Carpenter Associates

CIVIL LITIGATION & PROBATE ATTORNEY

Dallas & Paris, Texas

Don’t Just Join a Law Firm. Help Build One of the Premier Law Firms in Texas.

Carpenter & Associates, P.C. is growing, and we are looking for an exceptional Civil Litigation and Probate Attorney to grow with us.

We are hiring for our Dallas and Paris offices and are interested in attorneys ranging from experienced associates to senior litigators, future office leaders, attorneys with portable business, and solo practitioners who may be interested in joining or combining their practice with Carpenter & Associates.

Our goal is simple, even if accomplishing it is not:

We intend to build one of the premier trial law firms in Texas.

That requires excellent lawyers.

Lawyers who think strategically.

Lawyers who communicate.

Lawyers who prepare.

Lawyers who can solve problems before they become disasters—and who are perfectly comfortable walking into a courtroom when litigation becomes necessary.

And preferably lawyers with a good sense of humor, because civil litigation already provides enough unnecessary drama.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for an attorney who can independently handle a diverse civil and probate docket, including matters involving:

• Business and commercial litigation;
• Breach of contract disputes;
• Partnership, shareholder, and closely held business disputes;
• Real estate litigation;
• Construction disputes;
• Fraud and fiduciary-duty claims;
• Probate administration;
• Contested probate matters;
• Will contests;
• Trust disputes;
• Fiduciary litigation;
• Guardianship-related matters;
• Estate administration;
• Creditor and collection matters;
• Temporary restraining orders and injunctions;
• Discovery disputes;
• Depositions;
• Mediations;
• Bench trials; and
• Jury trials.

Experience in every one of these areas is not required.

Strong litigation judgment is.

We would rather hire a great lawyer who knows how to analyze a problem than someone who has spent ten years doing the same thing the same way.

WE WANT LAWYERS WHO THINK

This is not a document-processing position.

We expect our attorneys to analyze the facts, identify the real legal issues, develop strategy, anticipate the opposing side, evaluate risk, and make recommendations.

That means asking questions such as:

What is the client actually trying to accomplish?

What is the fastest way to get there?

What is the most economical way to get there?

What evidence do we need?

What does the other side need?

Where is the leverage?

What happens if this case actually goes to trial?

And sometimes:

Why are we fighting about this at all?

We want attorneys who understand that good litigation strategy is not measured by how many motions can be filed.

It is measured by whether the strategy moves the client toward the right result.

COURTROOM EXPERIENCE MATTERS

Carpenter & Associates is a trial firm.

Settlement is often the best result.

But settlement works considerably better when opposing counsel knows you are willing and able to try the case.

We want attorneys who are comfortable handling:

• Temporary restraining orders;
• Injunction hearings;
• Evidentiary hearings;
• Discovery disputes;
• Depositions;
• Mediation;
• Pretrial proceedings;
• Bench trials; and
• Jury trials.

You do not need to be the loudest attorney in the courthouse.

You need to be prepared, credible, strategic, and effective.

PROBATE IS NOT JUST PAPERWORK

We are particularly interested in attorneys who understand that probate and estate litigation frequently involve much more than filing an application and obtaining letters.

Families fight.

Executors make mistakes.

Trustees breach duties.

Property disappears.

Beneficiaries disagree.

Businesses are trapped inside estates.

Wills are challenged.

And sometimes decades of family conflict arrive in the lawyer’s office disguised as a probate case.

We want an attorney who can handle both the legal and human complexity of those matters.

That requires judgment, patience, organization, litigation ability, and excellent communication.

CLIENT COMMUNICATION IS PART OF THE JOB

Clients should not need a search warrant to locate their attorney.

We expect our lawyers to communicate clearly and consistently.

That includes:

• Explaining strategy;
• Setting expectations;
• Returning calls and emails;
• Giving meaningful case updates;
• Explaining costs and risks;
• Delivering good news;
• Delivering bad news;
• Telling clients when they are right; and
• Telling clients when they are very much not right.

Excellent legal work and excellent client service are not competing ideas.

We expect both.

AUTONOMY WITH ACCOUNTABILITY

We hire lawyers to practice law.

Experienced attorneys should be able to develop case strategy, exercise professional judgment, lead their team, and manage their files without someone supervising every decision.

At the same time, nobody practices alone.

Our attorneys have access to other lawyers, staff, leadership, institutional knowledge, and additional resources when a case requires them.

The expectation is straightforward:

Own your cases. Ask for help when you need it. Help your colleagues when they need you.

