Attorney Profiles

PARTNERS:

Brent M. Langdon

Offices in the Texarkana office; born in Texarkana, Texas, July 21, 1964; admitted to practice - State Bar of Texas, 1989; State Bar of Arkansas, 1990.

Brent M. Langdon
online at

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Education: high school - Texas High School, Texarkana, Texas, 1982; undergraduate - Southern Arkansas University, Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, 1985; legal education - University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Juris Doctorate, December, 1988.

Admissions: All state courts in Texas and Arkansas; United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas, 1990, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, 1990; United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1997, and the Fifth Circuit, 2008.

Recent Accomplishments: Texas Super Lawyer 2010 and 2011.

Professional Memberships: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers - Fellow; Texarkana, Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Arkansas Bar Associations; Texas and Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute; Million Dollar Advocates Forum; Litigation and Family Law Sections of the State Bar of Texas and Arkansas Bar Association

Practice Areas:

Complex family law litigation, including divorce, custody modification, contempt, adoption, termination, and property cases. Personal injury trial law, wrongful death, products liability, toxic and environmental law, tractor-trailer accidents; local counsel in mass tort multi-party litigation including: hearing loss, asbestos, tobacco, latex glove. Contract law disputes and local counsel in several class action suits in both Texas and Arkansas, including commercial and intellectual property litigation.

Mr. Langdon regularly appears in courts located in Bowie, Cass, Red River, Morris, and Titus Counties in the State of Texas as well as Miller, Little River, Hempstead, Nevada, Howard, Lafayette, and Sevier Counties in the State of Arkansas. His civil practice regularly involves litigating cases, in both jury and non-jury trial settings, on a broad range of issues, including complex family law matters, contract disputes, and personal injury suits in state and federal courts in both Texas and Arkansas.

Published Cases:

Neal v. WisconsinHard Chrome, Inc., 173 S.W.3d 891 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div. 2005, no writ).

In re Pilgrim' s PrideCorp., 187 S.W.3d 197 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div. 2006).

In re Pilgrim' s Pride Corp., 204 S.W.3d 831 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div. 2006).

In re Toohey, 2006 WL 1708655 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div., June 23, 2006) (unpublished).

Desai Hospitality, L.L.C. v. Patel, 2007 WL 2083660 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div., July 19, 2007) (unpublished).

In re B.F.B., 241 S.W.3d 643 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div. 2007).

Ansell Healthcare Products, Inc. v. Owens & Minor, Inc., 251 S.W.3d 499, Prod.Liab.Rep. (CCH) P 17,968, 51 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 710 (Tex. 2008).

In re S.A.E., ---S.W.3d---, 2009 WL 2060087 (Tex. App.-Texarkana Div., July 17, 2009).

ARKANSAS:

McMillian v. Monticello Ins., 116 F. 3d 319 (8th Cir. 1997).

GLP v. Nutt, 190 Fed.Appx. 515 (8th Cir. 2006) (unpublished).

Meredith v. Clayton Homes, Inc., 2007 WL 1140407 (W.D. Ark., April 17, 2007) (unpublished).

Golden Harvest, Inc. v. Davis, 2009 WL 2044625, slip op. (W.D. Ark., July 09, 2009).

Family: Wife, Kim; Daughters, Taylor and Reese

Community: Texarkana Ducks Unlimited - Area Chairman; Court Appointed Special Advocates, Board of Directors- President; Bowie County Levee Board, District 1- Secretary; Texarkana Regional Airport Authority - Board Chairman; Four States Fair and Rodeo Association - Board Chairman; Texarkana Museum Systems- Treasurer; Christus St. Michael Foundation Board; Teen Court of Texarkana - Judge; Temple Center - Easter Seal VIP; Southwest Arkansas High School Rodeo Association - Vice President; Williams Memorial Methodist Church - Finance Committee, Pastor Parish Relations, and Administrative Counsel.

Kyle B. Davis

E-Mail: kdavis@ldatty.com

Offices in the New Boston; born in Texarkana, Texas, August 19, 1975; admitted to practice - State Bar of Texas, 2001.

Education: high school - New Boston High School, New Boston, Texas, 1993; undergraduate - Texas A&M University, Texarkana, Texas, 1997; legal education - University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Juris Doctorate, 2001.

Professional Memberships: Texarkana and Northeast Texas Bar Associations; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; State Bar of Texas - Real Estate and Probate Sections; and, American Bar Association; Member of Texas Association of Banker's Counsel (TABC) and Texas Land Title Association (TLTA)

Admissions: All state courts in Texas; United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas; United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas.

Practice Areas: Real estate law, involving commercial, residential, farm and ranch issues. Complex family law in the areas of divorce, termination, adoption, custody, child support, property division, and protective orders. Contract disputes, collections, and personal injury claims. Social Security claims and probate matters, including will drafting, will contest litigation, trusts. Estate planning and elder law issues involving guardianships, powers of attorney, medical powers, living wills, and medicaid planning. Complex litigation involving issues in all general areas of practice.

