Mr. Thomas has substantial business, corporate and federal contracts experience with small and middle market companies across a wide range of industries. He has represented clients before federal district and appellate courts as well as before federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, the General Accountability Office, Civilian & Armed Services Boards of Contract Appeals, to name a few. He has also represented Government Contractors before arbitration tribunals. The author of more than 80 articles on business and government contract law matters, he has served as the Associate Administrator for Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization at NASA and the Executive Director of the National Association of Minority Contractors.
In addition, Mr. Thomas has taught Government Contracts Law at the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and was an Adjunct Professor of Law/Course Director for five years at Concord School of Law, now a part of Purdue University Global, where he taught a law course on Government Contracting in the school’s LL.M Program. In addition, he was a Clinical Law Instructor at George Washington University Law School. Moreover, he has drafted and negotiated any number of Joint Venture, Subcontract, and Teaming Agreements on behalf of Government Contractors and has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on such topics. He has also served as Chair of the Federal Bar Association’s Government Contracts Section.
The recipient of numerous awards, particularly when he served in the Government, Mr. Thomas was awarded the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive (an award limited each year to about one percent of the 6000 Federal Senior Executives – President George W. Bush) and the President Rank of Meritorious Executive (an award limited to 5 percent of all Senior Executives – President Bill Clinton). Mr. Thomas has testified in Congress more than 30 times on small business and Government contracting issues and has been a speaker at small and medium enterprise business conferences across the country, as well as in countries abroad, such as Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South America. Since 2009, he has been a Solicitor admitted to practice in the Senior Courts of England and Wales. His experience also includes four years in the U.S. Air Force where he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.
PRACTICES & INDUSTRIES
- Government Contracts
- Business and Corporate
EDUCATION
- Harvard Law School, 1978, J.D.
- University of California at Berkeley, 1975, B.A.
ADMISSIONS
- District of Columbia
- England and Wales
- U.S. Court of Appeals: District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals: Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals: Armed Forces
- U.S. District Court: District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. Court of International Trade
- U.S. Supreme Court
Kapri Saunders is a litigator who represents private and public companies, as well as business professionals, in complex civil litigation, government investigations, and white collar criminal matters.
Kapri has advised clients on disputes arising out of business contracts, consumer fraud and protection, mortgage lending and real estate transactions, public corruption, violation of federal criminal statutes, and investigations involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) regulations, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations.
Kapri has experience at every stage of litigation. She has managed and conducted factual investigations and discovery, drafted successful dispositive motions and appellate briefs, argued motions, developed trial strategies, and has negotiated settlements. She also has civil and criminal trial experience.
Prior to practicing law, Kapri worked in higher education administration at a small private college, developing the residence life department, creating campus programming, and advising students.
Kapri maintains an active pro bono practice with a particular focus on advocating on behalf of wrongfully convicted persons and helping domestic abuse survivors obtain restraining orders against their abusers.
Practices
Business & Tort Litigation
Locations
San Francisco
Education
University of Iowa (J.D. with distinction and special honors 2011; Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Gender, Race & Justice); Northern Arizona University (B.A. in Modern Languages: French & Spanish, summa cum laude with honors)
Leandra leverages her prior experience in the public and private sectors to develop effective legal arguments and equitable resolutions while deftly navigating the continuous dialogue between business and government interests.
Before joining B&D, Leandra served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Litigation Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General where she defended state agencies in personal injury, property damage, and wrongful termination lawsuits involving the Tort Claims Act. She also defended the State Office of Risk Management and other state agencies in workers’ compensation contested case hearings and appeals. Prior to that, Leandra worked as a real estate litigation associate at a boutique law firm in Austin representing commercial real estate and multifamily residential developers litigating real estate leases.
Leandra’s litigation experience includes first-chair representation of clients in front of the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearing, justice courts across Texas, county court at laws, district courts, and the First and Fourteenth Texas Court of Appeals.
During law school, Leandra volunteered as a Legal Intern at Texas Advocacy Project, a charitable organization that empowers survivors of dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through free legal services and access to the justice system.
Education
- George Washington University (B.A., 2012)
- Concentration in Business Economics and Public Policy
- University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 2016)
Bar Admissions
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Texas Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Legal Intern, Texas Advocacy Project, 2014
Mr. Bennett is an accomplished engineer-attorney specializing in Intellectual Property, commercial disputes, product defects including electric vehicle power grids and battery defects; autonomous vehicle defects (e.g., processes, products, and or processors), and injury litigation.
After studying Electrical Engineering and logic design at Prairie View A&M University of Texas, Mr. Bennett worked as a senior engineer at Motorola, Inc., where he focused on Power PC advanced core logic design, and silicon verification and validation of many microelectronic devices. This experience has been advantageous, and has given him a detailed problem-solving perspective when analyzing and solving legal problems for clients.
Mr. Bennett is an intellect and a highly intuitive, focused, litigator having experience negotiating settlements for clients, and recently working with a reputable Texas litigation team recovering over $960 Million in verdicts and settlements (2021-2022). Mr. Bennett has obtained priceless experience from Texas' best attorneys regarding IP, complex business disputes, product liability, and personal injury litigation.
Moreover, Mr. Bennett has met the qualifications for admission to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the United States District Courts for both the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas, and he is also a member of the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. From his time at the United States Patent & Trademark Office serving as an examiner, Xavier has had substantial experience in finance and insurance transaction technology.
EDUCATION
- South Texas College of Law - Houston, J.D.
- Prairie View A&M University of Texas, B.S., Electrical Engineering
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
AWARDS
- The National Black Lawyers, Top 40 under 40 (2021) (Texas)
- Texas Super Lawyer, Rising Star (2022-2023)
AFFILIATIONS
- Federal Bar Association
- Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA)
- The Honorable Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
ADMISSIONS
- State Bar of Texas
- Bar of the United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
- Certified Professional Guardian
- Patent Attorney - United States Patent and Trademark Office
Jamar Creech is the Founder and Managing Partner of Diversified Law Group, LLC. The firm concentrates on private equity and venture capital, estates and trusts, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, and sports and entertainment.
After graduating from North Carolina Central University School of Law, Jamar clerked for United States Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2012.
In 2016, Jamar began serving as General Counsel for Market Fresh Gourmet, a majority Black-owned community grocery store. He assisted in its initial capital raise of $10 million to operate two stores in Maryland, with the first slated to open in 2024.
Jamar has been recognized as Forty Under 40 by the Prince George’s Social Innovation Fund. The National Black Lawyers has also recognized him as Top 40 Under 40 and Top 100 (New York). In 2018, Black Enterprise recognized him as a Modern Man of Distinction.
That same year, he commenced legal studies at the University of Alabama School of Law, earning a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in Business Transactions.
In 2022, he became a Certified Contract Advisor with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and joined Divine Sports and Entertainment.
In 2023, Jamar, as lead attorney for the plaintiff, settled the case Velez v. Mitchell et al. (Index No. 654372/2020) in the Supreme Court of New York (Commercial Division), a dispute involving the popular battle rap organization, the Ultimate Rap League.