Virginia Hammerle


Civil Litigation · Estate Planning · Probate and Guardianship Attorney

Virginia Hammerle founded Hammerle Finley Law Firm in 1984. She has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1995, is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and has been voted a SuperLawyer for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.


Areas of Practice

Ms. Hammerle is the founder of Hammerle Finley Law Firm, located in North Dallas, Texas, where she generally limits her practice to civil litigation, business law, estate, trust, guardianship and probate matters. She has been the managing attorney for the law firm since its inception. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence in May, 1982 from Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas, and her undergraduate degree in finance in May of 1979 from University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1995. An experienced trial lawyer, Ms. Hammerle has tried more than 100 civil cases to completion.

Ms. Hammerle writes a weekly column for the Dallas Morning News on issues affecting seniors and their families.


Ms. Hammerle has represented clients in a number of complex civil matters, including:
  • Represented Defendant on $84 million claim regarding Sale of Mortgages
  • Represented Plaintiff on Trade Secret Theft case
  • Represented Plaintiff on Non-Competition Clause and Theft of Proprietary Information case
  • Represented Defendant on Theft of Proprietary Information case
  • Represented Defendant on Non-Competition Clause case
  • Represented Plaintiff on Construction/Deceptive Trade Practice case
  • Represented Plaintiffs on Construction/Engineer case
  • Represented Plaintiffs on Breach of Contract /Investment Fraud case
  • Represented Plaintiff in cases involving Director Liability, Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Foreclosure and Note Deficiency, Sequestration, Assets Sales, and Loan Workouts; served on the SWAT team
  • Represented Plaintiff on Horse Transaction case
  • Represented Plaintiff on Breach of Partnership Agreement case
  • Represented Proposed Ward on contested Guardianship case
  • Represented Applicant on contested Guardianship case
  • Represented Family Member on contested Guardianship case
  • Represented Defendant/Beneficiaries on contested Trust and Estate case
  • Represented Plaintiff on will contest case
  • Represented Plaintiffs in class action lawsuit
  • Represented lending institutions in sequestrations for office furniture, vehicles on floor-plan loan, dairy cattle, and multi-million dollar aircraft

Ms. Hammerle is licensed and admitted to practice before Texas Courts and in the following Federal courts: Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Hammerle has worked with the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee and has testified before the Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee on issues relating to aging and guardianship.

Ms. Hammerle served on the Boards of the Dallas County Children’s Advocacy Center and the Denton County Children’s Advocacy Center. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity Medical Center for 10 years, serving as Chairman of the Board for three years. She was a founder and President of the Highland Village Parks Foundation and was instrumental in arranging for the purchase of a $1.3 million property for use by the Foundation, the City and non-profits.

Ms. Hammerle is an Accredited Estate Planner by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the National Care Planning Council, WealthCounsel and the Texas Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She is certified as an Ad Litem by the Texas Supreme Court of Texas. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Denton County Bar Association and the Denton County Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section.

She is a member of the Texas Association of Bank Counsel and approved counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. She served as counsel for the Resolution Trust Corporation, where she was a member of the elite SWAT team.

A frequent speaker at professional and community seminars, Ms. Hammerle has authored LegalTalk columns for over 30 years and speaks on KRLD News 1080, CBS Radio. Her articles have been published in the Dallas Morning News, The Denton Record Chronicle, The Lewisville News, The Denton Business & Community News, The Denton Business Chronicle, The Flower Mound Business Chronicle, Senior Living Magazine and Cross-Timbers Gazette.

Ms. Hammerle is active in local civic organizations, including the Denton Kiwanis Club, in which she was Board Member, President, and a Hixson Award recipient. She was founder and President of the Alliance Bar Association, a unique bar organization that was composed of business and civic leaders, lawyers, judges, police chiefs, and mayors.

Certifications,
Specialties,
Memberships

  • Board Certified Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1995; re-certified in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015
  • Accredited Estate Planner by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Association of Bank Counsel, member
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, member
  • The National Care Planning Council, member
  • WealthCounsel, member
  • Named to Texas Super Lawyers 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, a Thomson Reuters service
  • Ranked “10” by AVVO
  • Named a “Top-rated Lawyer” by Martindale-Hubbell

Bar
Admissions

  • Texas, 1982
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1989
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1990
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1983
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1988
  • U.S. District Court Southern District, 2011

Education

  • Southern Methodist University School of Law, J.D. 1982
  • University of Missouri – Columbia, B.S. – Finance 1979
Virginia Hammerle
Rated by Super Lawyers


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