October 01, 2026|Firm News, Press
Addition of Lawyers, Including Griffith Davison Founders Scott Griffith and Kimber Davison, Deepens Buchalter’s Footprint Across Texas’s Largest Legal Markets
Buchalter, a national law firm with offices in 10 states and 17 cities, today announced a significant expansion of its presence in Texas, growing its existing Dallas office and opening new offices in Fort Worth, Austin and Houston. The expansion is propelled by the addition of Griffith Davison, a Texas construction, real estate, and commercial litigation firm founded more than 30 years ago, whose founders Scott Griffith and Kimber Davison join Buchalter along with partners Jason L. Cagle, Tyler Frankel, James Hicks, Ryan W. Lione, J.P. Neyland and Brian J. O’Toole.
Their arrival marks an important milestone for Buchalter. The combination of Griffith Davison and the firm’s existing Texas lawyers firmly plants the Buchalter flag in Texas with approximately 40 lawyers and offices in all of the major cities of the Lone Star State. This expanded Texas presence further develops Buchalter’s capabilities in construction, real estate, business litigation, and related areas, and presents new opportunities to serve clients locally and across a national platform.
The moves give Buchalter, which now has more than 685 lawyers and nearly 450 professional staff nationwide, a deepened Dallas presence alongside its first dedicated offices in Fort Worth, Austin and Houston, three of the largest and fastest-growing business markets in the country. The expansion follows recent office openings in Nashville, Atlanta and Chicago, and builds on a group of Texas-licensed Buchalter lawyers who have long served clients across the state.
“We are thrilled to welcome Scott, Kimber, and their talented colleagues to Buchalter,” said Adam J. Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buchalter. “Their arrival represents an important milestone in our continued strategic growth and significantly strengthens our ability to serve clients in one of the nation’s most dynamic business markets. Just as importantly, this team shares Buchalter’s commitment to collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, and delivering practical solutions that help clients achieve their business objectives.”
Griffith Davison built its reputation over three decades as one of Texas’s leading construction, real estate and commercial litigation law firms.
“When I founded Griffith Davison more than 30 years ago, the goal was to build a practice rooted in deep industry knowledge, strong client relationships, and exceptional service,” said Scott Griffith. “As our clients’ businesses have grown and evolved, we saw an opportunity to join a firm with a national platform, collaborative culture, and strategic vision to support the next chapter of that growth. Buchalter, with its emphasis on client service, was a natural fit.”
Scott Griffith will lead Buchalter’s Construction Litigation Group as its Chair. Scott has developed a national reputation for his advocacy skills, trial practice, and construction expertise. His practice focuses on complex litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution for contractors, owners and developers. Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he has extensive experience representing clients in high-stakes construction and real estate disputes before state and federal courts, as well as arbitration proceedings. His practice includes handling matters associated with industrial, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, multifamily, education, and heavy-highway projects.
“Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to build lasting relationships with our clients and attract an outstanding team of lawyers who share our commitment to client service,” said Kimber Davison. “What stood out about Buchalter was the alignment in values and its thoughtful approach to growth. We’re excited to bring our team to a platform that creates even greater opportunities for our clients and our attorneys.”
Kimber Davison will serve as Buchalter’s Texas Regional Managing Partner, responsible for all four Texas offices. Having a prominent reputation in the construction and real estate industries, she represents clients in real estate development and commercial construction, with a practice focused on the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts and related real estate matters. Dual Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate and Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, she advises clients on acquisitions and dispositions, financing transactions, land use issues, and corporate matters. Her experience spans both construction and real estate, providing clients with strategic counsel across all stages of real estate and construction.
J.P. Neyland focuses his practice on transactional matters, drawing on an early career in litigation to help clients proactively address and avoid potential legal issues. His litigation background provides a unique perspective when advising clients on construction and real estate transactions. J.P.’s many years of experience in construction law forms a solid foundation for his practical and strategic counsel.
