Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys Serving Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and All of Texas

William O. Whitehurst

William O. Whitehurst is a past president of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. He is a registered pharmacist in both Oklahoma and Texas, is board certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In addition, he has been an instrument-rated, licensed pilot since 1967. Mr. Whitehurst has served on the faculty of the University of Texas School of Law and Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Programs. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and American College of Trial Lawyers and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Since 1975, William O. Whitehurst has specialized in medical malpractice, defective product litigation, and auto accident and aviation accident investigation. Mr. Whitehurst has achieved some of the largest medical malpractice verdicts ever against the United States government, ranking him among the state’s top personal injury attorneys. For a brain-damaged baby in San Antonio , Texas, he recovered over $18.9 million; in Austin, Texas, he recovered over $15.7 million for a similar birth injury.

William O. Whitehurst is a co-founder of the national organization Bar Leaders for the Preservation of Legal Services to the Poor. He has served on the National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL) Fellowship’s Board of Directors and has served as the attorney advisor to the University of Texas School of Law’s Texas Law Fellowships program (Public Interest Law Grants) since its inception. He recently chaired the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants.

Mr. Whitehurst received the J. Chris Dougherty Award and the Texas Law Fellowship Award for his work in legal services and public interest law. He was honored by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association with its national award for extraordinary leadership and personal commitment to equal justice in America. Mr. Whitehurst was also honored by Texas Appleseed with a Good Apple Award for his involvement in the creation of Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA).  He was named one of the Best Lawyers in Austin in the category of personal injury attorneys by Austin Monthly magazine and as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine. He is also listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America. Recently, Mr. Whitehurst was presented the Distinguished Lawyer Award by the Austin Bar Association, honoring Travis County lawyers who have practiced for 30 years or more and who have significantly contributed to the profession and the community.

Mr. Whitehurst and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, Emilee and Rebecca. Stephanie obtained a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Texas and is a former national president of the American Lawyers Auxiliary. Emilee has obtained degrees from Stanford and Harvard, is an ordained Presbyterian minister, and is currently the Executive Director of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. Rebecca obtained her degree from Stanford and is pursuing a career in dance and theater in New York City.

Mr. Whitehurst has been admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court; the United States District Court, Western District of Texas; the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Court of Military Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Thomas R. Harkness

Thomas R. Harkness currently serves on the National Board of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Harkness was recently selected as one of the Best Lawyers in Austin in Austin Monthly magazine and as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine. He is also listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America.

Since 1975, Mr. Harkness has specialized in product liability, natural gas explosions, aviation litigation, and complex general negligence cases. He is an instrument-rated pilot with a strong engineering background earned in his time at the U.S. Air Force Academy; he is also a member of the Interstate Trucking Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice. Mr. Harkness has obtained the largest product liability verdict in Travis County history ($5.5 million) and has obtained numerous other multimillion dollar personal injury settlements for the firm.

After graduating from the Air Force Academy with honors in 1968, Mr. Harkness attended The University of Texas Law School, where he also graduated with honors. Shortly thereafter, he served as an Air Force JAG in Japan. In January 1976, Mr. Harkness began private practice as an aviation and product liability lawyer at the prestigious Bronson firm in San Francisco. Two years later, he returned home and has practiced with the personal injury attorneys at our Austin , Texas firm ever since.

Mr. Harkness has three children and is dedicated to children's issues. Tom has served as President of the Board of the Austin Children's Museum and has coached more baseball and basketball teams than his memory can retain.

Thomas R. Harkness is licensed to practice before the State Bar of Texas; the State Bar of California; the United States District Courts, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas and Northern District of California; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

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Eugene W. Brees II

Eugene W. "Chip" Brees joined the firm in May 2002 after almost 26 years as a personal injury defense lawyer. With his background and trial expertise, Mr. Brees adds a unique component to the firm's plaintiff practice.

Mr. Brees was born in Alabama, raised in Maryland (south of the Mason-Dixon line), and educated in Texas. He is both an Aggie with a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and a Longhorn with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas. After graduating from law school in 1976, Mr. Brees began working for the law firm of Thompson & Knight in Dallas. He was a trial lawyer in the Dallas office until 1986, when he moved to the firm's Austin office. During his nearly 26 years as a defense attorney, Mr. Brees completed a wide variety of insurance defense and personal injury work involving medical malpractice, product liability, chemical and drug liability, industrial and motor vehicle accidents, toxic tort, mass tort, insurance bad faith, and business litigation claims. He has served as national counsel for a major manufacturer in fluorochemical litigation and Texas counsel for other manufacturers. Mr. Brees has tried over 75 cases to verdict in both state and federal courts, the vast majority of which have resulted in favorable verdicts for his clients.

Despite his success as a defense attorney, for many years Mr. Brees felt compelled to represent plaintiffs. He felt empathy for the plights of the people who were injured at the hands of the defendants whom he was representing. In May 2002, Chip was offered the opportunity to join the personal injury attorneys at our Austin , Texas firm and to transfer his expertise to the plaintiffs’ side. Mr. Brees seized the opportunity and, since then, he has focused on representing injured persons and their families in cases involving serious personal injury or wrongful death. Mr. Brees continues to practice in both state and federal courts. He represents plaintiffs in cases against doctors, nurses, and hospitals and in cases involving the United States government under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Mr. Brees also excels in representing individuals and companies in business disputes. His experience includes work with breach of contract, unfair competition, antitrust, and trademark cases. 

