 JAMES
W. UPTON
Born in Toledo, Ohio, September 25, 1960; admitted to bar, 1988, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern District and Western District of Texas, United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Education: University of Houston, University Park (B.S., 1985 Cum Laude); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1988). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards, Family Law and Criminal Law. Member: Corpus Christi, San Antonio and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Member, Sections: Tort and Insurance Practice, Litigation and Labor and Employment); Defense Research Institute; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Certified Mediator.
Jim has been trying cases in South Texas since 1990 and has received verdicts from Brownsville (Cameron County) to Laredo (Webb County) to Carrizo Springs (Dimmit County) to San Antonio (Bexar County) to Victoria (Victoria County) to Port Lavaca (Calhoun County) to Rockport (Aransas County) to Corpus Christi (Nueces County) and many other South Texas counties. The majority of these cases have involved personal injury and death claims resulting from traumatic events associated with automobile/trucking accidents, industrial accidents and product liability claims.
Although some cases have to proceed to trial for various reasons, Jim's extensive trial experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants convinced him that many more cases should be resolved prior to the reading of the jury's verdict. Therefore, in an attempt to assist litigants in resolving their disputes prior to the accrual of substantial litigation costs and the usual all or nothing jury verdict, in 2010, Jim became a certified mediator. With his experience in negotiating and trying cases in all of South Texas, Jim is uniquely qualified to mediate cases involving automobile accidents, product liability, insurance disputes, first party claims, contract disputes and employment disputes.
Mediation Information Page Curriculum Vitae Mediation Fee Schedule
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KEVIN F. MICKITS
Personal Injury Trial Law
- Litigator
- Mediator
- Arbitrator
- Former Administrative Judge Texas Education Association
Kevin F. Mickits was born in Toledo, Ohio but was raised in Woodway, Texas, graduating from Midway High School in 1981. He attended Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) on a football scholarship. He played tight-end for Coach Jim Wacker and was a member of two, Division II National Championship teams. He was voted Captain by his team his Senior Year and was selected All Conference both athletically and academically during the same year. Kevin received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with specializations in Political Science and History. While finishing his studies, he married his wife, Julie, of Hillsboro Texas. They have three children.
Kevin taught in the public education system for three years before deciding to return to academics in order to pursue a law degree at Texas Tech School of Law. During his tenure at Texas Tech, he was a two time member of the National Mock Trial Team and the recipient of the first ever J. Hadley Edgar Trial Advocacy Award. This award was presented to the top trial advocate at Texas Tech School of Law.
Since 1991 Kevin has tried over 100 cases to verdict in a variety of causes of actions including negligence, product liability, prescription errors, premises liability, premises security, defamation, deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, auto and trucking liability and consumer cases. The facts of each case are different, but his general approach is the same: know your case better than your opponent and determine how the case will be presented to the jury so that it is logical, simple and above all, factually honest.
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JOHN C. HEYMANN
Oil, Gas and Mineral Law
Born
Corpus Christi, Texas, June 8, 1952; admitted
to bar, 1989, Texas; U.S. District Court,
Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Texas, Austin (B.B.A., 1974; M.B.A., 1976); University of Texas (J.D., 1988 With Honors). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards, Criminal Law and Contracts; West Publishing Co. Hornbook Award. Member: Corpus Christi and American (Natural Resources Law Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Member, Sections: Oil, Gas and Mineral Law); Board Certified, Oil, Gas and Mineral Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
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 DANIEL
JOHN DAVIS
Real Estate Law
Dan
has been practicing law since 1985.
His primary practice areas are Real
Estate Law, Contract Law and Probate
Law. Dan is board certified in Commercial
Real Estate Law by the Texas Board
of Legal Specialization. He graduate
with his Juris Doctor from St. Mary's
University of San Antonio in 1985.
In 1976, he graduated from the University
of Dallas with a Bachelor of Arts
in Political Philosphy. As Director
of Undergraduate Admissions for the
University of Dallas , Dan gained
a great deal of management and business
skills. He has honed these skills
further as a small business owner
while also practicing law.
His
memberships include the Corpus
Christi Bar Association, the
State Bar of Texas, section
membership in the Real Property,
Probate and Trust Law section
of the State Bar and law school
membership in Phi Delta Phi,
and honors legal fraternity.
Dan was born in Chicago , Illinois
in1954.
Dan
has raised three children
and is married to Theresa Mader.
In his spare time,
he paints in the graduate student
painting studio at Texas
A&M
Corpus Christi where
he is pursuing a Master
of Arts.
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JOSEPH P. FINEGAN
Joe
has been practicing law since 1988, concentrating
in insurance defense and related issues.
