Stephen E. Kaplan

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I began my legal career in 1977 as a lawyer with the Dallas firm of Lyne, Klein, French & Womble, which later became Lyne & Klein. I was engaged in a civil trial and business transactional practice and also did work on labor & employment matters, antitrust, and estate and trust planning and probate. After Title VII was enacted, my labor and employment work expanded to include discrimination claims.
In 1988 after Lyne & Klein disbanded because of death and retirement of the partners, I set up my own law firm and continued in the same areas of practice. My law firm practice at Stephen Kaplan, P.C. included those areas and construction transactions and litigation, residential and commercial real estate transactions and litigation, and the representation of non-profit organizations. I tried cases in federal and state courts In Texas and appeals before the 5th Circuit and was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court.

I demonstrated expertise in a diverse range of practice areas involving both litigation and transactional work. I achieved strong results in such areas as administrative law, banking & finance, construction law, estate & trust planning, mergers & acquisitions, real estate law, and taxation law. Personally, I represented clients before courts and agencies including EEOC, OSHA, NLRB, Texas Commission on Human Rights, and US Department of Labor. I also furthered the development of multiple types of legal entities based on client goals and business dynamics. I attained consistently strong results for estate and trust planning clients by crafting personally tailored estate and trust plans in addition to facilitating effective administration.

Over the course of my professional career, I have developed a reputation as a lawyer who ensures high levels of litigation success by working closely with my clients and developing excellent trial strategies. Due to my innovative approach to law, I have achieved repeated success at trials involving cases addressing fraud, deceptive trade practices, and general business disputes. I have worked on cases with amounts in controversy under $100K, and I have also worked on large multimillion-dollar cases. I excel in a range of practice areas involving banking & finance, construction law, estate & trust planning, real estate, mergers & acquisitions, and labor & employment law. I have consistently demonstrated excellent legal research skills. I am deeply passionate about the practice of law, and I am prepared to leverage my skills to deliver results for any client. I have been consistently recognized as an A.V. Preeminent Attorney.

I left Texas after COVID prevented me from seeing my family and young grandchildren, and moved first to Champaign, Illinois and now Atlanta, Georgia, so I could be closer to my family. Along the way, I joined the other state bars reflected below and practiced law in those other states.
I am a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, which recognizes obtaining a high level of CLE and a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, which recognizes outstanding pro bono service to the community.
In my spare time, I am an avid tennis player and have achieved dan ranking in Okinawan Karate and Kobudo.