Farhad Bagheri -

Farhad Bagheri

Associate Attorney

Biography

Farhad is an associate attorney at McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans, where he joined the firm in June 2026. His past and current practice spans a broad spectrum of litigation and transactional matters, including intellectual property, entertainment law, civil and tort litigation, privacy and defamation, contract disputes, corporate matters, and insurance defense.

Drawing on more than 13 years of experience in the legal industry, Farhad brings a broad international perspective to his practice. He has worked across multiple jurisdictions, including the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Iran, Thailand, and Singapore. His experience includes representing Fortune 500 companies, including one of the largest accounting firms in the world, one of the largest food companies in the world, two of the largest oil companies in the world, and numerous global fashion and cosmetics companies. He has also represented two European governments in connection with a variety of legal and policy-related matters. In addition, Farhad has advised global companies on foreign direct investment, cross-border transactions, and joint ventures, helping clients navigate complex regulatory, commercial, and jurisdictional issues in international markets. In the entertainment space, he has represented independent filmmakers and regional studios in connection with film production and global distribution, including negotiating production contracts, advising on production-related legal issues, and appearing on set to assist with legal and business matters as they arise during production.

His professional background reflects a rare combination of private-sector, public-sector, international, and industry-facing legal experience. He was a Fellow at the United Nations, Harvard Law School, and the Norwegian Center for Human Rights, experiences that deepened his understanding of cross-border legal systems, institutional advocacy, and the intersection of law, business, and public policy.

Outside the practice of law, Farhad is a filmmaker and storyteller. Each summer, he dedicates himself to producing at least one short film, a creative discipline that reinforces the same skills central to effective advocacy: precision, perspective, judgment, and the ability to craft a compelling narrative. This creative practice informs his legal work, allowing him to approach complex disputes, transactions, and negotiations with analytical rigor, strategic focus, and a strong sense of story and human context.

Bar Admissions

State Bar of Texas

State Bar of New York

Sate Bar of California

Court Admissions

Eastern District of Texas

Northern District of Texas

Southern District of Texas

Western District of Texas

United States Court of Appeals

Second Circuit

Fifth Circuit

Sixth Circuit

Nineth Circuit

Location

Dallas (MAIN)

3710 Rawlins Street
Suite 1600
Dallas, Texas 75219

PRACTICE AREAS

EDUCATION

PhD (2021) | Dissertation: Film Distribution Across Jurisdictions: Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement and WTO Framework

LL.M. (2022)

B.F.A., Film (2024)

LL.B. (2013)

Master of Laws (2016) | Thesis: Antitrust and Competition Law in Mergers and Acquisitions: A Comparative EU–US Perspective

PROSPER ISD PARENTS QUESTION DISTRICT RESPONSE TO BUS DRIVER ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING STUDENTS

December 15, 2025

Author: Rebecca Lopez with WFAA Watch the interview here. PROSPER, Texas — Parents of two young girls who say they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a Prosper ISD school bus driver are speaking out about what they describe as serious failures by the district — including delayed notification to families and promised safety changes they say were never fully implemented. The parents asked that they not be identified to protect their children, who were just elementary school age at the time of the abuse. In a lawsuit filed in 2023, the girls — identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 — allege former bus driver Frank Paniagua assaulted them repeatedly during the 2021–2022 school year. According to the lawsuit, Paniagua would wait until other students exited the bus, then assault the girls, sometimes holding one child back so he could take her to the rear of the bus. Attorneys say the abuse occurred over several months and was captured on bus surveillance video. How the abuse was discovered The girls’ mother said the abuse came to light after their grandmother noticed troubling comments about gift cards offered by the bus driver. When the mother later questioned the girls again, they disclosed what had been happening. Prosper ISD police reviewed surveillance video from the bus in May 2022. Paniagua was arrested two days later and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and indecency with a child. Paniagua later died after jumping from the second floor of the Collin County Jail while awaiting trial. Concerns about delayed notifications Attorneys for the family say more than 100 days passed after Paniagua’s arrest before Prosper ISD publicly acknowledged the allegations — a delay parents say may have prevented other potential victims from being identified. At a packed school board meeting, Prosper ISD parent Morgan Grahovec, a child psychologist whose daughter attended the same school as the victims, told trustees that delays in notifying parents can have serious consequences. “Children who are victims of abuse need to be identified and interviewed as soon as possible because memory fades over time,” Grahovec said. “The longer you wait, it’s harder to get a child to report abuse accurately.” Parents at those meetings called for Superintendent Holly Ferguson’s resignation, arguing district leaders should have acted sooner and communicated more transparently. Ferguson did not step down, instead promising changes to safety protocols. District response and former statement In an earlier written statement to WFAA, Prosper ISD said it took appropriate action once allegations surfaced: “We are horrified that an employee violated the trust of our families and students, as Prosper ISD’s foremost priority is to protect our students’ safety and well-being at all times. We strongly condemn the actions of any adult who would cause mental or physical harm to a child, and we do not tolerate such behavior.” The district has declined additional comment, citing pending litigation. Disputed claims about safety changes Prosper ISD previously told parents it would implement additional safeguards, including increased supervision during bus drop-offs, a volunteer “bus buddy” program, and improved monitoring of bus surveillance video. But the parents and their attorneys say those changes were not consistently put in place. Attorney Levi McCathern says the district does not regularly review bus surveillance footage — even though video captured the alleged abuse in this case. “You would think the first thing you would do after this happens is change your monitoring program,” McCathern said. “They don’t monitor them at all.” McCathern and co-counsel Kristin Hecker say the lawsuit is aimed at forcing policy changes rather than seeking financial gain. Questions about oversight and leadership The case has also raised broader concerns about district leadership and oversight. Prosper ISD’s school board president later resigned in an unrelated child abuse case, further shaking confidence among some parents. Families have also questioned the independence of the district’s internal review, noting that the law firm hired to investigate the district’s response is also defending Prosper ISD in the lawsuit. “All we want is an independent investigation,” McCathern said. Parents push for accountability and change The parents say their children remain enrolled in Prosper ISD, but they continue to press for reforms they believe could prevent similar abuse. “We want justice for our kids,” the girls’ mother said. “But we also want changes to happen at the district so that this doesn’t happen to other children.”