Thought Leadership / News
January 23, 2013 
 Press Releases
Six Gray Reed Attorneys Become Board Certified

Over 20 Gray Reed Attorneys Have Earned "Board Certification" in
Oil & Gas, Health, Family, Tax, Commercial Real Estate, Estate Planning
and Probate, Civil Trial, and Business Bankruptcy. 
 

Gray Reed & McGraw is pleased to announce that six Gray Reed attorneys passed the highly difficult and prestigious Texas Bar Legal Specialization Exam and are now board certified**.  Board certification exams test an attorney's knowledge, skills and overall grasp of the subject matter in their particular specialty area.

With this latest class of attorneys who were just board certified, Gray Reed now has over 20 attorneys who are board certified in a number of areas including Oil & Gas, Health Law, Family Law, Tax Law, Commercial Real Estate Law, Estate Planning and Probate Law, Civil Trial Law, and Business Bankruptcy Law. In addition, Gray Reed is tied for the most attorneys in Texas that are licensed in Health Law and tied for second in the number of attorneys licensed in Tax Law. 

The Gray Reed attorneys passing the Legal Specialization Exam are:

  • Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal SpecializationAmy Allen – Family Law
  • Jorge Gutierrez - Oil, Gas and Mineral Law
  • Chris Harris – Tax Law
  • Ashley Johnston – Health Law
  • John Metzger – Oil, Gas and Mineral Law
  • Joe Nelson – Health Law

Amy Allen is an Associate in the Houston Family Law section of Gray Reed where her practice focuses on divorce proceedings, marital property valuation and characterization, child custody, modifications of court orders, enforcement actions, premarital agreements, adoptions and other child related issues, including CPS and Amicus appointments.  She is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law.

Jorge Gutierrez is an Associate in Dallas Oil & Gas section of Gray Reed where he represents small and mid-sized independents operating in the Texas shale plays and the Permian Basin.  Jorge’s practice includes representing parties in the purchase and sale of oil and gas assets, and in this regard he negotiates and drafts purchase and sale agreements, assignments, and mineral and royalty transfers.  Jorge performs title examinations for acquisition and drilling purposes and he drafts curative documents.  He also negotiates and drafts a variety of industry contracts including, oil and gas leases, surface use agreements, operating agreements, and unit declarations.  Jorge is Board Certified in Oil, Gas & Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. 

Chris Harris is an Associate in the Dallas Tax section of Gray Reed where his practice focuses on federal income and estate tax matters. His practice includes advising clients on tax-efficient structures for corporate mergers, acquisitions, divisions, and reorganizations both domestically and internationally. He also advises clients on the formation, capitalization, and liquidation of partnerships, s-corporations, and other pass-through entities. Chris also provides tax planning expertise for improving corporate tax efficiencies as well as executive compensation packages. He is Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Ashley Johnston is an associate in Gray Reed’s Dallas Healthcare section where her practice focuses on health care and corporate transactional matters. She advises clients on the formation and reorganization of business entities, mergers and acquisitions, purchase and sale of corporate stock and assets, physician/hospital contracts and joint ventures. She has extensive experience drafting and negotiating a variety of contracts including, physician services and employment agreements, asset purchase agreements, management agreements, business associate agreements and entity operating agreements, and has extensive experience assisting health care providers remain compliant with current and applicable health care laws. She is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

John Metzger is an Associate in the Oil & Gas Section of Gray Reed's Houston office. His practice focuses on natural resources law with an emphasis on transactional and title matters. John primarily represents oil and gas companies in their exploration and production operations. His work includes, but is not limited to, the drafting and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, master service agreements, and surface use agreements, as well as the supervision of due diligence projects on behalf of clients acquiring assets pursuant to purchase and sale agreements. John’s work also includes all aspects of title examination including the drafting of drill site and division order title opinions in Texas and North Dakota. He is Board Certified in Oil and Gas Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization,

Joseph Nelson is a Shareholder in the Healthcare Section of the Dallas office of Gray Reed & McGraw.  Joe focuses his practice on regulatory and transactional matters in the health care industry, concentrating on assisting health care providers and suppliers in ensuring their operations and transactions are compliant with applicable laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, the False Claims Acts, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Texas Illegal Remuneration Act, as well as state and federal regulations pertaining to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.  Joe is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

**Being “Board Certified” requires a certain level of experience as well as passing an extremely complex exam.  These exams test the attorneys on their knowledge, skills and overall grasp of the subject matter in their particular specialty area. A Board Certification is a valuable asset, according to the TBLS, because it is “a mark of excellence and a distinguishing accomplishment” and it “means an attorney has substantial, relevant experience in a select field of law.”

About Gray Reed & McGraw

Founded in 1985, Gray Reed & McGraw is a full-service, Texas based law firm with more than 120 lawyers practicing in Dallas, Houston and Tyler. Gray Reed & McGraw offers a wide range of legal services including business litigation, corporate transactions, oil & gas, tax planning and litigation, real estate, healthcare, trusts and estates, employment law, family law, intellectual property, and bankruptcy. For more information, visit www.grayreed.com.