Adair, Mary E.

Ms. Adair is an associate in the real estate department of Branscomb Law, where she primarily practices in the areas of real estate and water law. She has experience in representing individuals and businesses in a variety of real estate and water rights transactions.

Mr. Buck received a B.A. in Music and Sociology from Austin College in 2007 and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2011. He has practiced law in a variety of fields since his admission to the State Bar of Texas in 2011 and is currently a member in the litigation department of Branscomb Law in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Buck centers his practice on real estate litigation and has represented clients in title and boundary disputes, groundwater rights matters, rate-change cases at the PUC, and breach of contract and fraud cases involving sales of real estate. 

Jackson Walker, LLP
Mr. Dougal represents a diverse group of clients in complex permitting and water matters, including data centers and other technology companies, power generation companies, real estate developers and special districts. He is also active in water quality and wetlands issues where he represents energy companies, developers and agricultural operators in Clean Water Act permit and compliance matters. As a recognized authority on emerging water law issues, Mr. Dougal is frequently sought after to speak at bar and continuing legal education seminars. He is the author of two chapters in the treatise on Texas water law, The Essentials of Texas Water Resources. Mr. Dougal has a special interest in solving water supply issues for clients, including permitting of groundwater, contracting with others for new water supplies, conveying or reserving water rights, or reusing treated wastewater. Mr. Dougal is board certified in Administrative Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also a Texas licensed Professional Engineer (inactive).

Fancher Legal, PLLC, in Frisco
Ms. Fancher has extensive experience in representing clients on water and other legal matters across the State of Texas. She represents a diverse array of clients – from water districts to landowners and private companies – and therefore has a broad perspective that benefits her clients. After practicing in Austin for a number of years, Ms. Fancher simultaneously founded Fancher Legal, PLLC, and relocated with her family to the North Texas area where she was raised. She is a sixth generation Texan and is fortunate to have the opportunity to represent clients with interests and values similar to those that she was raised with.

Justin Hodge – Marrs Ellis & Hodge LLP
Mr. Hodge is a trial lawyer who represents Texas landowners in condemnation, eminent-domain, and real-estate lawsuits.  He has handled complex condemnation and eminent-domain cases throughout the State of Texas.  Mr. Hodge has appeared in condemnation and eminent-domain lawsuits and he has defended landowners against the Texas Attorney General’s office, pipeline companies, electric transmission line companies, school districts, cities, and counties.  He is passionate about Texas property rights.  Mr. Hodge has testified on Texas condemnation and eminent domain reform on behalf of Texas landowners in front of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.  He also writes a weekly blog at TexasCondemnation.com.  Mr. Hodge is currently an adjunct professor at University of Houston School of Law where he teaches a course on eminent domain. 

Mr. Porter has been named an expert in over 700 court and arbitration cases that have taken place since 1987. He recently served as chair of the Texas Real Estate Commission’s Education Standards Advisory Committee and serves as chair of the Advisory Council of the Briscoe Center for American History of the University of Texas at Austin. Over the past 15 years, he has taught as a visiting professor at St. Edward’s University in Austin. His most recent college text (his fourth) is Water Rights in the United States: A Guide Through the Maze.

Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Mr. Ruiz’s practice focuses on guiding clients through a myriad of governmental and water-related legal and policy issues, including certificates of convenience and necessity, statutory and regulatory compliance, various transactions, permitting, water rights, water resource management and development, and governmental relations. As a member of the University of Texas Environmental Science Institute’s Advisory Council, Mr. Ruiz’s practice focuses on the nexus of science, law, and public policy. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ruiz cut his teeth in regional water planning at the San Antonio River Authority, while serving as project manager for the South Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region L) and the Regional Water Alliance. While at the River Authority, Mr. Ruiz also helped steer the agency’s Legislative Program, while developing strategic partnerships with other local and state political subdivisions, elected officials, and staff. During his time at the River Authority, Mr. Ruiz filled the role as program leader, overseeing the implementation of various sustainability projects, which focused on low-impact develop and flood planning needs. Mr. Ruiz served as Legislative Intern for then, State Representative Doug Miller during the 83rd legislative session. Prior to that, Mr. Ruiz spent summers working on his grandfather’s drilling rig, providing water well services across South Texas.

