ABOUT US

Crenshaw Law Firm is a leading team of dedicated lawyers that represent clients across Texas and the United States. Unlike many other law firms, all of our attorneys are trial lawyers who regularly go to court – where they have a proven record of success. Our attorneys dedicated to personal injury cases have recovered substantial verdicts and settlements for our clients.  Our criminal lawyers have vast trial experience in a broad range of crimes including everything from murder to drug crimes. Our experienced and aggressive team includes former judges, former state prosecutors, former federal prosecutors and former law clerks from the Texas Supreme Court. Regardless of your legal needs, the Crenshaw Law Firm CAN and WILL fight for YOU.

EXPERIENCED TRIAL LAWYERS

  • Cory Crenshaw
    Experienced Trial Lawyer
    Cory Crenshaw
    Experienced Trial Lawyer

    Cory Crenshaw

    Former Judge, Former DA, and Former Federal Prosecutor

    Cory Crenshaw is an experienced trial lawyer with a substantial background in public service dedicated to the legal community having previously served as Judge, District Attorney, and as a federal prosecutor.  Over 12 years of significant legal experience across various communities in Texas, he now serves his clients well as he is dedicated to representing YOU and solving all your legal matters in YOUR favor.

    Background:

    Cory Crenshaw was raised in Beaumont, Texas.  He obtained his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in 2002, majoring in History. He was awarded the Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2004 from Texas Tech University School of Law.

    Prosecutor:

    Beginning his legal career in 2005 as an Assistant District Attorney in Brazos County, Texas, he served (in that position) for nearly six years.  In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice hired Crenshaw as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and sent him to McAllen for his first assignment.  For two years, Crenshaw prosecuted crimes related to the Mexican Cartels with a significant caseload focused on drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, and human trafficking.   In November of 2012, Crenshaw transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Beaumont.  Back at home, Crenshaw’s task as a federal prosecutor took on a more significant role as he was assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force or OCDETF, which is the nation’s premier narcotics task force.

    In January of 2014, the Governor of Texas appointed Crenshaw to be the Criminal District Attorney for Jefferson County.  In that role, Crenshaw promptly initiated a team effort to tackle the community’s most challenging criminal justice issues including corruption within the Beaumont Independent School District, criminal street gangs, and implemented a permanent “No Refusal” program to deter intoxicated drivers.  In 2015, newly elected DA Bob Wortham kept Crenshaw on as his First Assistant to help manage the office.  

    Judge:

    After the passing of beloved Judge Lupe Flores, Crenshaw received bipartisan support for his appointment to replace Judge Flores and handle the busy criminal docket in County Court at Law No. 2.  Crenshaw served in that role through the November 2016 election.  During his short tenure, Judge Crenshaw was able to dispose of over 5,000 cases, reduce the docket’s backlog by over half, help reform the bail system, implement changes to make discovery more efficient, and won praise for his fairness and dedication to justice.

    Personal Life:

    In his personal time, Crenshaw enjoys time with his family and friends, in addition to volunteering his time to local organizations.  In response to the tragic deaths of law enforcement officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge in the summer of 2016, Crenshaw spearheaded an effort called “Protect Our Peacemakers,” which donated nearly $100,000 in body armor kits to the Beaumont Police Department to protect officers from the increased threat.  Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor at Lamar University, where he teaches the course “Drugs and Society” to both undergraduate and graduate students and directs a new Criminal Defense Clinic.

    Bar Admissions:

    • Texas
    • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
    • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas

    Education:

    • Texas Tech University School of Law, J.D.
    • Baylor University, B.A.
    • Major: History

    Associations and Memberships:

    • Texas Bar Foundation
    • Michelle Mehaffy Inn of Court
    • 100 Club of Southeast Texas, Life Member
    • Garth House Children’s Advocacy, former member, Board of Directors
    • Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, Southern Regional Director, Board of Directors
  • Ryan Zehl
    Of Counsel
    Ryan Zehl
    Of Counsel

    Ryan Zehl

    Of Counsel - Have a Question?

    Ryan Zehl is a Trial Lawyer who has recovered substantial verdicts and settlements for clients across Texas and the United States, qualifying him for a lifetime membership in the “Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum,” an organization limited to less than 1% of trial lawyers in the country.

    Ryan’s accomplishments, both in and out of the courtroom, have received national media attention and distinguished him as one of the leading trial lawyers in the state.

    In the past 5 years alone, Ryan has recovered:

    • The #1 Largest Accident Verdict in the State of Texas
    • The #8 Largest Accident Verdict in the State of Texas
    • 2 of the Largest Settlements in Texas in 2015
    • The #1 Largest Verdict in Offshore Liftboat’s Corporate History
    • The #1 Largest Verdict in R&L Trucking Company’s Corporate History
    • The #1 Largest Settlement in Oakley Trucking’s Corporate History, and
    • The #1 Largest Accident Verdict in Greyhound Bus Lines’ Corporate History

    Ryan’s been selected as a “Texas Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (a Thompson Reuters publication), which is limited to the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in the State of Texas,  in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

    He was also recently selected as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in Texas by The National Trial Lawyers Association, an organization that limits membership to the top trial lawyers in the United States.

    Background:

    After graduating in the top 5 percent of his law school class of over 300, Ryan worked as a briefing attorney for Justice Scott Brister of the Texas Supreme Court. When his term with the Court expired, Ryan relocated to Dallas to join Gardere Wynne Sewell, one of the nation’s most prominent firms. While there, Ryan quickly distinguished himself as an aggressive trial lawyer in complex commercial, personal injury, and appellate cases.

    Ryan has been interviewed on CNN’s American Morning, Fox & Friends, and Good Morning America and appeared in almost every major newspaper in the world, including the New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Washington Post, Bloomberg. the Wallstreet Journal, and International Herald Tribune, among others.

    Bar Admissions:

    • Texas
    • Pennsylvania
    • U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
    • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
    • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas

    Education:

    • South Texas College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
    • Honors: South Texas Law Review
    • Honors: National Champion: Judge Evan A. Evans Moot Court Competition
    • Honors: Highest Grades: Evidence, Criminal Procedure & Remedies
    • University of Texas, Austin, B.A.
    • Major: Psychology

    Associations and Memberships:

    • Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member
    • Texas Trial Lawyers Association
    • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
    • Million Dollar Advocates Forum
    • National Trial Lawyers Association