Mr. Davis's concentration is on document preparation and transactions. He devotes a considerable amount of time to litigating a broad range of issues in his practice areas, including those involving probate matters, will contests, and other elder law issues as well as real estate transactions, involving commercial, residential, and farm/ranch property. He has experience handling complicated property title and boundary litigation suits, trespass to try title suits, and suits to remove clouds and title defects. Mr. Davis represents title companies, banks, investors, and business/home owners.

Published Cases:

Ferrara v. Moore, -- S.W.3d ----, 2010 WL 2925927 ( Tex.App.-Texarkana, July 28, 2010) (Bailey C. Mosely J., concurred in part and dissented in part).

In re Kerst, 237 S.W.3d 441 ( Tex.App.-Texarkana, 2007).

Family: Wife, Brandy; Sons, Logan and Hudson

Community: West Bowie County Ducks Unlimited - Committee; West Bowie County Wild Turkey Federation - Committee; West Bowie County Rotary Club - President Elect; New Boston Kiwanis - Immediate Past President; Bowie County Young Democrats - Past President; First Baptist Church, New Boston, Texas - Long Range Planning Committee and Deacon, elected to the Board of Directors of Hospice.

Junior Partners:

Mark K. Elliott

E-Mail: melliott@ldatty.com

Offices in the New Boston office; born in Texarkana, Texas, May 16, 1979; admitted to practice - State Bar of Texas, 2005.

Education: high school - Texas High School, 1997; undergraduate - University of Central Arkansas, Bachelor of Business Administration, 2001; post graduate - University of Central Arkansas, Masters of Business Administration, 2002; legal education - South Texas College of Law, Juris Doctorate, 2005.

Admissions: All State courts in Texas

Professional Memberships: Texarkana Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, Texarkana Young Lawyers Association, and Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Practice Areas: Criminal law cases, including all types of felony and misdemeanor charges as well as expungements and DWI's; family law matters, including divorce, child support, custody, termination, modification, adoption, and Child Protective Service cases; probate matters; Social Security Disability Claims; and, general civil litigation, involving contract disputes and personal injury claims.

Family: Wife, Elizabeth; Daughter, Cherish

Lisa McPherson

Email: lmcpherson@ldatty.com

Offices in the Texarkana office; born in Crossett, Arkansas, May 15, 1967; admitted to practice - State Bar of Arkansas, 2007; State Bar of Texas, 2008.

Education: high school - Crossett High School, 1985; undergraduate - Southern Arkansas University, Bachelor of Arts, 1989; legal education - University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Juris Doctrate, 2006. Served on UALR Law Review as an Assistant Executive Editor and Technical Editor. Also served by invitation as a law student member of the William H. Overton Inn of Courts. Received awards for Law Review Apprentice of the Year and Top Appellate Brief in Research, Writing, and Advocacy II.

Admissions: All state courts in Arkansas and Texas; United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, 2007, and the Eastern District of Texas, 2008; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Arkansas, 2009.

Professional Memberships: Texarkana Bar Association - Past Treasurer and current Vice-President; Southwest Arkansas Bar Association; Arkansas Young Lawyers Association; American Association for Justice; and, Texas Young Lawyers Association; Arkansas Bar Association and State Bar of Texas - general civil litigation, school law, appellate law, and family law sections.

Practice Areas: Family law litigation, including divorce, child support, child custody, protective orders, termination, modification, property division, and contempt actions; probate matters; education law issues; and, general civil litigation, including contract disputes, collections, personal injury, wrongful death, and premises liability suits.

Published Cases:

Ferrara v. Moore, -- S.W.3d ----, 2010 WL 2925927 ( Tex.App.-Texarkana, July 28, 2010) (Bailey C. Mosely J., concurred in part and dissented in part).

Prior Work Experience: Ten years as a certified secondary public school teacher in both Arkansas and Texas in the areas of English, Journalism, Speech, and Communications.

Family: Husband, David; Sons, Marshall and Carter.

Community: Hardy Memorial United Methodist Church; President of the Pleasant Grove Athletic Booster Club.

Nick Newton

E-mail: nnewton@ldatty.com.

Offices in the New Boston office; born in Texarkana, Texas, October 11, 1974; admitted to practice - State Bar of Texas, 2004; State Bar of Arkansas, 2004.

Accomplishments: Nick was recently named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2010.

Nick Newton

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Education: high school - Hooks High School, Hooks TX, 1993; undergraduate, Baylor University, Bachelor of Business Administration, 1997; graduate - University of Central Arkansas, Masters of Business Administration, 1998; legal education - University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Juris Doctorate, 2003; Southern Methodist University, LL.M. in Taxation, 2005.

Admissions: All state courts in Arkansas and Texas; United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. of Alabama.

Professional Memberships: Texarkana Bar Association; Arkansas Bar Association; Corporate Forms Committee and, State Bar of Texas.

Practice Areas: State and federal tax matters; business/corporate law; real estate law; collections; foreclosures; Social Security claims; all areas of probate, including the drafting of wills and trusts, will contest litigation; and, elder law issues, involving medical powers, living wills, guardianships, powers of attorney, and medicaid planning.

