University of Houston (B.B.A., 1955; J.D., 1958; M.B.A., 1960). Certified Public Accountant. Admitted to the Texas Bar in 1958, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas, U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations, State Bar of Texas.

Fred Sullins founded the firm in 1971 with a broad background in U.S. federal taxation, estate tax, probate and trust practice. His legal background before founding this firm included service with the U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service and partnership in another Houston law firm. Mr. Sullins' practical ideas and common-sense values of practicing law with excellence and integrity were brought into reality by the contributions of aggressive and honest colleagues named Johnston, Rohrbach and Magers. Now, almost four decades later, these core concepts and personnel have withstood the test of time, grown, matured and prospered into the present-day SJR&M.


Mike Johnston, Director

Born Waco, Texas, March 15, 1947. University of Houston (B.B.A., 1971); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1974). Admitted to Texas Bar in 1974. Licensed to practice in all State Courts and U.S. District Court - Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations, State Bar of Texas, Houston and Texas Trial Lawyers Associations, American Society of Hospital Attorneys. Rated "AV" (highest available rating) by Martindale-Hubbell. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; Corporate, Partnership and Business & Transaction Law; Health Care Law; Real Estate. Board Certified Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Michael Hale Johnston, Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1986, has been with Sullins Johnston Rohrbach & Magers since 1973, where he began as a law clerk. He has represented individuals, partnerships and corporations in day-to-day legal/business matters and in pursuing and defending clients in complex multi-million dollar litigation such as partnership and corporate dissolutions, shareholder derivative actions, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty claims, defending businesses in non-subscriber suits and negligence claims. Over the past 28 years, Mr. Johnston has been lead counsel in hundreds of trials and appeals which established new law for Texas businesses - especially in the field of hospital law. He has successfully obtained numerous jury verdicts exceeding $6,000,000.00, including verdicts for punitive damages of over $3,000,000.00 against insurance companies for unfair, deceptive trade practices in the business of insurance. Mr. Johnston has argued cases before the Court of Appeals and Texas Supreme Court. He has been a frequent speaker for the Texas Hospital Association and other related associations throughout Texas.


William J. Rohrbach, Jr., Director

Born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 27, 1946. Marquette University (B.A., 1968); Baylor University (J.D., 1973); University of Houston Law Center (L.L.M., Taxation, 1988); Associate Editor of Baylor Law Review; Phi Delta Legal Fraternity. Admitted to Texas Bar 1973, licensed to practice in all State Courts, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, U.S. Tax Court. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations, State Bar College of Law. Rated "AV" (highest available rating) by Martindale-Hubbell. Practice Areas: Administrative Law; Corporate, Partnership and Business & Transactional Law; Employment Law; Estate Planning and Probate; Real Estate; Tax. Board Certified Commercial Real Estate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

William J. Rohrbach, Jr., has been with SJR&M for over 30 years. He has been involved in representing individuals, partnerships, corporations and trusts in day-to-day legal matters and in aiding clients in acquiring real property ranging from homes to multi-million-dollar commercial transactions. He has also been lead counsel on merger and acquisition of business entities and has dealt with many clients in the formation and operation of their business entities, as well as planning the exit strategy for owners of business entities. Mr. Rohrbach is involved in corporate and individual tax planning. He further is involved in representing many dentists and dental organizations in the acquisition and sale of practices and in day-to-day legal and contract matters.


Randal L. Payne, Director

Born El Paso, Texas, November 30, 1956. Southwest Texas State University (B.B.A., 1980); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1985). Admitted to Texas Bar in 1985, U.S. District Court - Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit. Member: State Bar of Texas (member of Health Law, Insurance Law, Antitrust & Business Law Sections), Colorado Bar Association, American Bar Association, Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists, Texas Hospital Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Transportation Lawyers Association (member of the Freight Claims & Antitrust Committee), Second Baptist Church - Houston, Texas (Deacon and Bible Study Teacher), Boy Scouts of America (member of Troop Committee - Adult Leadership). Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Business Law; Civil Trial Law, including Personal Injury; Transportation Law. Board Certified Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Randal Payne began his employment at Sullins Johnston Rohrbach & Magers as a law clerk in 1983, and he is currently a Director and Shareholder of the firm, as well as its Vice President. Mr. Payne has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas State Board of Legal Specialization since 1996, and concentrates his practice in Insurance Litigation, Health Law, Business Litigation and serious Personal Injury Litigation.

Beginning in 1985, Mr. Payne has been involved in advising and representing hospital clients on a broad range of compliance and revenue recovery matters. His Health Law experience includes drafting federal and state compliant ER/Admission Department policies and procedures; drafting ER/Admission department forms; consulting and providing in-service training for physicians and hospital personnel; drafting opinion letters on the applicability of federal and state statutes, regulations and case law to hospital operations, including the Texas Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act ("EMTALA"), the state Emergency Medical Services Act; recovering the cost of indigent health care pursuant to the state Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act ("IHTCA"); recovering the cost of prisoner health care from federal, state and county governments; the Texas Hospital Licensing Law; patient transfer requirements under state and federal law; and Texas Department of Health ("TDH") regulations regarding emergency medical services and other insurance verification and revenue recovery issues.

