Kirk G. Smith ksmith@sseklaw.com Phone: (713) 227-2400 1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900 Houston, Texas 77002 Received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, in New Orleans and his law degree (JD) from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Mr. Smith's experience in the brokerage industry is well diversified, from marketing for a smaller specialized Wall Street firm to working as an investment advisor for a major brokerage firm. In his career Mr. Smith has worked on several hundred arbitration matters in various capacities. Besides focusing on securities arbitration, Mr. Smith also devotes his time to protecting the rights of the investor through his membership in the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, and is also a member of the American Association of Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association). Mr. Smith has been featured as a guest speaker on the topic of Securities Arbitration at the ATLA Annual Convention. Mr. Smith has also authored several articles published by national news agencies, has been quoted in various news articles, and has also appeared on television in the US, Latin America and Switzerland discussing securities related matters. Visit us our website at http://texas.stockbroker-fraud.com/

1. Tyler Texas Fraud Lawyers: Our Attorneys
Kirk G. Smith
ksmith@sseklaw.com
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, in New Orleans and his law degree (JD)
from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Mr. Smith's experience in the brokerage industry is well
diversified, from marketing for a smaller specialized Wall Street firm to working as an investment advisor
for a major brokerage firm. In his career Mr. Smith has worked on several hundred arbitration matters in
various capacities. Besides focusing on securities arbitration, Mr. Smith also devotes his time to
protecting the rights of the investor through his membership in the Public Investors Arbitration Bar
Association, and is also a member of the American Association of Justice (formerly American Trial
Lawyers Association). Mr. Smith has been featured as a guest speaker on the topic of Securities
Arbitration at the ATLA Annual Convention. Mr. Smith has also authored several articles published by
national news agencies, has been quoted in various news articles, and has also appeared on television in
the US, Latin America and Switzerland discussing securities related matters.
William S. Shepherd
wss@sseklaw.com
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of the South in Sewanee,
Tennessee and his law degree (JD) from South Texas College of Law in Houston. He also earned a
Masters of Law Degree (LLM) in Securities Regulation from Georgetown University Law School in
Washington, D.C. Prior to founding our firm, Mr. Shepherd served as vice-president of several major
brokerage firms. His experience in the brokerage industry spans more than two decades, including in
management as well as advising individuals, banks and other financial institutions' with their investment
portfolios. Mr. Shepherd was also formerly employed by and has served as an advisor to the U. S.
Congress.
Mr. Shepherd has been selected by his peers for three consecutive years - 2005, 2006, 2007 - as a
SuperLawyer under the category of securities law, an honor granted to less than 5% of all attorneys.
Samuel B. Edwards
sedwards@sseklaw.com
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Sam Edwards is a partner is SSEK and has developed a wide-ranging practice representing individuals
and institutions from the United States and almost every continent in the world. Over the last decade, that
representation has included hundreds of clients who range from retirees who have lost their life savings to
banks who have been defrauded in investment schemes or by negligent brokers, and everything in
between. The cases Mr. Edwards has worked on include claims for unsuitable investment
recommendations, churning, misrepresentations and outright fraud. The investments involved have varied

