Dec 08 2025
Love0

Scheef & Stone Joined the CCBA Christmas Gala, Where Partner Mitch Little Was Honored With the 2025 Legacy Award

By Attorney Spotlight

Scheef & Stone, LLP was honored to attend the 2025 Collin County Bar Association Christmas Gala held on December 6 at the Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star. The annual celebration brought together members of the North Texas legal community for an evening featuring a VIP Cocktail Hour, live music by The Manhattan Band, a silent auction, and views of the Dallas Cowboys Holiday Extravaganza.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2025 CCBA Legacy Award to Partner Mitch Little. As confirmed by the Collin County Bar Association, the Legacy Award is presented annually to one recipient for their contribution to the CCBA and the bar as a whole. Mitch was presented with the award during the gala by Partner Chase Garrett.

Selected by the CCBA Board of Directors, the Legacy Award recognizes attorneys whose careers reflect years of service, dedication, and impactful contributions to the Collin County legal community. Mitch’s long-standing commitment to his clients, mentorship within the profession, and active involvement in the legal community have earned him deep respect across North Texas. In addition to his distinguished legal career, Mitch also serves as a Texas State Representative, where he applies his background as a business attorney and advocate for private property rights, entrepreneurship, and constitutional principles in service to the broader community. The firm is proud to celebrate this meaningful milestone with him.

As a Chairlift Sponsor, Scheef & Stone hosted four VIP tables at the event and was honored to be joined by the following guests:

Judicial Guests
Judge Ben Smith and Rebecca Smith
Judge Jennifer Edgeworth and Chris Edgeworth
Judge Andrea Bouressa and Chris Bouressa

Scheef & Stone Members and Guests
Mitch, Kelly and Matthew Little
Patrick and Kelly Schurr
Logan and Casey Miller
Taylor and Lauren Harris
Steven Coffin
Chase Garrett
Haley Jones
Austin and Rachel Hatton
Jessica Chapa
Matt Bracy
Jim and Joanie Pikl
Jon and Meagan Strain
Shirley Rose & Mike Smith
Andrea Scott

Scheef & Stone appreciates the opportunity to support the CCBA and to celebrate this year’s achievements alongside colleagues and friends across the North Texas legal community. The firm extends its warmest congratulations to Mitch on receiving the 2025 Legacy Award and thanks the CCBA for recognizing his contributions.

Dec 02 2025
Love0

Scheef & Stone Partner Matt Bracy Featured on Resilient Minds Podcast to Discuss Emotional Intelligence in Business Leadership

By News & Events

Scheef & Stone is pleased to share that partner Matt Bracy was recently featured on the Resilient Minds podcast with host Dr. Jacqueline Campbell, LPC-S, for an in-depth conversation exploring the intersection of emotional intelligence, business leadership, and strategic decision-making.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Bracy reflects on more than three decades of advising business owners, sharing how emotional regulation influences high-stakes business outcomes—from contract negotiations to litigation strategy. He also highlights how trust, clear communication, and authenticity shape successful professional relationships.

Throughout the episode, Bracy and Dr. Campbell discuss:

  • How emotional decision-making can lead to costly business outcomes
  • Why regulated, long-view thinking leads to stronger strategic choices
  • The challenges business owners face in high-pressure situations
  • The role of self-awareness in developing leadership clarity
  • The importance of vulnerability and authenticity in building trust
  • How therapy and personal reflection contribute to resilient leadership

Bracy also speaks openly about his own personal development work and the value of maintaining emotional balance when serving clients facing stressful or deeply personal business challenges.

Watch or listen to the full episode:

For more insights on Bracy’s practice, visit solidcounsel.com/attorneys/matt-bracy.

Nov 13 2025
Love0

Scheef & Stone Sponsors 2025 CCBA Christmas Gala as Chairlift Sponsor

By News & Events

Scheef & Stone is pleased to serve as a Chairlift Sponsor of the Collin County Bar Association Christmas Gala, taking place Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 6:00–10:00 p.m. at Omni Frisco at The Star (11 Cowboys Way, Frisco, Texas).

The gala is CCBA’s premier year-end event, bringing together attorneys, judges, and colleagues for an evening of networking and celebration. Guests will enjoy a VIP Cocktail Hour, live music by The Manhattan Band, and a silent auction, with a picturesque view of the Dallas Cowboys Holiday Extravaganza during the cocktail hour.

As a Chairlift Sponsor, Scheef & Stone will host two reserved tables with VIP access, supporting CCBA’s continued efforts to build a strong, engaged legal community in Collin County.

The firm appreciates the opportunity to support CCBA and looks forward to celebrating with peers and partners across North Texas.

Event details provided by the Collin County Bar Association. For CCBA membership or event information, please visit the CCBA website.

 

 

Nov 06 2025
Love0

Scheef & Stone Partner Michael C. Smith Serves on Texas Bar Foundation Board; $974K in Fall Grants Awarded

By News & Events

Scheef & Stone congratulates partner Michael C. Smith on his service as a member of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, following his election to the board in June 2025.