Prior Work Experience: Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) with prior work experience in the banking field as a Portfolio Finance Manager.

Family: Wife, Jennifer; Son, Harrison

Community: Attends Williams Memorial United Methodist Church; 2006 graduate of Leadership Texarkana;West Bowie Wild Turkey Federation Committee.

Brandon Eckhart

Email: beckhart@ldatty.com

Offices in the Texarkana office; born in St. Louis Missouri, March 30, 1983; admitted to practice - State Bar of Texas, 2009; State Bar of Arkansas, 2011.

Education: high school - Pleasant Grove High School, 2001; undergraduate - University of Texas, Austin, Texas, Bachelor of Arts in History with High Honors. Received notable awards including University Honors, College Scholar, and Distinguished College Scholar. Also a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honors Fraternity; legal education - Northwestern School of Law, Chicago, Illinois, Juris Doctorate, 2009.

Admission: All state courts in Arkansas and Texas; United State District Court for Easter District of Texas, 2009.

Professional Memberships: Texarkana Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, Texarkana Young Lawyers Association; Arkansas Bar Association.

Community: Volunteer - Randy Sams Shelter and Texarkana Museum System.

Demaris A. Hart

(Of Counsel)

E-mail:Dhart@ldatty.com

Offices in Texarkana office; born in Crossett, Arkansas, September 24, 1951; Admitted to practice State Bar of Arkansas 1977, State Bar of Texas, 1986.

Education: High School-Hamburg High School, Hamburg, Arkansas, Valedictorian, 1969. - Undergraduate-University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Bachelor of Arts, 1973. - Legal Education-University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Juris Doctorate, 1977.

Specialization: Board Certified in Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, since 1993.

Admissions: All state courts in Texas and Arkansas.

Professional Memberships: Arkansas and Texas Bar Associations; Local and area bar associations; Family Law sections of the Texas and Arkansas Bar; Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation; two terms as Member of District 1B Grievance Committee, Texas.

Practice Areas: Practice limited to Family Law, including divorce, complicated property cases, custody and child support, modification, termination and adoption, and paternity. Demaris has been representing families and children in Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas for many years. She is also a mediator in family law matters and is regularly appointed by the courts as an ad litem attorney for the child, or an amicus attorney to the Courts.

Publications: No longer takes appellate work—but has previously handled successful appeals in both State courts and the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals. Co-author of the Arkansas Family Law Practice Manual. Speaker at local and State Bar events on topics involving oil and gas law in Arkansas, and Family Law in Arkansas and Texas.

Family:Husband, George Mills; Son, Houston Mills

Community: Former Secretary and President, Texarkana Bar Association; Start up Board Member of CASA of Texarkana and Let's Talk About Kids, a divorcing parent's education program; former Board member Haven Home, Inc., Jaycees, Texarkana Easter Seals Society, Teen Court of Texarkana, graduate of Leadership Texarkana, Member of the year Texarkana Arkansas Booster Club, volunteer work with Salvation Army, Domestic Violence Center and Randy Sams' Homeless shelter; member First United Methodist Church, Texarkana, Arkansas.

Fredye Long Alford

(Of Counsel)

E-Mail: flongalford@ldatty.com

Office in Texarkana; born in Pine Bluff, AR August 25, 1951; admitted to practice – State Bar of Arkansas, 1976; State Bar of Texas, 1987; and State Bar of Missouri, 1982 (inactive in Missouri).

Education: high school – Watson Chapel High School, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1969 (valedictorian); undergraduate – Northeast Louisiana University, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, summa cum laude, in three years 1972; legal education – University of Arkansas School of Law, Juris Doctor with High Honors (5^th in class) 1976.

Admissions: All state courts in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri (inactive); Eastern District of Texas; Northern Districts of Texas; Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Texas; United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Professional Memberships: 1996 & 2008 President of Southwest Arkansas Bar Association; Texarkana Bar Association.

Practice Areas: Civil trial and appellate attorney in a broad range of substantive law. Complex family law litigation, including divorce, custody modification, contempt, adoption, termination and property cases. Contract law disputes including commercial and intellectual property litigation. Knowledgeable in employment law and federal procurement law.

Ms. Alford regularly appears in courts located in Miller, Little River, Sevier, Hempstead, Nevada, and Howard Counties in the State of Arkansas as well as in Bowie, Cass, and Red River Counties in the State of Texas.

Family: Husband, Edwin; Sons – Rodgers and Brandon Eckhart

Community: Former member of the board of Directors for the Texarkana Animal League, Inc.; Charter member and treasurer for the Salvation Army of Howard County, Arkansas; President of the Rotary Club of Nashville, Arkansas; Rotary International Group Study Exchange Team Leader to South Africa 2006; Southwest Arkansas Development Council, Howard County Emergency Food and Shelter Board member; Charter member of the Board of Directors for the Christian Health Center of Howard County, Arkansas; and Nashville Chamber of Commerce.