Five ONDA Attorneys Named to the Lawdragon's List of Top Young Lawyers for 2025
The list from globally recognized legal guide Lawdragon includes the top young attorneys in the world, based on journalistic research and peer vetting by the Lawdragon editorial team.
'These lawyers provide a forecast of the fascinating future of global law practice,' Lawdragon said in announcing this year's list.
ONDA partner Jacob Jeffries and associates Melissa Cowle and Christopher Lambert are repeat honorees, and associates Christopher Konneker and Frances Seman made the list for the first time. Each was recognized for their expertise in family law.
'We are proud to have so many ONDA attorneys on this list,' managing partner Scott Downing said. 'It demonstrates the firm's commitment to its clients in having so many talented lawyers on our team.'
Mr. Jeffries, who has been on the list since the guide's inauguration two years ago, has extensive experience handling family law matters, including divorce, child custody and support, property division, marital agreements, appeals, enforcements and matters that are rarely litigated or that involve more obscure issues from the Texas Family Code.
Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Cowle, Mr. Lambert and Mr. Konneker are all board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a designation that requires specific practice qualifications, references, extended family law education, comprehensive testing and demonstrated expertise in family law cases.
Lawdragon has more than 35 years of experience in researching and reporting on the legal profession and creating guides to highlight the best legal professionals in various areas of practice.
For more about the 2025 Lawdragon X — The Next Generation of Leading Lawyers, click here.
About ONDA
Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson has served families for more than 30 years. With offices in Dallas, Frisco and San Antonio, ONDA is one of Texas' largest family law firms. Each partner is board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and each is a member of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Hakeem Jeffries bristles when grilled about NYC socialist Zohran Mamdani: ‘Not even the mayor'
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries bristled when pressed about Zohran Mamdani Thursday — snapping that he didn't 'understand' why he was being asked about the New York City Democratic nominee. The New York Democrat, during an interview on CNBC's 'Squawk Box,' had ripped President Trump as being anti-free market over his recent decision to replace the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a bad jobs report. That prompted host Andrew Ross Sorkin to redirect the conversation to the Big Apple mayoral race, telling Jeffries he didn't understand how the congressman could be both 'an advocate for a free market,' and also possibly support Mamdani, a socialist, as mayor. 'I'm trying to understand why you would spend a significant amount of time asking me about the Democratic nominee who's not even the mayor,' a visibly frustrated Jeffries shot back. 3 Hakeem Jeffries was agitated by the series of questions he faced about Zohran Mamdani. CNBC 'And it's not a legitimate point to raise about a president who is regularly attacking the free market economy, bullying corporations, bullying universities, bullying law firms,' he added. Jeffries — one of the several top New York Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul who have yet to endorse Mamdani — was repeatedly peppered with questions about the front-runner's far-left goals, such as rent freezes, free buses and city-run grocery stores. But Jeffries mostly skirted around the questions and refrained from giving direct answers, seemingly prompting Sorkin to revisit the Mamdani questions again and again. The Brooklyn rep and Mamdani met last month for the first time and Jeffries has said they will have another sitdown with the rest of the New York House delegations. 3 Zohran Mamdani has championed a far-left socialist agenda for New York City. Stephen Yang for the New York Post 'We had one initial conversation. It was a constructive and candid conversation. It was centered around the community,' Jeffries said. 'In that conversation, he indicated he liked my help in putting together additional meetings with members of the Congressional delegation, as well as leaders in many of the communities that I represent,' Jeffries said. 'That meeting is being put into motion right now.' Jeffries also contended that Democrats 'believe in a strong floor and no ceiling' for Americans, meaning they want the government to assist the poor but supposedly aren't bent on taking down the rich. The top House Democrat noted how Trump recently suggested that Goldman Sachs should fire its chief economist, Jan Hatzius, who forecasted that households will eventually have to pay about two-thirds of the tariff costs. 3 Hakeem Jeffries has stayed neutral in the New York City mayoral race. CNBC Hatzius, who is famous for his prediction in 2008 that mortgage defaults could trigger a massive recession, had made a series of grim forecasts about the impact of Trump's tariffs. 'He's the leader of the free world, the President of the United States of America, he's in office right now, and he's attacking the market-based economy,' Jeffries added about Trump. National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesman Mike Marinella quickly attacked Jeffries for lashing out on CNBC, telling The Post, 'he's more upset about being asked about socialism than he is about socialism itself.'