Jason Cagle focuses his practice on complex business disputes, with an emphasis on high-stakes claims involving commercial construction and real estate projects. Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he represents clients through all stages of disputes, including motion practice, mediation, trial, and arbitration. In addition to his litigation practice, he serves as outside counsel to businesses, advising on risk management, employment matters, insurance coverage, and other business-related issues.
Tyler Frankel focuses her practice on construction litigation and guides clients through all stages of legal disputes, including state and federal trials, and arbitration. With nearly a decade of experience in construction litigation, Tyler has represented clients in matters involving construction disputes, surety claims, delay claims, scope issues, defects, delays, and other complex construction-related claims in state and federal courts, and arbitrations throughout Texas. She works closely with clients to develop strategic solutions and advocate for their interests at every stage of the legal process.
Brian O’Toole focuses his practice on complex business litigation. Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a former Certified Public Accountant, Brian regularly represents clients in shareholder and partnership disputes, real estate matters, contract disputes, and litigation involving complex accounting and financial transactions. He has represented clients in the Austin business community for more than thirty years in state and federal courts, arbitrations, and has served as lead counsel in contested administrative proceedings before numerous Texas regulatory agencies.
James Hicks focuses his practice on construction, real estate, and commercial disputes, as well as regulatory enforcement matters. He has extensive experience representing clients in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings, and appeals, with a particular emphasis on construction defects, contract disputes, delay claims, scope issues, and business and shareholder disputes. In addition to his litigation practice, he advises clients on business formation, contracts, compliance matters, and strategies to help avoid future disputes.
Ryan W. Lione focuses his practice on complex business transactions, business formation, real estate law, finance and loan transactions, and construction law. In addition, Ryan advises businesses on operational, transactional, and strategic matters. Licensed in both Texas and Colorado, he brings experience in business counseling, providing practical guidance to clients across a broad range of industries.
Also joining Buchalter from Griffith Davison are attorneys Chris Atwell, Matt Blubaugh, Tatianna Brannen, Lauren Ferrie, Max Gaddy, Analicia Garcia, Trent Gray, Alyson Halpern, Austin Havens, Willy Hughes, Caleb Johnston, Elizabeth Ellington Kemp, Richard Kim, Joshua Michaels, Kelsi Sorrells, Connor Treece, and Gavin Wedel, along with a talented team of professional staff.
The Griffith Davison attorneys join Buchalter lawyers already serving clients throughout Texas, including long-time Partner and Firm General Counsel Robert Addison, Partners Jason Blackstone, Terry Freeman, Elizabeth Murphy, Janice Suchyta, and Matthew Yarbrough, and Attorneys Brett Ryan and Meredith Doll. Together, the combined team strengthens Buchalter’s capabilities across Texas and gives clients access to a deeper bench of legal talent across key practice areas.
“Texas represents one of the most important growth markets in the United States, and we are fortunate to have found partners whose reputation, experience, and values align so closely with our own,” Bass added. “Scott, Kimber, and this exceptional group of attorneys have established themselves as leaders in their respective practices, and we are excited to support their continued success as part of Buchalter. Their addition enhances our ability to serve clients locally, regionally, and nationally while continuing the strategic growth trajectory that has defined our firm.”
Buchalter’s Texas offices are located at:
Dallas: Galleria North Tower I, 13737 Noel Road, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75240
Austin: 515 Congress Avenue, Suite 1620, Austin, Texas 78701
Houston: 945 Bunker Hill Road, Suite 525, Houston, Texas 77024
Fort Worth: 464 Bailey Avenue, Suite 220, Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Buchalter is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional, national and international clients across a broad spectrum of industries and practice areas, including Bank and Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Insolvency and Financial Law, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, Real Estate and Tax and Estate Planning. With more than 685 attorneys, Buchalter has offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. The firm is committed to providing practical, business-oriented legal solutions that help clients achieve their strategic objectives. For more information, visit Buchalter.com
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