✦ Your Legal North Star
Our Team

Experienced counsel. Personal attention.

Meet the attorney and staff who guide our clients through their most important business and property disputes.

Home✦Our Team
✦ Founding Attorney
Founding Attorney

James Michael Ringel

Owner/Attorney

James is an attorney with experience in several different fields of the law, including mediation, property and easement disputes, debt collection, contract disputes, business litigation, and general civil litigation.

James has had his own firms since 2022, during which time he handled multiple different types of cases and managed cases from beginning to end, including handling numerous trials and hearings.

Previously, James acted as a law clerk at Grotefeld Hoffmann, assisting in complex insurance and insurance subrogation cases as well as product liability cases.​

James has also had extensive experience with criminal cases, on both the defense and prosecution side, having interned at the Travis County Attorney’s Office and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office as well as being a part of the University of Texas’s Criminal Defense Clinic.

Education
The Team

The people behind your case.

Every client works with a coordinated team who know your matter and keep it moving.

Jillian Best

Paralegal

Jillian is new to the legal field but has a passion for learning and growing. With knowledge across a multitude of fields and different positions, Jillian is passionate about helping others, solving problems, and brings a thoughtful and positive approach to her work while supporting attorneys and clients through their cases from start to finish. When she is not working, Jillian enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children, going fishing, or reading a good book.

Vanessa Garza

Senior Paralegal

Vanessa is a highly experienced paralegal with expertise in real property and probate. A proud Lockhart native, she has developed a strong foundation in legal research, case preparation, and document management, supporting attorneys in delivering optimal outcomes for clients.

Henrietta Sampson-Castilleja

Office Manager

Henrietta was born and raised in Central Texas (Bastrop/Austin). Henrietta serves as the Office Manager, providing exceptional support to both clients and the legal team. With a strong background in customer service and legal administration, she plays a key role in creating a welcoming environment for clients while ensuring smooth daily operations at the firm.

What Guides Us

Four principles. Every case.

Direction

We give clear recommendations, not just a list of possibilities.

Integrity

Honest assessments, even when the answer is not the one you hoped for.

Strategy

Every step is chosen with the end result in mind.

Communication

You will always know where your case stands and what comes next.

Speak With an Attorney

Every dispute has a way forward. Let's find yours.

Tell us what happened. We will review your situation, explain your options in plain language, and give you an honest assessment of the road ahead.