• LL.M., University of Arkansas School of Law, Agriculture and Food Law (2025)
• J.D., University of Kansas School of Law (1980)           
• Kansas Law Review, Board of Editors (1979-80)
• Order of the Coif Honor Society (1980) 
• Southern Methodist University (Graduate Work, History) 
• B.S., with honors, Oklahoma Christian University (1977) 

• Admitted to Practice – Texas (1980), and Oklahoma (2012)
• Admitted to Practice – United States Supreme Court (1989)
• Fellow: American College of Real Estate Lawyers (2017-Present)
• Board Certified – Commercial Real Estate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• Board Certified – Farm/Ranch Real Estate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• AV® Rated “Preeminent” – Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

• Founder and CEO, LandWise Partners (2025)
• Selected to the list of “Texas Super Lawyers” in Commercial Real Estate (2012-2025)
• Governing Council, State Bar of Texas Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section (2018-2022)
• Board Member – Real Estate Legislative Affairs Council, State Bar of Texas (2007-2015)
• Exam Coordinator – Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Real Estate Examination (2008-2015)
• State Bar of Texas Real Estate Forms Committee (2017-2020)
• Member – College of the State Bar of Texas (2006-Present)
• Member – Texas Bar Foundation (2007-Present) 
• Member – Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Texas
• Appointed by Governor Abbott to Texas Animal Health Commission ( 2016-2021)
• Appointed to Texas Animal Health Commission Audit Subcommittee (2016-2021)
• Founding Chair of the Board, Economic Development Council of Parker County (2017-2019)
• Member, Texas Alliance of Land Brokers (frequent speaker)
• Member, American Agricultural Law Association
• Member, American Agricultural Consultants Association

 

Speaker: 

• 2050 Challenges Looming for Ag & Food Production, National Farm Business Managers and Analysts National Conference (2025)
• Harvesting Soil Nutrient Deductions: Powerful, Proven Tools, 18th Annual John Huffaker Agricultural Law Course (2025)
• Drafting a Reservation, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (March 2025)
• 2050 Challenges Looming for Ag & Food Production, National Farm Business Managers and National Conference (June 9–12, 2025, Fort Worth, TX)
• With Progress Comes Pain: The Winners, Losers, and Challenges in Developing Rural Property to Meet the Needs of Urban Growth, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Course (July 2024)
• Strategies for Rural Real Estate Acquisitions, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Strategies (2023) (with Roland Love, John Absher, and Paul Pruitt)
• Rural Subdivisions: Preparing Deed Restrictions without HOA’s and Creating Private Access Agreements, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (2023) (with Emma C. Grotting)
• An Owner’s Legacy: Handling Reverters, Restrictions, Covenants, and Conditions (Panel Moderator), State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Strategies Course (2022) (with David Z. Conoly, Michael H. Gentry, and Marc D. Markel)
• When Urban Growth and “Farm Livin’” Collide, 30th Annual Texas Land Title Institute (2020)
• Mineral Estate Issues for Commercial Real Estate Transactions, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Course (2020)
• From Cradle to Grave: The Life Cycles of Farm and Ranch Ownership, From Acquisition through Operation to Disposition, American Agricultural Law Association’s Annual Educational Symposium (2019)
• Creation, Enforcement, Avoidance, and Termination of Deed Restrictions and Restrictive Covenants, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (2019) (with Michael H. Gentry and Patrick W. Fogarty)
• Do I Really Have an “Ag Exemption” and How Do I Maintain It? Tarrant County Bar Association Real Estate Section (May 2019)
• Do I Really Have an “Ag Exemption” and How Do I Maintain It? State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Course (2018)
• Updated Farm and Ranch Tools and Contracts, State Bar of Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar (2017)
• Maintaining Agriculture Use and Open-Space “Exemptions,” Dallas Bar Association Real Estate Discussion Group (2016)
• Updated Farm and Ranch Transaction, Tools and Contracts, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course (2016)
• Legal Trends, Tips and Tools for Farmers and Ranchers, Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association Annual Convention (2016)
• Maintaining Agricultural and Open-Space Exemptions, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (2016)
• Farm and Ranch Leases: Legal Issues and Negotiating Strategies, Lorman Live Webinar (2016)
• Farm and Ranch Transactions, Tools, and Trends, Denton County Bar Association Real Estate Section (February 2016)
• Farm and Ranch Acquisitions: Trends, Tips and Tools, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course (2015)
• Drafting Effective Agreements for Farm and Ranch Acquisitions and Operations, State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (2015)
• Trends in Farm and Ranch Acquisitions, Tarrant County Bar Association Real Estate Section (March 2015)
• Land, Crops, Cows: Farm and Ranch Acquisition and Financing Issues, University of Texas Mortgage Lending Institute (2014)
• Bi-Annual Real Estate Legislative Update, Austin Bar Association Real Estate Section (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)
• Planning Committee: State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course (2015)

Author

• Pending: Deducting Legacy Nutrients Safely and Correctly Under the Internal Revenue Code , 21 Arkansas Jrnl. Food Law & Policy 3 (Spring 2026)
• Harvesting Soil Nutrient Deductions: Best Practices for a Powerful Tool Available to Agricultural Landowners, The Land Report, online at  https://landreport.com, co-authored with Kevin Thomason and Patrick Kenney (July 2025)
• Harvesting Soil Nutrient Deductions: Secret Tax Benefits Available to Farmers or Tools for Preserving America’s Rural Lands? Or Both? 62:4 REAL EST., PROB., & TR. L. REP. 53 (2024)
• An Owner’s Legacy: Handling Reverters, Restrictions, Covenants, and Conditions (Panel Moderator), State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Strategies Course (2022) (with David Z. Conoly, Michael H. Gentry, and Marc D. Markel)
• Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions and Special Appraisals, 60:3 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 46 (August 2022)
• Updated Farm and Ranch Transaction Tools and Contracts, 26th Texas Land Title Institute (2016)
• Drafting Fair Default Remedies in Real Estate Contracts, 53:3 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 40 (July 2015)
• Checklists for Farm/Ranch Acquisitions, 53:2 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 30 (February 2015)
• Farmers’/Ranchers’ Rights to Use, Sell, and Restrict “Their” Water? Texas Longhorn Journal 18 (December 2014)
• An Overview of Statutes Affecting Texas Agriculture, 53:1 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 75 (October 2014)
• Ranchers’ Rights to Use, Sell and Restrict “Their” Water, 52:4 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 26 (July 2014)
• Auctions 101: Important Legal Principles, 52:3 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 45 (May 2014)
• Top Ten Issues Regarding Rural Oil and Gas Leases, 52:3 Real Estate, Probate, & Trust Law Reporter 38 (May 2014)
• LexisNexis Practice Advisor: Texas Farm and Ranch Law Including Annotated Forms (2014)

Presentations to Trade Organizations

• Acquiring Rural Real Estate for Urban Development, Due Diligence, Oil and Gas Issues, Easements and Surface Use Agreements, Texas Alliance of Land Brokers (June 2024)
• Snapshot of Farm/Ranch Opportunities/Challenges (2024)