Family Law

• Divorce
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Adoption
• Paternity
• Spousal Support
  We always consider the particular facts and circumstances of each case to determine the best avenue for resolution.  While traditional litigation may be the best option for some clients, others may benefit from collaborative law or mediation.  No matter which legal path is chosen, our attorneys will be there to assist the client each step of the way.
• Annulment

Criminal Law

• Sex Crimes
  Effective immediately, employer-employee arbitration agreements common in business may no longer compel employees to arbitrate disputes concerning allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment. This is the result [...]
• Theft
• Assault
• Restraining Order
  Temporary restraining orders; temporary and permanent injunctions; distress warrants; and writs of re-entry, attachment, garnishment, possession, sequestration, and execution

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, and other major changes in a company’s organization can have a critical impact on the visa status and continued employment eligibility of key executives, managers, and professional staff.  Cowles Thompson works proactively with clients involved in mergers and acquisitions or any diversification activity to efficiently address related immigration issues.  We perform due diligence investigations that include a close analysis of the current immigration status of the employees, and a determination of the impact of the corporate change on this status, and we aid in the filing of applications necessary to maintain each employee’s status.  After a thorough evaluation, our team will advise and assist you in implementing any immigration strategies that may be necessary.  In addition, we conduct I-9 audits of the acquired company, so that the parties properly negotiate the liabilities involved.
• Business Formation
  Cowles & Thompson, PC is a full-service law firm with offices in Dallas and Plano, Texas. Established in 1978, the firm has long served the Dallas-Fort Worth region, Texas, and the nation. Cowles Thompson attorneys strive to provide effective, creative, efficient solutions for their clients’ most complex problems, including critical litigation and appeals, employment, business formation and transactions, creditor’s rights, immigration, and family law.
• Business Disputes
  From Commercial Litigation to Business Law, Family Law to Immigration, Employment Law to Construction – our lawyers, legal assistants, and staff serve clients across Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and the nation.
• Business Transactions
  Cowles Thompson routinely negotiates and prepares all types of business and professional practice contracts, including loan documents, leases, and sales and service contracts.
• Construction Contracts
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
  In working with start-ups and early-stage companies, our attorneys provide guidance on the appropriate legal structure for clients, whether it be a corporation, professional association and professional corporation, joint venture, limited liability company, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or general partnership.  We can anticipate, discuss, and design (in consultation with your tax counsel or professional) the various tax ramifications associated with each structure, offer alternative financing methods, and design intellectual property protection.  Representation in this area
• Unfair Competition
  Fraud, deceptive trade practices, defamation, duress, breach of fiduciary duty/duty of good faith, tortuous interference, and unfair competition

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
• Employment Discrimination
  , LEXIS 961 (Tex. 2015) – defense of an employment discrimination matter which included the successful enforcement of an arbitration clause in the court of appeals.  2015–2018
• Employment Contract
  ; Cause No. 05-18-01371-CV, Fifth District Court of Appeals – successful enforcement of arbitration clause against former employee who brought suit against client claiming breach of an employment agreement.  2019
• Employment Litigation
  Cowles Thompson serves business and corporate clients, from start-ups and entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Chiefly, we deliver legal advice regarding legal and business structures, mergers and acquisitions, disposition of assets, employment issues, and service as (outside) General Counsel. Whatever the size of an organization, our mission is the same: to focus on the client’s business objectives and effectively manage the transaction.
• Non-compete Agreement
  In the proposed “Workforce Mobility Act of 2023,” another attempt has been made to ban non-compete agreements.   The Proposed "Workforce Mobility Act of 2023" A bipartisan group [...]
• Severance Agreement
  Under the draft proposal, non-compete agreements can still be entered into and enforced in limited circumstances, such as in connection with the sale of a business (including with senior executives as part of a severance agreement) or the dissolution of a partnership. However, the proposed language does not mention non-solicitation agreements, although it clarifies that confidentiality agreements do not preclude them.
• Sexual Harassment
  The Texas Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 45 (SB 45) paving  the way for any Texas employer – of any size – to be sued for sexual harassment in [...]

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
• Construction Litigation
  Throughout the life cycle of any business, a range of employment-related issues can spell potential exposure for owners and organizational leadership alike.  Cowles Thompson attorneys are well-equipped to handle contract preparation and project review matters, including executive employment and compensation arrangements, master service agreements, supply contracts, and construction contracts.  We conduct reviews for compliance with numerous governmental regulations, plus we handle drafting and counseling with...
• Eminent Domain
  With the current flow into states and cities of federal infrastructure and economic recovery funds, an increase in the use of eminent domain to secure land for public [...]
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
• Property Damage
  We regularly help clients develop solutions on disputes over issues of acceleration, change and extra work, warranties, defective workmanship, delay and disruption, partnership disputes, dissolutions, design deficiencies, construction site accidents, personal injury, property damage, water runoff, liens, labor disputes, hazardous substances, and breach of contract claims.

Immigration Law

• Family Immigration
  Whether you plan to bring family members from abroad or just seek new opportunities, it is wise handle your immigration needs with true immigration attorneys.   The Cowles Thompson Immigration practice manages all types of family-based immigration and streamlines the process for families or individuals looking to immigrate to the United States.   We handle green card applications for spouses, parents, children, and siblings as well as fiancé visas for future spouses of U.S. citizens.
• Employment Immigration
  In today’s global economy, many organizations discover that foreign nationals have the expertise they need.  Cowles Thompson helps these organizations obtain legal permission to bring these talented individuals to the United States.  Our immigration attorneys prepare applications for immigration benefits and represent clients to appear before various federal agencies.  Services include tracking of expiration dates, case status charts, state-of-the-art technology, and creative solutions for complex immigration problems.
• Green Cards
• Business Immigration

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  David J. Metzler was named as a 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® for the Dallas-Fort Worth region, in the area of Personal Injury Litigation – [...]
• Disability Discrimination
  Cowles Thompson represents clients in the full range of employment needs before the Texas Workforce Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in state and federal courts on cases involving race, national origin, sex, age, religion and disability discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, wrongful termination, defamation and invasion of privacy, non-competition agreements, protection of trade secrets, wage and hour issues, and other employment-related issues.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  In re Royal St. Bistro, LLC, 26 F.4th 326 (5th Cir. 2022), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recognized the rights of lessees when the debtor sells an asset free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances. The focus is not necessarily under bankruptcy law but under state law. Yet, before reaching state law domain, the Fifth Circuit first reviewed the rights of lessees when a lease is rejected under Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code and when a debtor/trustee sells an asset free and clear under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.
• Foreclosure
  In the recent matter, Cowles Thompson represented an international law firm and two of its attorneys. Our clients had represented a lender who had sued homeowners for defaulting on their mortgage loan and recovered a judgment of foreclosure and subsequent eviction in 2019. The owners filed and lost several pro se lawsuits challenging the foreclosure, in which courts repeatedly found that the foreclosure and eviction orders were legally correct. But the pro se plaintiffs continued filing suits including suits against our clients as defendants. In other words, they sued their opponent’s lawyers.