, is a top-tier personal injury and product liability attorney with more than 25 years of experience. A board-certified civil trial and personal injury attorney, he has helped clients throughout Texas and across the United States get compensation in cases involving pharmaceutical mass torts, product liability, traffic accidents, premises liability, toxic tort, birth injury and wrongful death. He obtained a favorable settlement in a Paxil® birth defect case in 2009, which was the first of its kind. He is a frequent speaker on trial techniques, including jury selection.