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business Wire
Cleveland Krist's Lulu Ortiz Named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cleveland Krist PLLC is proud to announce that associate Lourdes 'Lulu' Ortiz has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list, which celebrates exceptional early-career legal professionals that are shaping the future of the profession. The 500 X spotlights lawyers who 'provide a forecast of the fascinating future of global law practice.' Now in its third year, the guide recognizes young lawyers who have made an impact through significant matters, leadership and peer acknowledgment. Selection is based on submissions, journalistic research and vetting by peers. 'Lulu is an exceptional lawyer whose intellect, work ethic, and judgment have made her a tremendous asset to the firm,' said Tim Cleveland, co-founder of Cleveland Krist. 'Her clients and colleagues benefit from her ability to take complex issues and turn them into clear strategies, and this recognition from Lawdragon is well-deserved.' Ortiz joined Cleveland Krist after serving as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Robert Pitman in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. She holds a J.D., with honors, from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was an articles editor for the Texas Law Review. She earned her B.A. in sociology, graduating cum laude from Yale University. In Spring 2024, she served as an adjunct professor at UT Law, teaching legal writing. In her current role, Ortiz represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial disputes across state and federal courts. Cleveland Krist PLLC is a Chambers-ranked litigation firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, renowned for its strategic handling of complex commercial cases in courts and arbitration tribunals nationwide. Clients value the firm's focus, efficiency, and creativity.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
In Illinois, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries says affordability could be key message for the midterms
SPRINGFIELD — As national Democrats continue looking for a message that will resonate with the American public enough to put them back in power, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday it could be as simple as: 'America is too expensive.' Speaking in Illinois' state capital about President Donald Trump and GOP funding cuts to public aid and benefit programs, the New York City congressman argued high costs continue to plague average Americans. 'Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high. Utility costs are too high. Insurance costs are too high. Child care costs are too high,' Jeffries said, flanked by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, both of Springfield. 'America is too expensive. We need to drive down the high cost of living. Donald Trump has failed to do it.' Before arriving in Springfield, where he's expected to appear Wednesday with Gov. JB Pritzker at the Illinois State Fair, Jeffries hit the same message on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' As dozens of Texas Democrats fled their state for Illinois to prevent Republicans from passing a gerrymandered Texas congressional map to gain GOP seats for the midterm elections, Jeffries said the GOP efforts are happening 'because Republicans don't have any track record of accomplishment that is designed to focus on the American people, to make life better for the American people, to lower costs for the people of Texas and beyond. And so they want to rig the elections to cling on to power.' Jeffries' comments come as the midterms have begun to take shape more than six months after Trump took office. On economic issues, Trump has instituted a wide array of tariffs, which have increased some consumer costs and created uncertainty for businesses and the financial markets. In July, the consumer price index, which measures the average change in pricing over time, rose 2.7% over the last year for all urban consumers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During their event in Springfield, Jeffries, Budzinski and Durbin said massive tax breaks for the wealthy and spending cuts that were cornerstones of Trump's domestic legislation will deprive many Americans of federal health care funding, food assistance and early childhood education programs. 'Democrats are committed to fixing a broken health care system and making sure that health care is available to everyday Americans that's affordable and accessible when they need it,' Jeffries said. 'And lastly, we have to clean up corruption in Washington, D.C., and deliver a government that actually works for the people and not for the privileged few.' Although Democrats are out of power in Washington, Jeffries, who has served in the U.S. House since 2013, said he thinks the party has gained traction since Trump won the White House and Republicans took control of both chambers in Congress. Since then, Jeffries noted a Democratic-backed judge won a coveted seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and he said Trump has become 'deeply unpopular,' following the tax break and spending measure. 'There is a reason why Donald Trump has ordered Republicans to engage in mid-decade gerrymandering of the congressional map. It's because he wants to rig the midterm elections,' Jeffries said. 'Republicans are on the run all across America.' Jeffries on 'Morning Joe' also spoke in support of the Texas House Democrats who traveled to the Chicago area and elsewhere to prevent the Texas House from establishing a quorum to vote on a new congressional map pushed by Republicans. Jeffries said the whole saga has shown how voters across the U.S. should be 'able to choose the people they want to represent them in Washington, as opposed to politicians and party bosses choosing their voters.' 'The Texas Democrats are standing up for the principle of free and fair elections,' Jeffries said. 'Nothing is more American than that. We are at an all-hands-on-deck moment. And so, I certainly support the principle that we have to utilize every single tool in the toolbox in California, in New York, here in Illinois, from coast to coast.' The Texas Democrats have been joined by Pritzker and other Democrats in accusing Republicans of kowtowing to Trump, whose administration is encouraging similar actions in other GOP-led states as a means of holding the party's slim majority in the U.S. House in next year's midterm elections for the remainder of Trump's second term. They have noted repeatedly that political maps are usually redrawn only once per decade following the U.S. census, and have said Republicans are trying to change the rules and disenfranchise Texas citizens for purely political reasons. Texas Republicans have countered that the congressional maps in many Democratic states, including Illinois, are gerrymandered. Pritzker has said that Illinois' 14-3 Democratic majority congressional map passed legal muster. As Republicans try to force Democrats back to Texas to vote on the remap, GOP Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others filed a petition — in what at least one legal expert called long-shot litigation — with a western Illinois court to compel Illinois law enforcement to enforce civil warrants from the Republican Texas House speaker against the Democratic lawmakers who sought refuge in Illinois. On Tuesday, Jeffries also addressed U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's threat from last week of getting the FBI involved in trying to ensure the lawmakers return to Texas — a request from the veteran Texas Republican that he said was granted by the law enforcement agency. Jeffries called Cornyn's actions 'pitiful' as he's trying to 'weaponize the FBI' for political purposes at a time when he faces a contentious primary reelection bid against Paxton, who is vying for Cornyn's seat. 'It's sad because the senator has (presented) himself for decades as someone of integrity,' Jeffries said of Cornyn on 'Morning Joe.' 'And now that he's in the race of his life and is on his way to losing the Texas Republican primary for his own reelection, he is targeting elected officials who he believes are his adversaries solely for political gain.' 'The FBI obviously should be focused on doing other things in terms of targeting child predators, terrorists or drug traffickers, not being used as political pawns in a game that (Texas Gov.) Greg Abbott and John Cornyn and Texas Republican Party bosses are trying to utilize for their own political power,' Jeffries said on 'Morning Joe.' 'This is the same principle connected to the fact that you have more than 100 people who've lost their lives in Texas, including dozens of children, tragically in the historic flooding. There is clear evidence that there has been mismanagement or failure to act decisively.'
