Richard B. Phillips, Jr.
Rich is a Partner in the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group at Thompson & Knight LLP in Dallas, Texas. He focuses his practice on appellate matters. He has represented a variety of clients in appeals before Texas courts of appeal, the Texas Supreme Court, several federal appellate courts, and the United States Supreme Court. Rich provides trial support, including preparing dispositive motions, the jury charge, and post-trial motions. He also assists clients in evaluating potential appellate issues.
Rich is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also active in appellate organizations. He is a past chair of Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section and a current member of the council of Texas State Bar Appellate Section. He is a member of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society.
He was named to the Texas Rising Stars® by Thomson Reuters from 2007-2013. He was named to the Texas Super Lawyers® (Appellate) by Thomson Reuters in 2013-2018. He was also named as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas (Appellate) by D Magazine in 2016-2018 and listed in The Best Lawyers in America by Woodward/White Inc. in Appellate Practice 2018-2019. He previously served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Thomas R. Phillips, Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court, from 2001-2002.
Melissa M. Davis
Melissa focuses her practice on appellate law and litigation, including oral argument and briefing in the appellate courts and strategic dispositive motions, preservation of error, jury charges, and judgments in the trial courts. She has participated in appeals in the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the Texas and federal courts of appeals. She has also represented clients in trial courts across Texas. Melissa has worked at both the Texas Supreme Court and the First Court of Appeals in Houston.
Melissa is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been named to Texas Rising Stars® by Thomson Reuters (Appellate) for 2018-2019. She is a member of the Austin Bar Appellate Section Council and the National Center for State Courts Lawyers Committee.
Previously, Melissa served as Attorney for the Honorable Jeffrey S. Boyd, Texas Supreme Court (2013-2015), Attorney for the Honorable Harvey G. Brown, First Court of Appeals (2011-2013), and Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Don R. Willett, Texas Supreme Court (2005-2006).
Stephanie Dooley Nelson
Stephanie focuses her practice on appellate law and litigation, collaborating with trial teams throughout all stages of litigation to address complex legal and procedural issues, including motion practice, evidentiary issues, jury charges, and litigation strategy. Stephanie has led appellate teams and presented oral arguments in high-profile appeals in federal and state appellate courts, and she has counseled clients in pre-litigation and non-litigation contexts and served as appellate counsel in arbitration proceedings throughout Texas. She represents clients in a variety of market sectors, including energy, manufacturing, retail, and insurance.
Stephanie has been a member of the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section’s Appellate Council since 2013; she also served as 2004 President of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL).
Emily A. Fitzgerald
Emily focuses her practice on appellate law and commercial litigation. Emily has represented a variety of clients at the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas Supreme Court, and numerous Texas Courts of Appeals. She also has experience in mandamus proceedings and amicus practice. Emily collaborates with trial teams throughout all stages of litigation by preparing dispositive motions, motions in limine, jury charges, judgments, and consulting on error preservation for potential appellate issues. Additionally, she maintains a trial docket focused on commercial disputes and oil and gas matters involving, among other things, lease termination litigation, royalty disputes, and title actions.
Emily previously served as Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Lavenski Smith, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2016-2017), Judicial Clerk (2015-2016) and Judicial Intern (2013) for the Honorable Jeffrey S. Boyd, Supreme Court of Texas; and Summer Law Clerk for Commissioner Ajit Pai, Federal Communications Commission (2014).
Dina W. McKenney
Dina focuses her practice on litigation, dispute resolution, and appellate matters. Previously, she served as Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Catharina Haynes, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (2015-2017), Judicial Clerk for the Honorable David C. Godbey, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (2014-2015), and Judicial Intern for the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (2012).
Connor R. Bourland
Connor focuses his practice on litigation and dispute resolution, including oil and gas litigation. He has also represented clients before both state and federal courts in a variety of matters involving complex commercial disputes. Previously, Connor served as Judicial Intern for the Honorable Patrick Wyrick, Oklahoma Supreme Court (2018) and Judicial Intern for the Honorable Robert Bacharach, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (2016).