Dallas, TX Office

12222 Merit Drive, Suite 1400
Dallas, Texas 75251

mtibbals@freemanmillspc.com
p: 214.932.1789
f: 214.800.5190

James Michael “Mike” Tibbals

Of Counsel

In his 49-year legal career, Mr. Tibbals has represented institutional clients including the FDIC, RTC, National Banks and Savings & Loans and NYSE/NASDAQ corporations. However, his passion is representing the business and personal needs of entrepreneurs and their families.

He strongly believes that it is necessary to understand the clients’ underlying business and personal goals in order to add value through legal services.

His client diversity has included everything from small business start-ups to individuals with billion-dollar net worth. The business scope encompasses banking, real estate, oil & gas, insurance, telecommunications, apparel manufacturing, printing and publishing, internet/cable television providers, transportation and warehousing, franchising, direct mail marketing, automotive, and many more.

Mr. Tibbals has represented dozens of trusts and estates as counsel, trustee and executor.

Additionally, he has been lead counsel in dozens of mergers and acquisitions and was appointed to serve as Condemnation Commissioner for renovation of Dallas Central Expressway.

During his career, he has been lead counsel in state and federal courts, including United States Fifth and Eleventh federal circuit courts, Texas Courts of Appeals and in the Texas Supreme Court, also briefing applications to the United States Supreme Court; has won dozens of jury verdicts; at least on in excess of $5 Million and was lead counsel in the $120,000,000 Dallas Infomart litigation.

Mr. Tibbals is active in the community, serving as President or on the Board of Directors on professional, civic, educational and church boards and as president of several foundations and professional organizations including Board of Directors; Dallas Mortgage Bankers Association; Board of Advisors, Baylor Law Alumni Association; The DeBusk Foundation; President, Wylie ISD Education Foundation; President, Board of Trustees, Park Cities Historic & Preservation Society; HP Community League; and HPUMC.

Mike and his wife, Bunny, are proud to have created and founded the Tibbals Endowed Legal Scholarship at Baylor University School of Law and as Sponsors of “The Closer” Baylor’s National Transactional Law Competition.

REPORTED CASES

Mr. Tibbals has authorized real estate seminar and law review articles and has been lead counsel for his client in more than 20 reported or appellate cases including:

• Amigo Broadcasting, LP v. Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc., 521 F.3d 472 (5th Cir. 2008)
• Harris v. Sentry Title Co., Inc., 727 F.2d 1368 (5th Cir. 1984)
• Hines v. Pointer, 523 S.W.2d 733 (Tex.Civ.App.-Fort Worth,1975)
• Arthur W. Tifford, PA v. Tandem Energy Corp.,562 F.3d 699 (5th Cir. 2009)
• U.S. v. Shanbaum, 10 F.3d 305 (5th Cir. 1994)
• Malouf v. State ex rel. Ellis, 461 S.W.3d 641 (Tex. App.—Austin 2015)
• New Times, Inc. v. Wamstad, 106 S.W.3d 916 (Tex.App.-Dallas, 2003)
• Wamstad v. New Times, Inc., No. 03-1074, 2004 Tex. LEXIS 797 (Sep. 10, 2004)
• In re Turner, 243 S.W.3d 843 (Tex.App.-Eastland, 2008)
• Minexa Arizona, Inc. v. Staubauch, 667 S.W.2d 563 (Tex.App.-Dallas, 1984)
• Ex parte Barnett, 600 S.W.2d 252 (Tex.1980)
• Kraniak v. Liberty Graphics, L.P., Not Reported in F.Supp.2d, 2005 WL 1150213, N.D.Tex., May 11, 2005 (No. Civ.A. 403CV1002Y.)
• 4701 Meadow, Inc. v. City of Dallas, Not Reported in S.W.3d, 2003 WL 22718797, Tex.App.-Dallas, November 19, 2003(No. 05-02-01321-CV.)
• Payton v. GC Services Ltd. Partnership, Not Reported in F.Supp.2d, 2009 WL 235196, N.D.Tex., February 02, 2009(Civil Action No. 3:08-CV-1967-G)
• McDonald v. Toro Homes, Ltd., Not Reported in S.W.3d, 2009 WL 3208210, Tex.App.-El Paso, October 07, 2009(No. 08-09-00186-CV.)
• Esty v. Beal Bank S.S.B., 298 S.W.3d 280 (Tex.App.-Dallas, 2009)
• Memorial Park Medical Center, Inc. v. River Bend Development Group, L.P., 264 S.W.3d 810 (Tex.App.-Eastland, 2008)
• Performance Printing Corp. v. Upper Deck Co., 248 F.3d 1142 (5th Cir. 2001)
• Brighton Square Pub., Inc. v. Nelson, 795 S.W.2d 29 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1990)
• Narisi v. Legend Diversified Investments, 715 S.W.2d 49 (Tex.App.-Dallas, 1986)
• MCG, Inc. v. Great Western Energy Corp., 896 F.2d 170 (5th Cir. 1990)
• Turton v. Pyland, 567 S.W.2d 247 (Tex.Civ.App.-Dallas, 1978)
• Brown v. City of Dallas, 508 S.W.2d 134 (Tex.Civ.App.-Dallas, 1974)

Practice Areas

  • Business
  • Real Estate

Education

  • Baylor University

Bar Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • Texas Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States Tax Court
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • All Texas Probate, County Courts and District Courts
  • All Texas Courts of Appeal

Affiliations

  • Member, State Bar of Texas
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, Dallas Bar Association
  • Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • Texas Association of Bank Counsel