Constance O'Doherty Barnes is a graduate of The College of William and Mary (B.S. 1975), where she graduated with the highest honors in chemistry; Yale University (M.S. 1977); and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1981), where she was a Law Fellow and an editor for The Tax Lawyer Law Journal.

Prior to coming to Boyer & Ketchand in 2004, Ms. Barnes was a partner with the law firm of Butler & Binion. Her principal areas of practice include commercial trial and appellate law.

John R. Boyer, Jr. began his legal career with the Houston law firm of Childs, Fortenbach, Beck & Guyton, where he obtained partner status in 1986. Mr. Boyer is a member of the State Bar of Texas. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1979 from Southern Methodist University after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics with honors, from the University of Chicago in 1976. Mr. Boyer’s principal areas of practice include Corporate and Securities Law.

Philip E. Bryant, admitted to bar, 1980, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of North Texas (B.A. Psychology, 1977), South Texas College of Law (J.D. 1980). Member: Houston Bar Association, American Bar Association, Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, and State Bar of Texas. Mr. Bryant's principal areas of practice include litigation of complex commercial and business disputes.

Harvey J. Heller received his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas in 1974 and his Juris Doctorate at the University of Houston Law Center in 1977. He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Commercial Real Estate Law and Residential Real Estate Law. Mr. Heller has been in private law practice in Houston since 1977. In 1982, he joined the firm of Hoover, Bax & Shearer, where he became a partner in 1986. In 1992, he left to form his own firm, where he practiced until he joined Boyer & Ketchand in September of 2004. Mr. Heller's principal areas of practice include commercial real estate law, business and commercial law.

Larry E. Jacobs is a native Houstonian. He attended undergraduate college at Tulane University where he graduated cum laude in 1974 with a BA degree. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Jacobs then attended the University of Houston Law School where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1976. Following two years of general civil practice, Mr. Jacobs attended Georgetown University where he received a Master of Laws in Taxation in 1980. Since that time, he has been practicing in the tax area with emphasis on corporate and partnership taxation and estate planning.

Angelle M. Kergosien joined the firm in June of 2002 after working at AIG-American General. Ms. Kergosien was awarded her Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law in 2000, and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1991 from the University of Houston, majoring in Political Science. Ms. Kergosien is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association and the Houston Young Lawyers’ Association. Ms. Kergosien's principal areas of practice include litigation of complex commercial, wills, trusts, estate planning and business disputes.

Robert L. Ketchand is a graduate of Baylor University (B.A., 1970) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1973).

He was a litigation partner in both the Houston and Washington, D.C. offices of Butler & Binion. In 1985, he joined a start-up firm in Houston, ultimately known as Brodsky & Ketchand. He was head of litigation and managing partner. Brodsky & Ketchand was a securities, banking and litigation boutique. In 1988, Mr. Ketchand became a partner in Webster & Sheffield in its Houston office to lead Texas litigation. In 1990, he left Webster & Sheffield to become a sole practitioner. In 1992, he began Short & Ketchand, L.L.P. In February 2001, he joined Boyer & Ketchand. Mr. Ketchand is Board Certified - Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Ketchand is a trial lawyer whose principal areas of practice include litigation of business and commercial disputes.

Rita J. Leader worked at Vinson & Elkins and was a partner at Wood, Lucksinger & Epstein before joining Boyer & Ketchand in 1997. Ms. Leader earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston in 1975, where she served as an editor on the Houston Law Review. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A & M University - Commerce in 1971. Ms. Leader is a member of the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. Ms. Leader’s principal areas of practice include Securities and Corporate Law.

J. Edward Menger joined the Firm in October 2007. From May 1999 through September 2007, Mr. Menger served as Vice President and General Counsel of WCA Waste Corporation and its affiliated companies. In that role, Mr. Menger managed all legal services for WCA from inception through its initial public offering and beyond. Mr. Menger began his career with the firm of Short & Ketchand, L.L.P., where he was named a partner in 1997. Mr. Menger received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law. Mr. Menger’s principal areas of practice are mergers, acquisitions and general representation of business clients.

David S. Piper joined Boyer & Ketchand in October 2003. Mr. Piper is a graduate of Davidson College (A.B., cum laude, 1979) and University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1982).

Mr. Piper has practiced law in Houston since 1982. Mr. Piper has extensive experience in business formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, debt and equity financings, and technology matters. Mr. Piper's experience includes a wide range of general business-related legal matters, including contract review and employment issues. Mr. Piper's principal area of practice is providing general business representation to small to medium sized businesses.

Keith Short is a graduate of the University of Texas (B.A., 1968) and a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 1971) where he was a member of the Texas Law Review.