Legal Services Staff

	Michael Rickman Director of Legal Division Mike is the Senior Attorney in the CLEAT San Antonio office. Mike Rickman served as an officer in the Mesquite Police Department for nearly a decade before going to law school. Mike met and married Mesquite Officer Gay Rickman, who is now retired. They have two sons.
	John Curtis Corporate Counsel John has been with CLEAT since 1993. He has handled numerous criminal prosecutions of member police officers, arbitrations, and civil service hearings.He attended St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio and also has a MA from Southwest Texas State Univiversity as well as a BA from the University of Houston.
	Ron DeLord Special Counsel Ron is a founding father of CLEAT. In his early years, DeLord was a police officer for Beaumont Police Department as well as a board member for the local association. He also was a patrol officer, detective and crime task force member for the Mesquite Police Department while serving as President for the Mesquite Police Asociation. DeLord earned his BA at Lamar University, his Masters at Sam Houston State University and his JD at South Texas College of Law. Besides serving as Special Counsel to CLEAT, DeLord lectures at seminars, conferences and universities around the world including Canada and Australia for for both police management organizations & police unions. He is a TCLEOSE certified instructor, a guest writer on the American Police Beat and is a co-author of several publications including Texas Lawmen 1835-1899: The Good and the Bad.
	Richard Carter Senior Staff Attorney Judge Richard W. Carter (Ret.) is a former judge of the Arlington Municipal Court and is a Senior Attorney currently serving as one of the three CLEAT staff attorneys in Fort Worth. Carter received his BA at East Texas State University and his JD at Texas Tech University School of Law. He also attended The FBI National Academy, The National Judicial College, and The National Mediation Academy. He was the Chairman of the Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council, Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor for several years. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and three grandchildren.
	Mitch Adams Staff Attorney Mitch Adams was born and raised in Greenville, Texas. He was graduated from the University of Texas in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1998. He has practiced criminal defense law, family law, and personal injury and contract law as both insurance defense and plaintiff’s counsel in Tyler, Dallas and Beaumont.
	Karl Brehm Staff Attorney Karl is a San Antonio native who joined CLEAT in December 2007. Karl attended East Central High School in San Antonio and Texas Lutheran University in Seguin before going to law school at St. Mary’s University.
	Craig Driskell Staff Attorney Driskell was a prosecutor in the Harris and Tarrant County District Attorney’s Offices from 1997-2003. For Driskell, going from the DA’s Office to CLEAT was a natural transition since both involve representing law enforcement professionals.
	Staff Attorney Jim Jopling Jim joined CLEAT in 2008. He is originally from Fort Worth. Jim completed his undergraduate studies at UT Austin in 1986. He was a buyer at Lockheed Fort Worth Company before going to law school, and graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1996.
	Bob Leonard Staff Attorney Robert has been an attorney in the San Antonio office since 2005. He received a BA in History at the University of New York, Stony Brook, and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. In 1983, Robert joined the United States Army and was a military police officer. In 1985, he joined the Army National Guard and served for fifteen years.
	Miles McNeal Staff Attorney Miles McNeal works in the CLEAT office in El Paso. He received his JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and was an Assistant District Attorney from El Paso County. Miles also served as a Captain in the US Army Reserve.
	Joyce Lopez Senior Legal Assistant Joyce Lopez is the Senior Legal Assistant and one of the longest serving members of the CLEAT Staff. She attended San Antonio College for her legal studies and obtained extensive legal experience before coming to work for CLEAT. She has over 21 years in serving CLEAT members in San Antonio and across South Texas.
	Maria Merheb Legal Assistant Born and raised in Honduras, Maria has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas for a combined total of 40 years. Her education includes a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Nacional de Honduras.
	Mayra Guerra Legal Assistant Mayra comes to us from the District Attorney’s office in El Paso where she was an Administrator for two County Courts. There she kept track of misdemeanor case files. Mayra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.