Legal Services & Lawyers

Summary

I have led many difficult, sensitive representations in 27 years of practicing law and believe I have the talent, intellect, passion, energy, and communication skills that clients both want and need. While my nationwide practice focuses mainly on federal court matters, in each of my representations I try to be as efficient as possible by locating and focusing on the core issues involved. I interact effectively with government officials based on my years of service as a federal prosecutor. If a case must be tried, I am very comfortable with juries and judges from years of trying cases (having tried 100+ cases and having handled dozens of appeals)and teaching trial skills to lawyers and students.

I stay quite active in the legal community and have been selected by my peers for many leadership positions in professional organizations. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center (where I have taught Civil & Criminal Trial Advocacy, Food & Drug Law, and Antitrust & Health Law).

In addition to my J.D., I also have two LL.M. degrees (Tax and Health Law), have been Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy since the late 1980's, and have spoken nationally (and internationally) and written about issues in antitrust, compliance, governance, health law, pharmaceutical law, securities law, and white collar defense (among others). I developed and am Editor-in-Chief of a pharmaceutical law treatise published by BNA and the ABA Section of Health Law in 2007 (now in supplementation). I have written many book chapters, dozens of articles, and blog on securities law issues (the FCPA, the subprime market collapse, and the broader financial market). See http://research.lawyers.com/blogs/authors/92-Michael-E.-Clark

I also have been interviewed/quoted by many national media sources including AP; CBC, CNBC; Dallas Morning News; 48 Hours; Fox Financial, Health Channel; Houston Chronicle; National Law Journal; New York Law Journal; New York Times; Texas Lawyer; and USA Today.

Disclaimer: This information does create an attorney-client relationship, nor does it constitute legal advertising. Rather, it is offered for informational purposes.

Specialties (Other than my listed board certifications, I am not certified as a specialist in other areas)

Representation in administrative, civil, and white collar matters. In the past 20 years, I have been involved in federal cases involving banking fraud, business fraud, commodities law, environmental law, financial fraud, health law, securities law, tax law, and trade law violations.

Fred Hepner is both a licensed attorney and Certified Public Accountant with over 27 years of tax and business experience. His past experience includes working with two international franchising companies, Fortune 250 companies, and hundreds of small and medium sized businesses. His practice provides estate, tax, probate and business planning services. He has represented taxpayers before the IRS, helped business owners with the sale and purchase of businesses and assists owners with many of the more routine needs individuals and busineses owners face today.

I am a business transactions attorney that focuses in two general areas: (1) domestic & international real estate, title investigation, title insurance, and closing services and (2) business planning from cradle to grave, i.e., starting or buying a business; capitalizing your business; optimizing your business with tax, corporate and asset protection planning; strategizing business succession; and selling your business.

Darryl V. Pratt practices law in all areas of estate planning, asset protection planning, probate, bankruptcy (Chapter 7), real estate, taxation, corporate and business law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Pratt focuses his practice on estate and business planning and is a regular speaker on a variety of estate planning, asset protection, tax, real estate and business law topics. Mr. Pratt is a member of the Collin County, Denton County and Dallas County Bar Associations and the State Bar of Texas (Member, Real Estate, Estate Planning and Taxation Sections), American Bar Association (Member, Real Estate, Estate Planning and Taxation Sections), the North Texas and Dallas Estate Planning Councils, the Dallas Chapter of the National Council for Planned Giving, the America Institute of CPAs; the Texas Society of CPAs, and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Pratt is admitted to practice law in all courts by the Texas Supreme Court, and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas; and the United States Tax Court. Mr. Pratt was recently named as a "Texas Rising Star" "Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly and Law & Politics magazines.
Along with his family, Mr. Pratt is an active member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano.