Bridget O’Toole

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Bridget O’Toole

Partner

CONTACT
Phone: 713-735-8560
Fax: 713-785-2091
Email: botoole@schlangersilver.com
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PRACTICE AREAS
Trust and Estate Litigation
Estate Planning, Probate & Guardianship
Litigation

Bridget’s interest in the practice of law began with summer jobs working for her father, a family law attorney, where she assisted in helping clients through what can be one of the most difficult times in their lives. Today, with more than 27 years of experience in probate and trust litigation, Bridget serves not only as a strong advocate for her clients, but also as a counselor and trusted advisor.

Bridget started her legal career at a major downtown law firm. Her move to Schlanger Silver has allowed her to continue her practice in a collaborative setting supported by the firm’s other practice areas, including tax and family law. Bridget handles a range of matters, including breach of fiduciary duty claims, representing executors, trustees and guardians in their fiduciary roles, contested guardianships, will contests, lawsuits involving trust disputes, trust modifications, estate planning and trust and estate administration and other complex matters related to probate. In blended family situations with step-parents or children from a previous marriage, Bridget helps her clients navigate through the myriad of issues that arise when a family member dies or becomes incapacitated.

Bridget is certified as an attorney ad litem and a guardian ad litem and has served in such roles frequently throughout her career.

  • Trust and Estate Litigation
  • Probate
  • Guardianship
  • Estate Planning

Vanderbilt University
B.A., 1985

University of Houston Law Center
J.D., 1990

  • Houston Probate Council, President-Elect
  • State Bar of Texas, 1990
           Real Estate and Probate Section
  • Houston Bar Association,
           Probate Section
  • Texas State Bar College
  • Attorneys in Tax and Probate
  • Disability and Elder Law Association
  • Attorney Ad Litem/Guardian Ad Litem Certification
  • Texas Bar Fellow
  • College of the State Bar

Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer (Civil Law Litigation), 2018, 2021-2022
Best Lawyers in America, 2018-2023
Texas Super Lawyer, 2013, 2015-2022 (by Thomson Reuters, as listed in Texas Monthly)
H Texas Magazine’s Top Lawyers of Houston 2016, 2017
Rating in Martindale Hubbell “AV” (highest)

  • “Realistic Solutions to Complex Guardianships,” The Wills and Probate Institute, September 18, 2013
  • “Tax Act and Revenue Proposals,” Texas Lawyer, June 2011
  • “Taking Stock – A Guide to Probate and Guardianship Inventories,”  The Wills and Probate Institute, September 24, 2009.
  • “Get It in Writing: HIPAA Makes It Vital to Get Documents Signed Early,” Houston Business Journal, October 3, 2008
  • “Proper Planning Can Reduce Stress,” Well Being Journal, Sept/Oct 2008
  • “Help! I need Somebody and Not Just Anybody – From Application to Appointment: An Overview of the Process to Appoint Temporary and Permanent Guardians,” South Texas College of Law, Guardian Ad Litem Certification Course, September 5, 2007
  • “Abuses of Powers of Attorney, or Why Guardianships Can Be Good,” South Texas College of Law, The Wills and Probate Institute, September 11-12, 2003

Bridget has three wonderful daughters that she enjoys spending time with in addition to travel, swimming, yoga, and photography.

JC Nickens

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Jacks C. (“JC”) Nickens

Partner

CONTACT
Phone: 713-735-8520
Fax: 713-351-4520
Email: jnickens@schlangersilver.com
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PRACTICE AREAS
Litigation

JC joins Schlanger Silver after 42 years of trial practice. He will try any kind of dispute, large or small, before jury or judge. JC prides himself as a “problem solver.” In recent years the focus of his practice has been in the securities area, including class action complaints and customerbroker dealer disputes on both sides of the docket. He is experienced in defending individuals in disputes and investigations by government agencies, including the SEC, FDIC, CFTC, Office of Thrift Supervision and Department of Labor. He has helped management clients disengage from their employers. He is a trained mediator who welcomes opportunities to help litigants resolve their disputes outside the courtroom.

