U.S. Supreme Court

Jennifer Larson Ryback

Inspired by the Good, Better, Best poem she learned from her grandmother growing up, Jennifer is focused on helping her clients be the “good, better, best” they can be, whether that’s thinking ahead to prevent an issue, negotiating a resolution to a dispute, or bringing or defending a lawsuit.

Jennifer’s clients think of her as a problem solver, and she excels at helping clients navigate complicated issues, avoiding litigation when possible and helping her clients navigate in court or arbitration when necessary. Throughout the course of her career, Jennifer has handled many types of litigation, including defending employers against wrongful termination and wage claims, pursuing and defending breach of contract cases, bringing and defending claims related to construction defects and construction project payment issues, and handling a variety of disputes related to commercial real estate transactions. She also routinely advises clients on non-litigation employment law issues, including developing and updating employee handbooks, conducting investigations related to alleged employee misconduct, providing training to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and negotiating executive compensation and severance agreements.

Katie Anderson

Katie Anderson provides legal solutions for public and private educational institutions and governmental entities, including housing authorities and cities, through counseling and litigation.

Katie assists schools with employment matters such as employee leave, discrimination, grievances, investigations, discipline, and terminations. Her work with school districts and their boards encompasses board fiduciary duties and governance as well as the myriad of laws that influence their activities, including the Texas Public Information Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Texas Open Meetings Act, federal and State Constitutions, and more.

Katie supports housing authorities and municipalities in navigating a broad range of local, state, and federal fair housing and anti-discrimination laws, including the Fair Housing Act. She frequently defends clients nationally in fair housing litigation and complaints filed with HUD and state and local agencies across the country. Katie also provides training to these clients on practical considerations for complying with fair housing laws and regulations, including responding to requests for reasonable accommodations and disability and accessibility issues. Additionally, she provides guidance on laws and regulations for public housing, housing choice voucher programs, and desegregation and assists her clients in contract negotiation.

In the ever-changing legal landscape concerning race and gender in government institutions, Katie develops and revises policies to ensure up-to-date compliance with all relevant laws and agency guidance. She assists clients in legally and thoughtfully attracting and retaining diverse talent and promoting an inclusive and equitable environment that complies with the law and follows best practices.

Katie is not only a skilled lawyer, but also a passionate advocate for her clients and tenaciously works to identify practical legal solutions that solve clients’ needs. She believes every client deserves the best possible legal service, and she strives to deliver it with dedication, creativity, and professionalism.

J. Michael “Mike” Sutherland

With four decades of experience as a bankruptcy attorney, Michael Sutherland guides companies in insolvency issues, business ownership disputes, directors and officers, litigation, insolvency and reorganization, the occasional receivership action, and professional liability matters. Michael’s clients include primarily Texas- and New York-based large corporate lenders, debtors, healthcare companies, airlines, and retail giants, as well as not-for-profit organizations and municipalities.

Michael defends officers and directors in cases of alleged negligence and fellow bankruptcy attorneys in cases of alleged malpractice, as well as a range of other business clients. Lawyers often bring him in on cases that have proven to be particularly difficult and complicated because they appreciate his keen legal and business insights, his calm way of operating, and his ability to bring order to chaos. Michael also excels at seeing the end game earlier than most. Anticipating where a case is going gives him an advantage in crafting strategy.

Anyone can figure out a way to tear down a company, but I find it highly rewarding to first explore if there’s a way to fix a broken company’s problems and build it back up. Bankruptcy negotiations can sometimes get heated, but I work on constantly lowering the temperature in a case rather than heating things up. In addition, I’m often told that I have a better than average ability to see around corners, and then certainly helps me in these repair efforts.

Combining his litigation prowess with solid business acumen, trial lawyer Brian Shaw advocates vigorously to get optimal results for his clients. Brian adeptly represents both plaintiffs and defendants, and this dual-perspective experience helps him anticipate and prepare for opposing counsel’s next moves. He has successfully tried high-profile, high-stakes lawsuits and arbitrations in front of judges, juries, and arbitrators in state and federal courts and before various arbitration organizations.

Brian handles disputes involving businesses and partnerships, shareholder rights, contracts, energy, employment, significant personal injury, insurance coverage, construction, probate, real estate, car dealerships, collections, and bankruptcy adversary matters, among others.