2. from simple stocks and bonds to more complicated annuities, options and futures to even extremely
complex derivatives such as structured products, CMOs, IOs, Inverse IOs, CDOs, CLOs, synthetic CDOs,
Credit Default Swaps and hedge funds. Mr. Edwards has represented clients before FINRA and AAA
arbitration panels, state and federal court.
Mr. Edwards is an active member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (“PIABA”),
working with attorneys across the nation to protect investor rights. Additionally, Mr. Edwards is on the
Board of Editors of the PIABA Bar Journal where he was formally the Editor-in-Chief and he is also a
regular contributing author. Along with the PIABA Bar Journal, Mr. Edwards’ articles have been
published in the Practicing Law Institute’s handbooks for securities. Mr. Edwards is also a frequent
lecturer on all issues related investment disputes and securities law, helping to train attorneys from across
the nation to represent the investing public.
Mr. Edwards received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his law
degree from the University of Houston, where he was a honors graduate (cum laude) and a member of the
Phi Alpha Delta international legal fraternity. Mr. Edwards is licensed to practice law in all state courts in
Texas, California and Michigan as well as numerous federal courts across the country.
Ronald H. Thrash
rthrash@sseklaw.com
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Texas Tech University, and his law
degree (JD) from the University of Houston Law Center (cum laude, top 10%). Mr. Thrash is also
licensed as a Certified Public Accountant. He is a former Chief Financial Officer with corporate
experience in domestic and international banking, treasury functions, securities registration, merger and
acquisitions, accounting and investment banking activities. Mr. Thrash has over thirty years of active
involvement in various investments, including stocks and bonds, factoring, real estate, oil and gas, and
venture capital.
Robert A. Kantas
rkantas@ssseklaw.com
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Robert Kantas maintains an international securities arbitration and litigation practice. He has successfully
completed dozens of securities cases against major brokerage firms including Merrill Lynch, Morgan
Stanley, Smith Barney, Edward Jones, UBS, Wachovia, A.G. Edwards, and AIG SunAmerica, among
others - recovering millions of dollars for defrauded investors across the nation. Mr. Kantas has written
and taught on the subject of securities arbitration and specifically broker/customer disputes. He is the CoAuthor of Arbitrating Claims Against Stockbrokers, The Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyer's
Association, pp. 3-13, Winter 2002/2003, and Co-Author and Lecturer of the Virginia CLE Program,
Claims Against Stockbrokers: How to Advise Your Investor Client, February 2003. In addition, Mr.
Kantas was the author and lecturer for the Houston Paralegals Association CLE, Making Bricks Without
Straw: An Overview of Securities Arbitration, September 2008; and the Keynote Speaker at the Patrick
Air Force Base National Prayer Luncheon, February 2009.

3. Mr. Kantas is lead counsel on a $200 million Collateralized Debt Obligation/Credit Default Swap case
where he represents five Wisconsin School Districts. The case has garnered national attention and has
been widely reported both locally and nationally, including CNN, The New York Times, the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, and National Public Radio. More information can be found at
www.schoollawsuitfacts.com.
Mr. Kantas received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management (cum laude) from Golden Gate
University in San Francisco, California, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School
of Law. He is a member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, the American Bar
Association, and the American Association for Justice. Mr. Kantas is admitted to practice in all Virginia
and Texas State Courts, as well as Federal Courts in the Western District of Virginia, Southern District of
Texas, Eastern District of Wisconsin, District of Columbia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Prior
to beginning his law practice, he served in the United States Air Force for more than ten years.
Tanya C. Edwards
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Tanya Edwards maintains a general commercial litigation practice, with an emphasis on securities
arbitration and litigation. Ms. Edwards has represented claimants nationwide in NASD/FINRA arbitration
proceedings involving claims against brokerage firms and financial advisors for violations of state and
federal securities laws, fraud, breach of contract, industry regulation violations, misrepresentations,
unsuitability, churning and negligent supervision.
Prior to becoming an associate at Shepherd Smith Edwards &Kantas LTD LLP, Ms. Edwards was a trial
attorney at Bracewell& Giuliani LLP where her practice focused on financial services litigation, life,
health and disability insurance litigation, business torts, ERISA litigation and complex commercial
disputes. Ms. Edwards has extensive litigation experience in state and federal courts.
Ms. Edwards also served as briefing attorney to the Honorable Terry Jennings at the First District Court
of Appeals.
David Miller
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
David Miller received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from Vanderbilt
University. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center, where he
was a Lex Award recipient. As an associate attorney of Shepherd Smith Edwards &Kantas LTD LLP, Mr.
Miller maintains an active securities arbitration and litigation practice.
Prior to beginning his law practice, Mr. Miller served as an officer in the corporate trust and investment
banking groups at major financial institutions. During his career in the financial industry, he had
extensive experience with exotic financial instruments while acting as an indenture trustee for
collateralized debt obligations and mortgage backed securities. He has also worked with a major oil and
gas corporation negotiating complex derivative contracts.
Ryan Cook

4. Associate
Phone: (713) 227-2400
1010 Lamar Street, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
Visit us our website at http://texas.stockbroker-fraud.com/