Partner
Melinda Sims
Overview
Melinda Sims is a seasoned advisor with more than 25 years of experience representing financial institutions, business owners, and individuals in complex trust, estate, fiduciary, and commercial matters. As a former Assistant General Counsel for one of the world’s leading financial institutions, Melinda brings the perspective of both private practice and in-house counsel.
In her decades of practice, Melinda has represented parties in multi-million-dollar estate, trust, and business litigation and administration matters, including will contests, breach of fiduciary duty claims, trust modifications, guardianships, business succession, and all facets of trust and estate administration. She has advised individuals, the State of Texas, public entities and officials, financial institutions, corporations, charitable institutions, trustees, executors, beneficiaries, and guardians in highly contested proceedings at both the trial and appellate levels.
Melinda is valued for working closely with her clients to provide strong advocacy, technical legal analysis, and practical insight to anticipate risks and resolve issues through negotiation, mediation, and litigation.
Experience
Melinda’s litigation background includes serving as Assistant Solicitor General with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, where she briefed and argued appeals, drafted briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court, advised the Attorney General with respect to appeals at all levels, and handled high-stakes oil and gas litigation on behalf of the State. She has managed sophisticated litigation and fiduciary practices for both institutions and individuals.
Melinda also served as an intern for the Honorable Glen E. Conrad, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia.
Melinda’s representative experience includes the following:
- Served as counsel in fiduciary litigation valued at approximately $90 million.
- Represented parties in $25 million estate, trust, and business litigation matters.
- Represented beneficiaries in $24 million will contests.
- Advised bank executives on matters involving investment management accounts, trusts, estates, and IRAs, including day-to-day account activity, pre-litigation, litigation, and transaction questions.
- Served as primary legal counsel to executive bank management regarding privately held business interests, including purchase and sale transactions, board governance, fiduciary duties, shareholder rights, and confidentiality agreements.
- Served as lead in-house counsel on $1.65 billion sale of clients’ majority interest.
- Advised major brokerage and investment banking firms in state and federal court litigation and arbitrations, including the drafting of briefs in the Texas Supreme Court.
- Oversaw the review of trust instruments and related documents in the defense of a multi-million-dollar breach of trust class action asserted against a major investment banking firm, involving issues of first impression, and having significant industry-wide implications.
- Served as court-appointed attorney ad litem in guardianship matters.
- Primary responsibility for developing legal arguments and strategy for $10 billion global multi-industry company in a case involving legislative developments in real estate financing and servicing.
- Obtained a favorable settlement as lead counsel on behalf of a large manufacturing company in an action seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars, involving a sworn account and setoff.
- Evaluated pending litigation in an acquisition involving two large nation-wide restaurant chains.
- Represented the State of Texas in all facets of high profile, multi-billion-dollar oil and gas litigation.
- Served as lead counsel in eminent domain proceedings for expansion of state highways.
- Defended employment law matters for the Texas Department of Transportation.
- Conducted due diligence for the acquisition of a large medical company.
Education
- Juris Doctor, William & Mary Law School, 1998
- Editor-in-Chief, William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
- Merit Scholarship
- CALI Award in General Mediation
- Legal Skills Program Honors for Excellence in Legal Research & Writing
- Bachelor of Arts, Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 1995
- Certificate in American Studies
Associations
- State Bar of Texas (Litigation, Appellate, Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law, and Civil Liberties & Civil Rights Sections)
- Dallas Bar Association (Business Litigation, Appellate, and Probate, Trusts & Estates Sections)
- Dallas Estate Planning Council
- Dallas Women Lawyers Association
- Attorneys Serving the Community
- Junior League of Dallas
- Founding Board Member, National Charity League, Silver Star Chapter
- La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas
- Highland Park United Methodist Church – Finance Committee member (2022, 2023, 2024)
Practice Areas
- State and Federal Appeals
- Fiduciary Responsibilities
- Litigation
- Litigation
- Business Succession
- Corporate Entity Disputes
- Corporate Governance
- Shareholder Disputes
- Wills and Trusts
- Asset Protection
- Estate and Gift Planning
- Probate Administration
- Transfer Tax and Probate Litigation
- Wealth Preservation
- Guardianship
- Commercial Litigation
- Employment Litigation
- State and Federal Appeals
- Transfer Tax and Probate Litigation
Admissions
- State Bar of Texas, 1998
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Honors
- Selected as Texas Rising Star, Texas Monthly