He has been licensed in New York State since
1988 and has been licensed in Texas since
2002. He received his undergraduate degree
from the State University of New York in
1982 and his law degree from New York Law
School in 1988. Over the course of the last
two decades, he has dealt with an alphabet
soup of insurance-related issues, ranging
from D & O, to E & O,
to CGL, to PI.
He was born
in New York City , on St. Patrick's Day,
in 1959, and practiced law in lower Manhattan
for over a decade. He can attest that the
winters in south Texas are a lot friendlier
than on Wall Street. He's enjoyed that way
in which his experience fits into the level
of sophistication the firm brings to its
practice. (He's also enjoyed the fajitas
and barbecue.)
Joe and his
wife, Verena, make their home in Corpus Christi
with their family of two dogs and three cats.
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 DAVID
L. GARRISON
David's practice includes representation of his clients' interests involving oil, gas and mineral title issues; matters involving general corporate transaction issues; and areas involving real estate, probate, wills and trusts. These services include preparation of oil and gas title opinions, structuring, negotiating and documenting transactions for his clients' business success, as well as preparation of wills and trusts and other estate planning documents for his clients' piece of mind. David completed his Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture Economics from Texas A&M
University in 1980. Thereafter, he pursued
a career in banking until the mid 1980's.
He then enrolled in Texas Tech University
School of Law where he received his Law Degree
in 1989. David is licensed to practice law
in Texas and is a member of the Corpus Christi
Bar Association, the Corpus Christi Association
of Professional Landmen, the American Association
of Professional Landmen, and the Texas Bar
Association. David and his wife Lavonne have
two beautiful Golden Retrievers and are members
of the First United Methodist Church . His
hobbies include hunting, fishing, golf, travel
and boating.
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GUY
J. GORLICK 
Guy Gorlick is an associate in the firm's San Antonio office. Guy's practice focuses on litigation in the areas of business law, personal injuries, professional liability, and insurance. Guy has successfully represented individuals and local, national, and international companies in the trial and appellate courts of Texas , California and Hawaii . Guy
received his B.A. from the University of
California at Los Angeles (1988, cum laude )
and his J.D. from Loyola Law School , Los
Angeles (1991).
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CELINA LEAL
Celina was born
in Kingsville, Texas, May 29, 1979;
admitted to bar, 2005, Texas . Education: Texas
A&M University - Kingsville (B.A.
, cum laude, 2000). The University
of Texas School of Law (J.D., 2005). Member: Corpus
Christi and San Antonio Bar Associations;
State Bar of Texas ; Corpus
Christi Young Lawyers Association. cleal@umhlaw.com
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K.
CLIFFORD LITTLEFIELD
Cliff
received his Bachelor of Business
Administration in Finance from
the University of North Texas
in 1993. He then received his
Doctor of Jurisprudence from
Texas Tech University School
of Law in 1996.
After graduation,
Cliff moved back to his hometown of Corpus
Christi with his wife, Donna, where he has
established a thriving legal practice. The
cornerstone of his practice is representing
corporate clients in all capacities ranging
from transactional matters to complex litigation.
These clients range from Fortune 500 companies,
such as Berkshire Hathaway and Ford Motor
to local businesses, such as Texas Champion
Bank. However, Cliff still believes his most
important work is serving his community with
a willingness to represent individuals in
need of legal services. Regardless of the
size of the client or the problem, he devotes
the same level of attention and care to the
situation which is why he has become so valued
to the community and to Upton, Mickits and
Heymann, L.L.P. over the past decade.
| Areas of Practice |
| Real Estate |
| Commercial |
| Consumer |
| Corporate |
| Bankruptcy |
| Probate |
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| Education |
| Texas Tech University School of Law, JD - 1996 |
| University of North Texas , BBA, Finance - 1993 |
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| Bar Admission |
State of Texas , 1996 |
United States District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern
and Western Districts of Texas, 1997 |
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| Employment |
| 1994-1997 - Porter, Rogers, Dahlman and Gordon. P.C. |
1998-Present - Upton , Mickits and Heymann, L.L.P. |
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JOE BAUCUM
Joe was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, October 19, 1983; Licensed, 2011, Texas. Education: Texas A&M University –College Station B.S., Economics (2006), M.S. Agricultural and Applied Economics (2008). St. Mary’s University School of Law (J.D., 2010), also Joe is a Certified Mediator. Member: State Bar of Texas; Corpus Christi Bar Associations; Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association; South Texas Property Rights Association.
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SARAH B. BLACKSTONE
Sarah practices general business, oil, gas and mineral law and civil litigation in the firm’s San Antonio office. Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 2007 and her Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2010. While in law school, Sarah won the 2009 Regional American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition. She received the 2010 St. Mary’s University Outstanding Moot Court Award and was inducted into the Order of the Barristers. Sarah is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association and Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity.
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