  • Mediation
  • Civil Litigation, including:
    Securities Litigation
    Class Action Complaint
    Customer/broker dealer disputes
  • Representation in governmental investigations/disputes
  • Negotiation of separation from employment

Harvard College
A.B., 1971, magna cum laude

Harvard Law
School JD, 1975, cum laude

  • State Bar of Texas
  • District of Colombia
  • 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal
  • Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas
  • United States Supreme Court
  • Represent several hundred retirees in breach of contract matter against former employer
  • Settled multi-million dollar ERISA claim against the PBGC (Pension Benefit Guaranty) on behalf of US Airlines pilots
  • Tried numerous FINRA arbitrations on behalf of customers against brokerage firms
  • Represented major retailer in copyright infringement matter
  • Multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of employee group against employer
  • Successfully tried patent infringement matter on behalf of inventor
  • Multi-million judgment against the FDIC in bank failure case
  • Represented brokerage executives in securities claims brought in connection with Madoff scandal
  • Represented shareholders in class action securities claims against public company
  • Represented public company in class action securities brought by shareholders
  • Represented utility in breach of contract matter against gas supplier
  • Obtained dismissal of federal indictment for price manipulation in propane market
  • Represented major city to recover occupancy taxes
  • Represented executives in class action securities matter brought by shareholders
  • Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

The Best Lawyers in America, 2008-2023
America’s Leading Lawyers for Business Litigation, Securities, Chambers USA, 2011-15
Texas Super Lawyers, 2003-2018 (by Thomson Reuters as listed in Texas Monthly)

JC and Melinda enjoy their vacation home in Alto, New Mexico where JC “putters,” reads and enjoys puzzles of all kinds. They relish visits from their granddaughter, Abby. Daughter Marie (36) is a biologist with Novartis in Cambridge, Mass, where she works with laboratory animals. Son Clay (26) is a consultant with Bain, currently living in Austin and headed for business school at the University of Chicago. Melinda is active in their HOA and as an officer in the Houston Garden Club. Both enjoy a relaxed game of bridge but do not play as partners.

Sara Madole

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Sara Madole

Partner

CONTACT
Phone: 713-735-8581
Fax: 713-351-4581
Email: smadole@schlangersilver.com
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PRACTICE AREAS

Trust and Estate Litigation
Estate Planning, Probate & Guardianship
Litigation

 

Sara grew up in Houston and attended the University of Texas at Austin. Sara returned to Houston to attend law school and graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 2007. She first became interested in probate and estate planning at her first law firm, where she learned that she could provide a genuine benefit to clients by guiding them through an often-intimidating probate process. After the passing of the firm’s founding partner, Sara joined a mid-sized firm downtown where she expanded her practice to include commercial litigation and business disputes. She also continued to assist clients with probate matters, including guardianships, will contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Sara joined Schlanger Silver in 2016, where she focuses on probate and trust litigation. She is a determined advocate for her clients and also a source of compassionate counsel, working to find practical solutions wherever possible.

  • Trust and Estate Litigation
  • Probate
  • Estate Planning

University of Texas at Austin

B.A., Sociology, cum laude, 2002

University of Houston Law Center

J.D., 2007

  • Family Law Clinic (partnership with AVDA – Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse)
  • Transactional Law Clinic
  • Lorance & Thompson Negotiation Competition, second place
  • State Bar of Texas, 2007
  • US District Court Southern District of Texas, 2010
  • Certified Mediator, 2004
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Association of Women Attorneys
  • Business Law, Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law sections of Texas State Bar
  • Woodland Heights Civic Association
  • Texas Exes
  • Citizens for Animal Protection

Best Lawyers in America (Litigation – Trusts and Estates), 2022 – 2023
Best Lawyers in Texas (Litigation – Trusts and Estates), 2022 – 2023

“That’s Mine: Partition of Property in Trusts and Estates”
Presenter at the HBA Probate and Estate Section Meeting On February 27, 2018

Sara and her partner Patrick Ronan enjoy scuba diving, working on their 1920s bungalow, and chasing after their motley crew of pets.

Raymond L. Kalmans

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Raymond L. Kalmans

Of Counsel

CONTACT
Phone: 713-735-8585
Fax: 713-785-2091
Email: rkalmans@schlangersilver.com
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PRACTICE AREAS
Labor and Employment Law
Litigation

Raymond has devoted his career to Labor and Employment law and has been Board Certified in this field by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1976. Raymond, a native Houstonian, began his career with the National Labor Relations Board as an attorney in its Memphis, Tennessee office in 1966. Since 1968, he has represented employers in all aspects of employment law, first at a boutique labor law firm in Memphis, Tennessee, then at a boutique labor law firm in Houston. Prior to coming to Schlanger Silver, Raymond had a long term referral relationship with the firm and moved his practice to Schlanger Silver in 2001.