Graham Taylor is an associate attorney representing clients in civil litigation and Texas eminent domain matters. Mr. Taylor earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 2018. During his second year, Mr. Taylor earned the Lex Award for the highest grade in his legal writing course and clerked with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, where he worked on complex medical fraud cases. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of St. Thomas (TX) in 2015 with a B.A. in Political Science and with distinction as the Outstanding Student in Political Science. During his undergraduate career, Mr. Taylor was captain of the mock trial team and president of the University of St. Thomas chapter of the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha.  Mr. Taylor is licensed in Texas and a member of the Houston Bar Association (HBA) and the Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA). 

Ms. Adair is an associate in the real estate department of Branscomb Law, where she primarily practices in the areas of real estate and water law. She has experience in representing individuals and businesses in a variety of real estate and water rights transactions.

Ms. Adams represents a diverse set of clients, including commercial and residential real estate developers, electric utilities and cooperatives, and water utility districts. She is experienced in advising clients on regulatory matters and complex environmental litigation matters in both state and federal courts and in arbitration proceedings, including identification and mitigation of environmental risks, navigating the permitting processes, and defending clients in administrative enforcement actions. More specifically, Ms. Adams frequently assists land development and construction clients on policy, compliance, and enforcement aspects of state and federal programs, such as regulating stormwater discharges, wetlands, and jurisdictional waters, and protected species and resources. Additionally, she routinely counsels clients on administrative, transactional, and regulatory issues before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, including energy project transactions, regulatory proceedings, contested cases, rate cases, transmission line projects, and compliance matters. She is also experienced in analyzing environmental issues for renewable energy projects. Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Ms. Adams served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Justice Don Willet at the Supreme Court of Texas.

Ms. Binger as a member of the Water, Districts, and Energy and Utility Practice Groups, She assists clients with matters relating to certificates of convenience and necessity, water supply, water quality, and water rights, in addition to providing general counsel services to political subdivisions in Texas. Ms. Binger received her B.A. in Psychology from Texas Tech University in 2016 and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 2020. Prior to joining Lloyd Gosselink, she practiced general
litigation in various positions in Central Indiana.

Mr. Buck received a B.A. in Music and Sociology from Austin College in 2007 and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2011. He has practiced law in a variety of fields since his admission to the State Bar of Texas in 2011 and is currently a member in the litigation department of Branscomb Law in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Buck centers his practice on real estate litigation and has represented clients in title and boundary disputes, groundwater rights matters, rate-change cases at the PUC, and breach of contract and fraud cases involving sales of real estate. 

Dr. Mace in addition to his position at the Meadows Center, he is also a Professor of Practice in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. Dr. Mace has over 30 years of experience in hydrology, hydrogeology, stakeholder processes and water policy, mostly in Texas. Before joining Texas State University in 2017, Mace worked at the Texas Water Development Board for 17 years ending his career there as the Deputy Executive Administrator for the Water Science and Conservation Office. While at the Board, he worked on understanding groundwater and surface water resources in Texas; advancing water conservation and innovative water technologies such as desalination, aquifer storage and recovery, reuse, and rainwater harvesting; and protecting Texans from floods.

Mr. Porter has been named an expert in over 700 court and arbitration cases that have taken place since 1987. He recently served as chair of the Texas Real Estate Commission’s Education Standards Advisory Committee and serves as chair of the Advisory Council of the Briscoe Center for American History of the University of Texas at Austin. Over the past 15 years, he has taught as a visiting professor at St. Edward’s University in Austin. His most recent college text (his fourth) is Water Rights in the United States: A Guide Through the Maze.