Additionally Mr. Payne has extensive trial experience representing hospitals in litigation involving negligent misrepresentation of coverage, managed care agreements, the Texas Hospital Lien laws, the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act, the Texas Prompt Pay laws, the Texas Health Maintenance Organization Act, federal preemption under ERISA, coordination of benefits, the Dental Practices Act, recovering the cost of indigent health care pursuant to the state Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act ("IHTCA"), recovering the cost of prisoner health care from federal, state and county governments, the Texas Hospital Licensing Law and patient transfer requirements under state and federal law.

Mr. Payne has successfully defended hospital clients accused of, and sued for, alleged violations of state anti-dumping statutes. On behalf of his hospital clients, he has successfully prosecuted numerous cases against insurance companies, HMOs, PPOs and governmental entities to recover the cost of health care on denied claims. He has successfully prosecuted a case of first impression which created appellate precedent, under Texas law, for hospitals to recover from counties the costs of health care provided to county prisoners. See Harris County v. Hermann Hospital, 943 SW2nd 547 (Tex. App. - Eastland 1997) ($745,863.56 judgment for hospital affirmed).

Mr. Payne occasionally testifies during legislative hearings before Committees considering health care legislation, and he has worked in coordination with the General Counsel of the Texas Hospital Association ("THA") and lobbyists on proposed health care legislation and TDH regulations. On behalf of hospitals and in coordination with the THA, he has drafted and submitted formal comments to TDH on proposed repeal and adoption of TDH rules relating to health care issues. He has attended workshops with TDH's Office of General Counsel and THA to develop rules relating to third party recovery in the Medicaid program.


H. Dan Johnston, Director

Born Liberty, Texas, April 20, 1962. University of Houston (B.S., 1985); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1988). Admitted to Texas Bar 1989, U.S. District Court - Southern,Western,and Eastern Districts of Texas. Member: State Bar of Texas, Houston and Liberty County Bar Associations. Rated "AV" (highest available rating) by Martindale-Hubbell. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; Health Care Law. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Since 1986, H. Dan Johnston has been with Sullins Johnston Rohrbach & Magers, where he began his professional career as a law clerk while attending South Texas College of Law. Mr. Johnston's practice has involved representing individuals, corporations and other business entities, ranging from daily business advice to prosecution and defense of clients' interests through trial and mediation in such matters as healthcare, construction law, consumer transactions, Texas Insurance Code and business disputes. His practice has focused in the areas of hospital liens, healthcare reimbursement and subrogation, commercial litigation, business collections and construction law, with an emphasis on business-related mediation, litigation and defense in those areas.


Lynne Sassi, Director

Born Lowell, Massachusetts, May 30, 1958. Glassboro State Teachers College (B.A., 1990; C.L.A., 1999); Thurgood Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2003). Admitted to Texas Bar 2003. Member: Texas Bar Association; Houston Bar Association; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; ERISA; Workers' Compensation; Healthcare Reimbursement. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Lynne Sassi began with Sullins Johnston Rohrbach & Magers as a legal assistant in 1993 where she worked in the litigation section, primarily focused in healthcare reimbursement. In 1999, Ms. Sassi became a certified legal assistant. In 2000, Ms. Sassi continued to work full time in the litigation section while attending law school full time, and accepted an associate position with the firm in the fall of 2003. Ms. Sassi's practice includes civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on ERISA, insurance bad faith, workers' compensation and healthcare reimbursement.


Mason C. Meyer, Director

Born Houston, Texas, September 21, 1960. Southwest Texas State University (B.A. 1982, C.L.A. 1983); Southwest Texas College of Law (J.D., 1987). Licensed to practice in all State Courts; U.S. District Court - Southern and Northern Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. Member: Texas Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, Montgomery County Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; ERISA; FMLA; Health Care Law. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mason Meyer began with SJR&M as a certified legal assistant in the summer of 1983 where he worked full time in the litigation section until beginning law school in the fall of 1985. Mason continued to clerk through law school and accepted a position upon graduation in 1987. He worked in the health care law and litigation section of the firm until opening his own practice in Montgomery, Texas in 1994. Beginning in October of 2002, Mason has rejoined SJR&M in the litigation section and brings with him 15 years of experience in general civil litigation, including personal injury, employment discrimination, ERISA, FMLA, insurance bad faith and provider reimbursement. In addition, he has extensive experience in representing individuals, partnerships and corporations with individual and commercial insurance disputes, real estate transactions, construction defects and deceptive trade practices. He has successfully tried and/or settled hundreds of claims against individual and group health, life and disability policies on behalf of individuals and medical providers.


Margaret A. Pollard, Director

Born Washington, D.C., December 7, 1948. University of Maryland (B.S., 1973); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1976). Admitted to Texas Bar 1976, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit. Member: Texas Bar Association, Houston Bar Association. Rated "AV" (highest available rating) by Martindale-Hubbell. Practice Areas: Ad Valorem Tax Litigation; Civil Trial Law; Eminent Domain. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

For 24 years, the emphasis of Ms. Pollard's practice has been representing landowners in eminent domain litigation. She has tried condemnation cases in Harris, Fort Bend, Dallas, Liberty, Grimes, Brazoria, Montgomery and Travis Counties and has represented landowners in numerous mediations and appeals through the Supreme Court of Texas. Ms. Pollard's practice also includes ad valorem tax protests and litigation, commercial and consumer litigation (both plaintiff and defendant) and civil appeals. She has been a featured speaker on eminent domain in many seminars sponsored by the Harris County Attorney's Office and the State Bar of Texas.