Mr. Brees is certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He was named as one of the Best Lawyers in Austin in the category of personal injury attorneys by Austin Monthly magazine and as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Brees is a member of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Mr. Brees and his wife, Amy, have three children. Chip's two sons have always been active in sports, and Chip continues to enjoy watching their exploits on the playing field. Chip's daughter is an aspiring dancer, a talent that she certainly did not inherit from Chip. Amy is a realtor and a chauffeur for their daughter. Amy and Chip enjoy Broadway musicals and have been active supporters of local theaters. Chip is a Deacon at First Baptist Church and serves on various church committees.

Eugene W. Brees has been admitted to practice before the State Bar of Texas; the United States District Courts, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

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Michelle M. Cheng

Michelle Cheng joined the personal injury attorneys at Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng & Imhoff, P.C. in 1996. She grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota and received her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering in 1992 from the University of Michigan. After college, Michelle escaped the cold weather by coming to Austin to work as an engineer at Motorola, where she designed engine controller chips for Ford automobiles. She soon decided that she wanted a career in which she could work more closely with people, however, and left Motorola to attend the University of Texas School of Law.

Ms. Cheng represents injured persons and their families in cases involving medical malpractice, birth injuries, product liability, automobile and trucking accidents, and other serious personal injuries and wrongful death. She is also a certified mediator. In 2006, the Austin Young Lawyers Association named her Outstanding Young Lawyer of Austin. The Travis County Women Lawyers Association awarded her their Litigation Award in 2004, and she was named a Texas Rising Star—an award given to the top 2.5 percent of up-and-coming Texas lawyers— by Texas Monthly magazine from 2004-2006.

Ms. Cheng enjoys staying active in the community and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas and on the Board of Editors for the Texas Bar Journal. She also recently served as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Capital Area AIDS Legal Project. From 2004-2006, she sat on the Board of Directors of the Austin Bar Association, receiving their Outstanding Director award in 2006 and their Outstanding Committee Chair Award in 2005. During the time she served on its board, she co-chaired the Austin Bar's Hurricane Katrina Committee and its Children's Affairs Committee. Ms. Cheng also previously served as Chair of the Austin Bar Association Civil Litigation Section and remains on their governing council. 

Michelle Cheng previously sat on the Board of Directors of the Austin Young Lawyers Association, where, at various times, she co-chaired its Community Service Committee, its Holiday Baskets Project, its Member Services Committee, its Bench Bar Committee, its Legal Services for the Poor Committee, and its Continuing Legal Education Committee. For her work with the Austin Young Lawyers Association, Michelle received the Outstanding Director Award in 2004. Ms. Cheng also previously served as Co-Chair of the Austin Bar Association Medical-Legal Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association. 

Michelle is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Austin and is a member of a number of other organizations, including the American Association for Justice, the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, the Austin Asian-American Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. 

After 22 years in the high-tech industry, Michelle’s husband, Chris, is embarking on a second career in social work. Chris is also active in the community and currently serves on the board of the Council for At-Risk Youth.

Ms. Cheng has been admitted to practice before the State Bar of Texas; the United States District Courts, Western District of Texas; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

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Sylvia H. Imhoff

Sylvia Imhoff is an attorney, registered nurse, and clinical nurse specialist who draws upon 12 years of medical experience in her work. Ms. Imhoff specializes in medical malpractice, product liability (pharmaceutical and medical device), and an array of serious personal injury cases, including those involving birth injuries that result in cerebral palsy, neurological injuries, wrongful death, and other serious injuries affecting both children and adults. Ms. Imhoff began practicing law in 1992 and joined the personal injury attorneys at our firm in 1998. A committed plaintiff’s attorney, she has always been passionate about helping the injured. She works closely with medical experts to develop case strategies and explore the full extent of the damages incurred in each case.

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Imhoff earned a Bachelor’s degree (1979), a Masters degree in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (1981, with honors), and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary's University (1991). She has taught at seven major Texas hospitals and has served as an instructor at the University of Texas Schools of Nursing. Her nine years of hospital staff experience includes practice in pediatrics, neonatology, obstetrics, cardiac, pulmonary, general medicine, surgery, recovery, emergency room, intensive care, and nursing management responsibilities. Before joining our team of personal injury attorneys, Ms. Imhoff worked as a nurse in Austin, San Antonio, Ft. Worth, and Houston, Texas. She is a contributing author to a nursing textbook used nationally and has served in the administration of a home healthcare nursing business overseeing 700 nurses and 300 patient cases.

Ms. Imhoff's professional associations include the American Association of Nurse Attorneys, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (Assoc. Director 1994-2000, Advocates Board of Directors 1994-97), the State Bar of Texas, the Federal Tort Liability and Military Advocacy and Professional Negligence Sections of the American Association for Justice, and the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association.

Ms. Imhoff and her husband, Bill, have adopted three children, two from orphanages in Russia. Ms. Imhoff has served on the Board of the American Heart Association in community education; she also lectures and provides community services in the areas of children's adoptions (domestic and international) and teaches youth ministry at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church. Drawing on their own experiences with a special needs child, Sylvia and Bill help other families find community resources and professionals who can assist the unfortunate. Bill is a long-time supporter of workforce training in the Austin community and serves on the community boards of WorkSource, the Greater Austin WorkForce Board, and the Capital Area Training Foundation, three organizations that help the unemployed find work.

Ms. Imhoff is licensed to practice before the State Bar of Texas and the United States District Courts, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

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