Our Team

Meet the Team

Chris Johns

Attorney

Chris advocates for people and causes he believes in. He represents individuals and businesses as they confront powerful interests on the other side: property owners in disputes with the government, landowners in eminent-domain cases, and others with an important cause in a civil trial or appeal.

Chris has won cases for clients in courts across the country—from state and federal trial and appellate courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. And he has helped organize and represent landowner groups that defeated three separate multi-billion-dollar pipeline projects.

Chris served an adjunct professor for seven years at the University of Texas School of Law, where he taught an upper-level course on property rights and eminent domain. He received his J.D. with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was editor in chief of the Texas Law Review and a member of the Chancellors honor society. After graduation, Chris clerked for the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He then attended the University of Oxford, where he received a postgraduate law degree. 

Chris entered private practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where he worked with former Texas Solicitor General Greg Coleman in the firm’s national Supreme Court and appellate practice. 

Chris appears on the 2018 through 2023 lists of The Best Lawyers in America, a peer-selected honor. Texas Super Lawyers Magazine has named him to its “Super Lawyers” lists for every year from 2013 through 2022 and to its “Rising Stars” lists in 2013 and 2014. Chris has testified about property rights on invitation from the Texas Legislature, is a regular speaker at national and state CLE conferences, and has received multiple pro bono service awards.

Bill Cobb

Attorney

Bill is a lawyer with experience at the highest levels of Texas government. Having worked for regulators and the highest levels of state government, Bill intimately understands the thinking and motivations of municipalities involved in land disputes.

As Texas Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation, Bill was responsible for initiating, approving, negotiating, and settling investigations for violations of Texas Antitrust, Consumer Protection, and Civil Medicaid Fraud laws. He also represented Texas state agencies in litigation to enforce Texas environmental, health & safety, and tax laws.

After his stint working for the government and seeing the ways in which regular people often found themselves without the power or representation they needed to protect and exert their rights, Bill left his career working for the government in order to work for the people who needed defending from the government. He is an experienced negotiator and litigator who adds a unique perspective to our team.

Alice Duffy

Realtor

Alice first got involved with real estate in 2005 as an investor; buying, selling, and renting property. This has given her the opportunity to get to know so many parts of the business, from renovating and staging a property to marketing it to get the best price.  

Alice was born and raised right here in Central Texas. Growing up on 175 acres east of Austin. She has seen so many changes over the years and knows the history of this area.  I have had the pleasure of living in several different places and each one has its own feel and character. This gives me a unique understanding of central Texas and makes it fun for me to help you with your real estate needs.

Because I was raised here I have many personal and professional connections. This is very important for selling your property as a big part of selling your land is getting the word out to as many people as possible to find just the right buyer. 

Landowner Protector

Over the last several years, I have worked to protect landowners' interests and preserve their rights so they get a fair deal in this quickly moving market. During a time of expansion like we see today, speculators will try to take advantage of landowners.  I have protected the landowners I work with by getting them fair value for their property and working with municipalities to negotiate land exchanges and easement agreements.  I have also worked on deed restriction removals to help landowners get top value for their land.  My greatest reward is to protect landowners and their family's interests while selling and finding them a new property.