David M. Medearis, Associate

Born Houston, Texas, August 30, 1968. University of Houston - Clear Lake (B.S., Cum Laude, 1996); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., Cum Laude, 2003). Admitted to Texas Bar 2003. Member: Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Houston Bar Association; Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy, Articles Editor; University of Houston - Clear Lake Alumni Association; Psi Chi National Honors Society. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Civil Trial Law; Healthcare Law; Real Estate. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Prior to entering law school, David Medearis was Vice President of a family-owned business in Houston that manufactured a diversified range of highly-engineered industrial products. He worked his way through college attending classes in the evenings and graduated with honors from the University of Houston - Clear Lake in 1996.

In the summer of 1999, Mr. Medearis enrolled in law school at the University of Houston and worked his way through law school while clerking for several Houston law firms and doing freelance legal research and writing. During law school, Mr. Medearis served as an Articles Editor for the Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy. He has co-authored several published articles in publications such as Texas Lawyer and Texas Medicine.

Mr. Medearis received his law degree with honors in May 2003 and joined Sullins Johnston Rohrbach & Magers in December 2003. Mr. Medearis' practice includes business planning and civil litigation with an emphasis in commercial, real estate and health care related matters. Mr. Medearis is also an adjunct instructor at San Jacinto College, where he teaches courses in business law.


Jared C. Johnson, Associate

Born Billings, Montana, March 27, 1975. Baylor University (B.B.A., 1997); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 2006). Admitted to Texas Bar 2006, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas. Member: State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association - Litigation Section. Rated "AV" (highest available rating) by Martindale-Hubbell. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; Health Care Reimbursement, Hospital Lien Law. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Jared C. Johnson joined Sullins, Johnston, Rohrbach & Magers in January of 2004 as a member of the Lien Recovery Unit, focusing primarily on the protection and assertion of clients' rights and interests arising under the Texas Hospital Lien Statute. Mr. Johnson worked full time in the Lien Recovery Unit while attending law school part-time in the evenings. After serving as the Coordinator of the Lien Recovery Unit in 2006, Mr. Johnson accepted an associate position with the firm in January 2007. Today, Mr. Johnson's practice includes general civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury, healthcare provider reimbursement and subrogation, estate planning, sworn accounts, Texas Insurance Code and hospital lien matters.


Michael J. Dulaney, Associate

Born Pampa, Texas, August 10, 1980. University of Tulsa (B.A., 2002); University of Tulsa College of Law (J.D., 2006). Admitted to Texas Bar 2007, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas. Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; Health Care Law; Insurance Law; Commercial Insurance Litigation; Worker's Compensation; Corporate Law; Employment/Labor Law. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Michael Dulaney enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 1998, where he played intercollegiate athletics for the Sooners before transferring to the University of Tulsa. There he played football and obtained his Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, before enrolling at the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2002. Mr. Dulaney pursued a professional football career while clerking with the Federal Public Defenders Office in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma, as well as spending Summer 2006 clerking for Sullins, Johnston, Rohrbach & Magers, before graduating from law school in 2006. Mr. Dulaney received his law degree in 2006 and joined Sullins, Johnston, Rohrbach & Magers in April of 2007. Mr. Dulaney is a member of Second Baptist Church in Houston. His practice includes commercial insurance litigation, civil litigation, use of the Texas Insurance Code as it relates to health insurance law and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, workers' compensation, the formation and operation of business entities, and employment law as it relates to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.


Joel Rheman, Associate

Born Houston, TX, February 1, 1982. Texas A&M University (B.A., 2004); Saint Mary's School of Law (J.D., 2007). Admitted to Texas Bar 2007, U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas. Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Partnership and Transactional Law; Business Litigation; Real Estate Law; Estate Planning and Probate. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Joel Rheman enrolled at Saint Mary's School of Law in the fall of 2004 and clerked with a law firm while attending law school before graduating with honors. While in law school, Mr. Rheman served as an Associate Editor for the St. Mary's Law Journal. Mr. Rheman received his law degree in May 2007 and joined Sullins, Johnston, Rohrbach & Magers in December of 2007. Mr. Rheman's practice includes formation and operation of business entities, commercial and civil litigation, wills, trusts and probate law, and real estate transactions.


Brian E. Bro, Of Counsel

Born San Antonio, Texas, March 5, 1946. Iowa State University (B.S., 1967); Baylor University (J.D., 1969); George Washington University (L.L.M., Taxation, 1971); Associate Editor of Baylor Law Review, 1968-1969. Admitted to Texas Bar 1969, all U.S. District Courts, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court. Member: American Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, Houston Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Law; Corporate, Partnership and Business & Transactional Law; Real Estate. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.