A View from Meadows Collier Meadows Collier

Join Joel Crouch for his conversation with Annie McGinnis. Ms. McGinnis grew up in Frisco, TX, graduating from Centennial High School. When she graduated there were four (4) high schools in Frisco, TX now there are twelve (12) high schools in Frisco, TX. Ms. McGinnis joined the firm as a lawyer in 2019 after being admitted to practice law in Texas in 2018. She attended Texas A&M University receiving her B.S. in Political Science, magna cum laude, in 2015. After graduating, she continued her education at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law receiving her J.D., magna cum laude, and Order of the Coif, in 2018. She then moved to New York to attend New York University School of Law receiving her LL.M. in Taxation in 2019. Upon graduating from NYU, she joined the firm. Find out what transpired during her college years that led her down the career path to become a lawyer as well as why she chose the colleges she attended. While in New York, she lived in a 424 sq. ft. apartment (aka a shoebox). Hear what her favorite things to do were while living in New York when she had time. After receiving her LL.M. in Taxation, she knew she wanted to come back to Texas to start her legal career. She knew of Meadows Collier and the firm's reputation from the law schools that she attended and the professors that she had while attending several law schools. She determined in her second year of law school that she had an interest in partnership tax, corporate work, reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. Learn what her favorite and least favorite activities are about practicing law, what she attributes her success to and her advice to new, young lawyers.

Joel Crouch sits down and talks with firm lawyer, Cari B. LaSala, whose practice areas include Commercial Litigation, White Collar and Government Regulatory Litigation, and Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets. Cari spent a portion of her childhood outside of New Orleans, LA before moving first to Austin and then to the Houston area, graduating from Austin High School in Sugar Land, TX. After high school, she attended the University of Texas McCombs School of Business earning her B.B.A., with honors, in Management and Consulting. In her junior year of college, she found herself at a crossroads, considering whether she wanted to pursue a career in teaching or to continue her career path to become a lawyer. Ultimately, she and her fiancé (now husband) were both accepted to the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law. She talks about her clerkships, both in the U.S. and abroad, and the judges she has had the pleasure to work for. After clerking, she began her career with a small litigation boutique in Dallas where her practice included commercial litigation and pharmaceutical product liability. She was with this firm for six years before joining Meadows Collier. She reflects on changes she has seen since COVID and discusses her favorite and least favorite things about the practice of law. Learn her best advice to a new lawyer, as well as what she attributes her success to: skill and hard work or luck.

Join Joel Crouch for his conversation with Jana Simons, attorney in the firm's Estate Planning group. Jana was born and raised in Aubrey, TX. Hear her stories about growing up on a horse ranch with parents who were horse trainers. She talks about the types of horses that were bred, raised, and trained at the ranch as well as the defined roles of the family members to maintain and run the family business. Jana began her college journey at TCU and then transferred to UNT where she received her undergraduate degree in Finance. Hear about several other career choices she considered along the way. After graduating from college, she spent nine years helping run the family horse business and then decided it was time to try something different. She moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech where she received her master’s degree in financial planning and her Law degree. From there she continued her education in DC attending Georgetown receiving her LL.M. in Tax. Hear about her mentors that helped guide her legal education and her employment choice to join the firm. After five years of practicing law find out what her favorite and least favorite things are and how much of her success she attributes to hard work, luck, or both. When she is not practicing law, you can find Jana enjoying her passion for horses. She is still involved in the family horse business focusing on buying, developing, and selling horses with her sister and mother.

Anthony Daddino talks with Joel Crouch about Meadows Collier being the only firm where he has practiced law his entire career. Joel has been with the firm for almost 35 years building his legal practice in the areas of IRS controversies, tax planning and estate planning. Discover a little bit about his childhood, his college years including how he chose to become a lawyer, and what he enjoys about practicing law. Joel talks about some of the cases he has tried, including a few criminal cases early in his career with Mr. Meadows, a 5th Circuit argument, being admitted to the Supreme Court and watching a firm case tried in front of the Supreme Court. Last but not least, listen to Joel talk about some office pranks over the years and his exceptional taste in special occasion suits.

Joel Crouch sits down with Firm Associate, Paul Budd. Paul joined the firm in 2016 and practices tax controversy and litigation. Paul's college education started at the University of Arkansas and then transferred to the University of Minnesota-Duluth after his first year, where he completed his Bachelors degree in Political Science. Paul then attended the University of Kansas earning his MBA and J.D. in Law. Along the way, he discovered and honed in on his passion for tax law, receiving his LL.M. in Tax at NYU School of Law. Find out more about Paul's education and path towards tax controversy, how he met his wife and their journey to Dallas, what he attributes his success to, and his advice to new lawyers just starting out.

Joel Crouch and Firm Partner, Brian Spiegel have an interesting conversation about how he went from working towards a career in sports journalism to practicing tax law. He talks about his favorite sports teams that he began following when he was a young boy. Brian's college education started in Arizona and after his first year, he returned to Texas going to school at UT in Austin. He spent time in college writing about various sports events and he became the News and Sports Director at an Austin Radio Station while in college. After receiving his Bachelor of Journalism degree, he decided to apply his math and analytics expertise to becoming a lawyer. He moved to Dallas to attend law school at SMU Dedman School of Law and then furthered his education at NYU School of Law receiving his LL.M. in Tax. He clerked for a Tax Court judge for almost two years in Washington, DC and then joined the firm. Find out about his law practice, how and what has created change in his practice and his advice to young lawyers just starting to practice law.