Legal Services Staff

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 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 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.

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.

Hobert Douglas was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Master of Arts degree in Economics (Master Thesis: Minority Participation in Labor Unions) from Prairie View A and M University. He subsequently graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Douglas began his private practice in Fort Worth in 1985 with a concentration in criminal and civil law. Prior to joining CLEAT, Douglas served as Staff Attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Texas Southern University where his primary responsibility was the management of employment litigation. He is also a Certified Independent Hearing Examiner for the Texas Education Agency. Having a keen interest in employment issues, Douglas has participated in workshops and seminars related to labor relations and employment law. He is a credentialed, mediator, receiving certification from the Blakely Advocacy/A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center at the University of Houston Law Center.

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.

Roberto is recognized across the state as an expert in law enforcement rights and employment law. He is a certified Mediator and Labor Arbitrator. Roberto graduated from the Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshal School of Law. He is married with three children.

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.

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.

Alyssa was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and joined CLEAT in 2012. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. Alyssa practiced criminal law in both the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office in El Paso County since 2008. It was through this experience that she gained a deep appreciation for law enforcement and their dedication to public safety.

Celeste came to CLEAT after spending many years practicing fiduciary litigation, as well as handling probate and estate planning. She is also a mediator. Celeste graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 1994. She has three children.

Nadia has been with CLEAT since October of 2011 and works in the Austin office. She attended Texas Wesleyan University School of Law with a full academic scholarship. Nadia is a published member of the law review and graduated third in her law school class. She is a credentialed mediator. She earned BA in political science and economics in San Diego, California before relocating to Texas. She lives in Austin with her husband who is a local police officer.

Bob Thomas has been a licensed attorney in Texas for the past 22 years. He has represented Texas Peace Officers in Federal and State civil and criminal district court trials.  Bob has also represented hundreds of officers in IAD investigations, arbitration hearings, civil service appeals, grievance hearings, and contract arbitrations. He is also licensed in the Southern and Eastern federal district courts, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Bob is a licensed mediator and a TEA arbitrator.

Prior to Bob’s legal career, he served twenty years with the Houston Police Department and honorably retired at the rank of Sergeant. Bob worked 11 years in patrol and retired as an evening shift patrol sergeant. While employed at HPD, Bob was the founding President of the Patrolmen’s union, a director of the HPOA, a trustee of the Houston Police Pension System, and an appointed TCLEOSE commissioner.

As a former Dallas Police Officer, Felony Prosecutor, State and Federal Criminal Defense Attorney, and former CLEAT Staff Attorney, Vincent Wisely brings more than 20 years of combined experience to the CLEAT Legal Staff. Vincent Wisely has served as a CLEAT Staff Attorney in both the North and South Texas field offices and he is licensed to practice in all Texas courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Vincent Wisely has tried more than 50 civil and criminal cases to judge and jury throughout North Texas, and has conducted numerous labor arbitrations for both individual members and their local associations on a wide variety of labor issues. Vincent Wisely is married and lives in Arlington, Texas.

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.

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 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.

Jesica joins the Fort Worth office with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Before coming to CLEAT, she worked for 5 years as a legal assistant in the traffic department.