YOU SHOULD PROBABLY APPLY IF YOU ARE:

• Licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of Texas;
• Experienced in civil litigation, probate, or both;
• Comfortable managing cases independently;
• A strong legal writer;
• Capable of conducting meaningful legal research;
• Comfortable taking and defending depositions;
• Confident appearing in court;
• An excellent communicator;
• Organized and deadline-conscious;
• Strategically minded;
• Comfortable directing paralegals and support staff;
• Professional and ethical;
• Interested in professional and financial growth;
• Willing to take ownership of your results; and
• In possession of a reasonably functional sense of humor.

ABOUT THAT SENSE OF HUMOR

We are serious about our cases.

We are serious about our clients.

We are serious about preparation.

We are serious about results.

We are somewhat less serious about ourselves.

Litigation can be stressful.

Probate can be emotional.

Clients can be demanding.

Judges can be unpredictable.

Opposing counsel occasionally discovers email.

You need to be able to handle all of that professionally without becoming miserable to work with.

We want excellent lawyers.

We also want good people we enjoy having around.

DALLAS: HANDLE SOPHISTICATED LITIGATION

Our Dallas office offers attorneys the opportunity to develop a sophisticated litigation practice in one of the largest legal markets in Texas.

We are particularly interested in growing matters involving:

• Complex business disputes;
• High-value contract litigation;
• Real estate;
• Construction;
• Fiduciary litigation;
• Probate litigation;
• Trust disputes;
• Closely held businesses;
• Emergency injunctive relief; and
• Serious trial work.

If your goal is to become known as a capable and formidable Texas civil litigator, we want to help you build that reputation.

PARIS: HELP BUILD A MARKET

Our Paris office offers a different opportunity.

We are looking for attorneys interested not simply in handling cases, but in becoming a recognized legal presence in Northeast Texas.

For the right attorney, that can mean building relationships, developing business, growing a substantial litigation and probate practice, mentoring other lawyers, and assuming increasing leadership responsibility as the office expands.

Come help us build the market rather than merely work in it.

ALREADY HAVE A BOOK OF BUSINESS?

Even better.

Attorneys who generate clients create value, and we believe compensation should recognize that value.

We are particularly interested in experienced attorneys who:

• Have established referral relationships;
• Generate business;
• Have existing clients;
• Want to substantially expand their practice;
• Can mentor younger attorneys;
• Have leadership ability; or
• Want a larger platform from which to build.

Compensation can take into account production, collections, origination, leadership, and business development.

We are not uncomfortable with ambitious attorneys.

We are looking for them.

OWN YOUR OWN FIRM?

We should probably talk.

Carpenter & Associates is open to confidential discussions with solo practitioners and small firms that may be considering the next stage of their practice.

Maybe you enjoy being a lawyer but are tired of also being responsible for:

HR.

Marketing.

Collections.

Payroll.

Recruiting.

Technology.

Insurance.

Office management.

And whatever crisis mysteriously appeared at 4:47 Friday afternoon.

There may be another way.

We are willing to discuss:

• Firm mergers;
• Practice combinations;
• Lateral groups;
• Attorneys bringing existing books of business;
• Staff integration;
• Existing office integration;
• Market leadership opportunities; and
• Other creative arrangements that make professional and economic sense.

We are not interested in erasing what successful lawyers have built.

We are interested in asking:

Can we build something bigger together?

All merger and combination discussions will be treated confidentially.

WHO PROBABLY SHOULDN’T APPLY?

If your entire litigation strategy is “maybe opposing counsel will forget,” this probably isn’t the right fit.

If client calls are an interruption to practicing law, it definitely isn’t.

If you need someone else to remind you about every deadline, probably not.

If every problem is somebody else’s fault, we are unlikely to be compatible.

If “good enough” is your professional standard, we respectfully disagree.

And if you routinely create more conflict inside the office than the litigants do outside it, the litigation department already has enough work.

THIS IS A GROWTH POSITION

We are not simply filling a vacant chair.

We are expanding.

More clients.

More cases.

More sophisticated matters.

More geographic reach.

And greater ambitions for the future.

The attorneys we hire today should have the opportunity to become tomorrow’s senior litigators, rainmakers, practice leaders, office leaders, mentors, and firm leaders.

If you are looking for another job, there are plenty available.

If you are looking for an opportunity to build a serious practice, try meaningful cases, grow professionally and financially, and help build one of the premier law firms in Texas, we would like to meet you.

Carpenter & Associates, P.C.

Dallas | Paris | Growing Across Texas

Trial Attorneys. Results Driven Legal Guidance.

BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER.

Carpenter & Associates, P.C. is a Texas-based trial law firm representing individuals, families, and businesses in complex legal matters. The firm handles family law, civil and business litigation, criminal defense, probate, estate planning, real estate, and other litigation-focused matters. With offices in Dallas and Paris and plans for continued expansion, Carpenter & Associates is building a statewide platform focused on exceptional legal work, strong client service, courtroom readiness, and long-term professional growth.