Ms. McQuilliams has been a litigation defense paralegal/medical consultant for 29 yrs, specializing in medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, medical device, toxic tort and product liability. She has attended and managed 30-40 trials in Texas and Oklahoma. In addition to her paralegal background, she has been a Licensed Paramedic for 23 yrs. Ms. McQuilliams experience as a paramedic, including many years in the ER, allows her to assist attorneys and claim professionals with medical record review/analysis, witness/expert interviews, liability/damage determinations and medical research.

Ms. Pingenot Key exclusively practices family law. She has been selected for inclusion in Texas Monthly “Rising Stars” each year since 2006. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Pingenot Key was the program director of a supervised visitation facility for families in Austin as well as an elementary school teacher with the non-profit program, Teach for America. She received a B.A. degree in Psychology, with honors, an M.S. degree in Social Work, with honors, and a J.D. degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Pingenot Key is board certified in family law and speaks and writes frequently on issues in family law.

Ms. Posadas, MBA, TBLS-BCP is a Board-Certified Paralegal through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization with dual certifications in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Law and is an Instructor for the Paralegal Certificate Program through the Center for Professional Development at the University of Texas at Austin. She has been a paralegal for 15 years with experience in litigation in the areas of insurance defense, personal injury, construction defects, products liability, medical malpractice, physician license defense, and appellate matters. Throughout her career, Ms. Posadas has participated in multiple trials at all court levels from small claims/justice courts to state-level district court, and federal court trials. She serves as an Investigator for the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, District 9 provided by the Supreme Court of Texas, actively participates in quarterly pro bono clinics related to estate planning for the cancer community and has held multiple Board and Committee Chair positions with the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas and local central Texas paralegal association, Capital Area Paralegal Association for the past 12 years. Previously, Ms. Posadas also served on education Advisory Boards with the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University and served as a Guardian ad Litem for CASA of Travis County.

Mr. Smaby is retired as the Executive Director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics in Austin, a position he has held since July 2009. The Center promotes the ethical practice of law by attorneys and educates the public regarding legal ethics and the justice system. Prior to being selected as Executive Director, Mr. Smaby practiced law in Dallas, where he was the managing shareholder of Roberts & Smaby, PC. He formerly served as Chair of the Consortium on Professionalism Initiatives for the American Bar Association and was a longtime member of the Advertising Review Committee of the State Bar of Texas. More recently, he served on the Succession Planning Workgroup for the State Bar of Texas that resulted in the creation of a webpage and forms by which attorneys can designate a custodian-attorney in advance in case of their disability or death. Mr. Smaby is the editor and prima author of the popular “Ethics Question of the Month” column in the Texas Bar Journal, which is the second most popular feature in the Journal per a recent reader survey. He is a frequent speaker, primarily on the topics of legal ethics, professionalism, behavioral ethics, and implicit bias. Mr. Smaby has spoken at events sponsored by the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas Law School, the NAACP, and numerous local bar associations throughout Texas. He is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Mr. Smaby is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan Law School, and he is licensed to practice law in Texas and Minnesota.

As an associate, Ms. Tremie is dedicated to leveraging the knowledge and skills she acquired during her clerkship to provide compassionate and effective support to her clients, particularly those navigating the complexities of divorce and family law matters. She earned her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, where she actively participated in various advocacy competitions and served as a student attorney in a highly complex criminal case. This experience not only honed her client interaction skills but also provided her with valuable insights into the lifecycle of legal cases, from initial client intake to final judgment. In addition to her legal education, Ms. Tremie brings a wealth of operational and upper-management experience from her previous career. This background equips her with a unique understanding of her clients’ business and financial needs, enabling her to identify practical solutions and pathways forward during challenging times while protecting what matters most to her clients.