  • Union avoidance
  • Defending against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
  • Defending against claims of wrongful discharge
  • Defending against claims of misclassification of workers as contractors vs. employees
  • Defending against claims of violation of Wage & Hour laws
  • Assisting in day to day employee issues
  • Prosecuting and defending against claims of unfair competition
  • Prosecuting and defending against claims pertaining to employment torts
  • Prosecuting and defending against claims of breach of fiduciary duties
  • Providing supervisory training and drafting of employee handbooks

University of Texas at Austin
B.B.A., 1965

University of Texas Law School
L.L.B., 1966

  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1983
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1984
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1984
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1992
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • In the latest unionization attempt of a client, provided guidance to an employer resulting in defeating the union organization effort by a wide majority.
  • Assisted a variety of clients in obtaining summary judgments in connection with discrimination lawsuits.
  • Provided advice to a variety of clients with respect to responding to OSHA investigations, including on-the-job fatalities, and successful negotiations of resolutions favorable to the employers.
  • Helped numerous employers dealing with claimed misclassification of employees and failure to pay overtime with respect to investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division and negotiations leading to favorable results for the companies.
  • Was successful in getting a preliminary conditional class certification in a Wage & Hour lawsuit overturned.
  • Provided employee training for many employers in the effort to avoid claims of discrimination and harassment.
  • State Bar of Texas, 1966
         Employment Section
  • Houston Bar Association
         Employment Section

Texas Super Lawyer, 2003-2005  (by Thomson Reuters as listed in Texas Monthly)
Texas Top Rated Lawyer, 2013, 2014, 2015
(based on AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Ratings)
Rating in Martindale Hubbell “AV” (highest)
Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer (Labor & Employment Law), 2021-2022

  • Congregation Emanu El of Houston, Past President and Current Board Member
  • Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services,
           Past President and Current Board Member
  • Jewish Community Center of Houston,  Past Board Member
  • Prior Member of sub-committee of United Way Allocations Committee

John Hall

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John B. Hall

Partner

CONTACT
Phone: 713-735-8506
Fax: 713-351-4506
Email: jhall@schlangersilver.com
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PRACTICE AREAS
Litigation

John joined Schlanger Silver after 35 years of practice as a litigator at major downtown law firms in Houston. He is a determined and aggressive advocate for his clients. John benefitted from trial experience gained in his early career in personal injury cases, and from handling complex commercial cases as his career progressed. John is adept at identifying his client’s goals and formulating a plan to help achieve them. That includes pre-litigation counseling which can help avoid litigation altogether.

John’s clients include oilfield companies, manufacturers, financial institutions, investors, and Chinese entities. He helps clients both in asserting claims and in resisting claims in amounts ranging into the tens of millions of dollars in commercial and energy litigation. He is experienced and capable in all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation, discovery and trial, and brings his intensity and enthusiasm to every task.

  • Contract Litigation
  • Oil and Gas/Energy Litigation
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Construction Litigation
  • Trust Litigation
  • Qui Tam Litigation
  • Disputes between investors and companies
  • Personal injury cases, including toxic torts

Stephen F. Austin State University: 1979 B.A. in Political Economics

University of Texas Law School: J.D. 1982

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Southern District of Texas
  • Eastern District of Texas
  • Defended a manufacturer of gas processing equipment from claims by the buyer that the equipment was defective in design and/or manufacture.
  • Represented Chinese companies in pursuing collection of $17 million from buyers of oilfield equipment.
  • Defended a bank from claims by trustee beneficiaries based upon oil and gas leases in the Eagle Ford Shale.
  • Represented an oil company in a lawsuit to recover the value of misallocated oil offshore.
  • Defended a manufacturer in cases relating to exposure to asbestos.
  • Defended a manufacturer of oilfield drilling equipment against claims that the equipment was defective and caused the loss of a well.

State Bar of Texas 1982
Litigation Section

Houston Bar Association
Litigation Section

Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer (Civil Law Litigation), 2021-2022

John is from Nacogdoches County in the Piney Woods of East Texas. He is an avid cyclist and an amateur wine enthusiast. He enjoys reading nonfiction on a wide range of subjects, with a novel thrown in here and there.