At its Fall 2025 board meeting in Austin, the Foundation awarded $974,275 in grants to 91 nonprofit organizations across Texas. Trustees reviewed more than 130 applications seeking $3.3 million in support before finalizing grants that will fund programs expanding access to justice and strengthening the rule of law throughout the state.

With this most recent round of awards, the Texas Bar Foundation has now distributed more than $30 million in grants since its founding in 1965—advancing justice initiatives, legal education, and community programs that serve Texans in need.

A Sustaining Life Fellow of the Foundation, Smith brings decades of leadership and service to his three-year term. He previously served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors (2005–08), where he was recognized as Outstanding Third-Year Director and received a Presidential Citation. A past president of the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association and a past chair of both the State Bar Litigation Section and the Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors, Smith has long supported the profession’s commitment to excellence and integrity.

The Texas Bar Foundation, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, remains the largest charitably funded bar foundation in the country. Its Fellows’ contributions continue to strengthen the justice system and ensure legal resources reach communities across Texas.

For more information about the Foundation and upcoming grant opportunities, visit txbf.org.

Oct 06 2025
Love0

The Advocate Publishes Michael C. Smith on Proportionality in Complex Discovery (Fall 2025)

By Attorney Spotlight, News & Events

We’re pleased to share that Scheef & Stone Partner Michael C. Smith has been published in the Fall 2025 issue of The Advocate (State Bar of Texas Litigation Section), with an article titled “Proportionality in Discovery for Complex Cases: Understanding the 2015 Federal Amendment and its Real-World Application.”

Michael explains how the 2015 amendment to the Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1) moved proportionality to the center of discovery and what that means in practice for complex matters. He walks through the six proportionality factors and offers practical guidance—planning targeted discovery at Rule 26(f), documenting burden with specifics, leveraging technology-assisted review, cooperating on scope, using staged discovery and sampling, and embedding proportionality alongside relevance in analysis of every request and response.

Based in our Marshall office, Michael focuses on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He is the editor of O’Connor’s Federal Rules: Civil Trials, a former chair of the Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors and the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, and currently serves as vice chair of the @State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section. He also authors EDTexweblog.com and Eastern District & Texas IP Law Blog.

Read the Fall 2025 “Complex Litigation” issue of The Advocate to see the full article: https://texasbar.informz.net/texasbar/data/images/PID25.pdf

Sep 23 2025
Love0

Cameron Ace Frysinger to Present 2025 Texas Real Estate Legislative Update to CCBA Real Estate Section

By News & Events

Scheef & Stone is pleased to announce that Cameron Ace Frysinger, an associate whose practice focuses on taxation, banking, corporate and business law, and creditors’ rights, will present a 2025 Texas Real Estate Legislative Update for the Collin County Bar Association Real Estate Section on Friday, September 26, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. The program will be held at Kelly’s Craft Tavern, 3191 Preston Road, Frisco.

Cameron advises on business formation, debt financing, and private offerings for operating companies and funds—including traditional real estate development and niche strategies in health and technology—by drafting disclosure documents and party agreements. His background also includes research into IRS regulations and tax litigation strategies, giving him a practical lens on how statutory changes affect transactions, financing structures, and risk allocation. The session will distill key enactments from the 89th Texas Legislature impacting real property practice and outline immediate steps practitioners can take to update forms, diligence checklists, and client guidance.

RSVP: Please register via the CCBA event page by Wednesday, September 24, at 5:00 p.m.

Event link: www.collincountybar.org/events/event/28439

Attendance note: CCBA general and section meetings are open to CCBA members and guests of members. Non-members may join CCBA or attend as a guest of a current member pursuant to CCBA policy.

 

Jul 03 2023
Love0

Scheef & Stone’s Michael Smith Recognized as IP Trailblazer

By News & Events

Michael Smith

Scheef & Stone is proud to announce that the National Law Journal named Michael Smith an Intellectual Property Trailblazer. The IP Trailblazers is awarded to professionals working as agents of change in their practice areas.

When asked about his path to becoming a trailblazer, Michael pointed to his pioneering work in 2003, starting an IP blog before the advent of Facebook or the smartphone. He launched EDTexweblog.com to write about important IP cases coming out of the Eastern District of Texas and it went on to become one of the most enduring blogs devoted to IP law, still going strong 20 years later. In the years since, he has also launched TEXIPLAWBLOG devoted exclusively to important IP cases coming out of all of Texas and a podcast series, “Texas IP Roundup With Michael Smith,” in partnership with the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology.

Michael is a partner in the firm’s Marshall office, where his practice focuses on complex commercial and patent litigation in federal court. He is counsel of record in over 900 civil cases in the Eastern District of Texas. He is the former chair of the Eastern District’s Local Rules Advisory Committee; past president of the Eastern District Bar Association; Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation; two-time member of the Texas Bar Board of Directors; past chair of both the Texas Bar Litigation Section and Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors; and editor of “O’Connor’s Federal Rules Civil Trials” for over 20 years.

Selection criteria for the National Law Journal’s Trailblazers is available here.