I was born in McAllen, Texas, but spent the majority of my life living in the Houston area.  My family moved out to Cypress when I was seven. By the time I went to Cy-Fair Senior High School, my rural school system had become a little more urban. People often ask me what made me go to law school.   I went to law school because of a mock trial we did in my senior government class.  Although I thought I wanted to be a doctor, I discovered that my true calling in life was to be an attorney.

After graduation, I joined the Corps of Cadets and attended Texas A&M University.  While I soon discovered that I really wanted to practice law for a living, the Navy had other plans for me first.  As a NROTC scholarship recipient, I had to fulfill my obligation to the Navy before I could attend law school.  Upon graduation, I was commissioned in the Navy, sent to the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center and then promptly sent to the Fleet, where I almost immediately deployed to the Persian Gulf.  During Desert Storm, I often worked 20 hour days as an Aviation Intelligence Officer. I would find a few minutes each day to read law school guides. My passion for the law grew daily.  I was finally able to take that passion to the University of Houston Law Center after transferring from active duty to the Navy Reserves. 

At the University of Houston, I discovered that there was more to being an attorney than trying cases.  However, trying cases was and still is my passion.  After Galvin Kennedy and I won our intramural mock trial tournament, we joined the mock trial team, where I competed in Nationals for two years.  During that time I also served as a reserve intelligence officer, an editor of the Houston Journal of International Law, and the Chief Baron of the law school's honor society. I graduated with honors in the top 10% of my law school class.

After graduating from law school, I worked for several defense firms.  Eventually, my enthusiasm for the law grew into enthusiasm for "the little guy."  I believed that my talents would be put to better use if I began representing victims rather than the victimizers.  So, Galvin Kennedy and I started Kennedy Hodges LLP.

Some of my case results include the following:

• Successfully represented a class of hundreds of janitors in 13 states.
• Successfully represented a large class of employees who worked at multiple call centers for an international telecommunications company. The case was certified as a collective action by a federal judge. 
• Successfully represented dozens of waiters and kitchen staff who worked at upscale chain of South American cuisine restaurants in Houston. 
• Successfully represented large class of employees at a metal factory who were misclassified as independent contractors. 

Besides being Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law, I am AV Peer Review Rated, a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, named a Texas Monthly Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters (2006 through 2011), and named a Top Lawyer and Professional on the Fast Track by H Texas magazine (2005 - 2006).

I have been interviewed by both local and national news organizations over the years.  I have also worked on legislative efforts to protect the rights of Texans.  I currently serve as the Panel Chair for the District 4A Grievance Committee, where I hear and rule on complaints filed against attorneys.  I have served on various Houston Bar Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association and Texas Trial Lawyers Association committees because I believe it is important for lawyers to give back to the community.

Professional Associations and Memberships:
-Texas Trial Lawyers Association
-Texas Trial Lawyers Association
-Trustee, TTLA PAC
-Christian Trial Lawyers Association
-Houston Trial Lawyers Association
-Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation
-Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists
-American Association for Justice (AAJ)

Education:

University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas
Juris Doctor
Honors/Awards:
Top 10% of Graduating Class
Order of the Barons (Law Center's Honor Society)
Member National Order of the Barristers
Champion, Hippard Mock Trial Tournament
Editor: Law Journal: Houston Journal of International Law

Texas A&M University
Honors/Awards:
Member, Corps of Cadets
NROTC Scholarship Recipient
Distinguished Student

Professional Honors & Activities:
Recipient, Sea Strike Intelligence Officer of the Year Award
AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Named one of Houston's Top Lawyers by H Texas Magazine
Named a Professional on the Fast Track by H Texas Magazine
Named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly

Court Admissions:
Admitted to practice before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.