Houston, TX, March 2, 2020: Crain Caton & James announced that Elizabeth (Liz) Webb joined the Environmental Practice Group as of counsel, Caroline C. Pace joined the Corporate, Business Transactions and Tax Practice Group as a senior associate, and Gabriela M. Barake and Keith A. Taylor joined the Fiduciary Litigation and Probate, Trust and Guardianship Practice Groups as associates.
Liz has practiced environmental, health, and safety (EHS) law since 1986. She has broad experience, including a variety of Superfund matters, both at the administrative level and in cost recovery litigation, both at the state and federal levels. Liz also advises clients on regulatory compliance, including numerous audits, and has extensive experience in performing various EHS due diligence activities related to anticipated mergers/acquisitions. Liz also oversees various remediation projects at both the state and federal levels. Liz’s clients include energy-related entities (both upstream and downstream), petrochemical manufacturing facilities, retail, and banks and other financial institutions.
Kelly D. Brown, shareholder in the EHS Practice Area, said he “is excited to have an experienced lawyer like Liz join the existing legal team as she brings a variety of experience and adds to the depth of the existing EHS capabilities of the firm.” Crain Caton & James now has four full-time EHS attorneys, combining for more than 100 years of EHS expertise.
Caroline focuses her practice on corporate and business transactional matters, representing buyers and sellers of closely-held and mid-cap companies in a wide variety of industries. She concentrates on deal flow and getting the deal closed. In addition to her M&A portfolio, she closes domestic and international commercial transactions, including master service agreements, vendor and supply agreements, fabrication contracts, licenses, financing documents, and revenue-sharing agreements.
According to Larry George, a leader in the firm’s Corporate and Tax Practice, “Caroline fits into our practical and fiscally-minded approach to providing corporate solutions. She adds experienced depth to our market-leading corporate group.”
Gabriela (“Gabby”) advocates for fiduciaries and beneficiaries who bring and defend claims in the probate, trust and guardianship arena. She works closely with individuals, families, and businesses to protect their interests in difficult times. Additionally, Gabby consults on employment law issues and litigates labor and employment disputes for companies of all sizes. Whether clients prefer to communicate in Spanish or English, Gabby’s multi-cultural background enables her to translate their needs into results.
Keith gives a voice to clients involved in fiduciary litigation. He has experience in managing all aspects of the probate administration process from admitting a will to probate, to determining heirs, inventorying estate assets, handling claims, distributing estate assets, and closing the estate. Keith also has estate planning experience, which includes drafting wills, powers of attorneys, and trusts, and he advises clients on best practices to minimize risk. This probate administration and estate planning background are critical to Keith’s success in probate, trust and guardianship litigation.
“Demand for probate administration and guardianship continues to climb as baby boomers age and pass away with no valid estate plan or an estate plan that is challenged. We are delighted to have Gabby and Keith on our team to assist clients as they are confronted with these matters,” states Darlene Payne Smith, Shareholder in the Probate, Trust and Guardianship Practice.
About Crain Caton & James, P.C.
Crain Caton & James, P.C. provides first class service with integrity and exceptional value to its clients in Houston, Texas, and around the world. The firm’s 100-year history in downtown Houston gives it strong ties to Houston and a deep commitment to giving back to the community whenever possible. Founded in 1912, the firm now has a wide range of practice areas including Banking, Corporate, Real Estate, Probate and Estate Planning, Environmental, Employment, Intellectual Property, Fiduciary Litigation, Commercial Litigation & Appeals and several others.
Principal Office: 1401 McKinney Street, Suite 1700, Houston, Texas 77010
The Woodlands Office: 1095 Evergreen Circle, Suite 200, The Woodlands, Texas 77380 (By appointment only)
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Contact: Jackie Krejci 832-859-4996