October 2, 2017 | By Bekah Harger
On Sunday, October 1st, McCathern celebrated the beginning of its 20th year in business. After 19 full years, McCathern is stronger than ever with four offices located in Dallas, Houston, and Frisco, Texas as well as Los Angeles, California. McCathern employs over 65 attorneys and staff – all working together to reach the firm’s goal of improving people’s lives.
From the day the firm opened, on October 1, 1998, McCathern has seen many changes – from the company name to the employees who make it up. Since day one, two people have remained an integral part of this firm: Founding Partner, Levi McCathern, and his long-time paralegal, Liz Criswell, who offered some insight into what it was like in the earliest days of McCathern.
According to Liz, the firm’s first office was located in Deep Ellum in Dallas. “We had the whole building and were there for five years before we moved here [current Dallas office],” Liz said. “The original office was an old, historic building that is now condominiums. Two floors, lots of offices and rooms. Windows that opened (yay – fresh air!), and seriously funky bathrooms that never worked properly.”
McCathern has steadily grown and now occupies the entire 16th floor of what is the firm’s headquarters in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas. “When we moved here, we had half of the floor, then expanded to three fourths of the floor, then the whole floor,” said Liz.
When the firm first began, there were three partners, one associate attorney, and two staff members for a total of six employees. Of those original six, only Mr. McCathern and Liz remain. At that time, the firm practiced mostly in the areas of non-subscriber defense, trucking accidents, and cases involving the poultry industry. Since the beginning, Mr. McCathern has served as outside litigation counsel for the Dallas Cowboys and other Jones family interests as well as personal counsel for the Jones family. Currently, McCathern lawyers practice in more than 25 areas including employment litigation, family law, criminal defense, and many others.
Many McCathern attorneys have been honored over the years for their talents. Most recently, several firm attorneys have been named to the 2017 Texas Rising Stars List by SuperLawyers; the 2017 Best Lawyers in Dallas list by D Magazine; the 2017 and 2018 Best Lawyers in America List by Best Lawyers; and on the Top Lawyers in Houston list by H-Texas Magazine. The firm has also been recognized on the Texas 100 list by Texas Lawyer as one of the largest law firms in Texas.
McCathern attorneys and staff go above and beyond their normal duties in the workplace to help those in the community as well. Many attorneys have spoken at conferences and presented continuing education events to educate and inform firm clients, insurance professionals, and legal professionals on important topics. And, as a firm, McCathern has sponsored events and donated to charitable organizations around the country.
Congratulations on your first 19 years, McCathern and best wishes for many more to come.