The lawyers threatening to sue Dallas over City Hall? Most of them work, live, or have connections in Plano.
You’ve probably seen the headlines, the “Save Dallas City Hall Coalition” just filed a 60 day legal notice threatening to sue the City of Dallas if it doesn’t repair the building. They present themselves as standing up for Dallas residents and Dallas taxpayers.
So I did some digging into who’s actually behind it.
The coalition’s public spokesperson and lead attorney is Chris Bowers. His Texas State Bar address is in Plano. He works for The Suster Law Group, a firm that multiple legal directories describe as “based in Plano, Texas” and that represents suburban developers in land use and zoning matters. He’s classified as a Collin County attorney.
Attorney #2 on the letterhead is Robert Miklos. His previous firm was in Farmers Branch. His current firm has offices in Plano. His Avvo directory profile zip code? 75093, Plano again.
Attorney #3 is Michael Northrup, whose firm Cowles & Thompson openly states it has “offices in Dallas and Plano, Texas.”
Attorney #4 is Sol Villasana is the one legitimate exception. Lives in Dallas and works downtown. He’s the only real Dallasite in the group.
So 3 of 4 attorneys threatening to sue the City of Dallas over Dallas land using Dallas taxpayer money as leverage are professionally rooted in Plano, a city that’s literally trying to leave DART right now and has been competing with Dallas for corporate HQs for 30 years and now sport franchises I guess?
Meanwhile, Bowers’s own firm’s website says it “represents developers and other property owners.” The guy leading the charge to freeze Dallas’s biggest downtown redevelopment opportunity in a generation is a suburban developer’s attorney who doesn’t pay Dallas property taxes and doesn’t vote in Dallas elections.
Make of that what you will, but this lawsuit threat is starting to stink and the Save City Hall crowd is starting to look more and more like pawns.