Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson PLLC

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson PLLC

Managing Member: Valerie Van Courtlandt

Number of Lawyers:13

Office: San Antonio, Texas

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson PLLC (“CCFF”) provides comprehensive and cost-effective legal counsel with a commitment to deliver large firm skills with small firm attention. Our attorneys develop long-lasting, often multi-generational, relationships with our clients based on trust and collaboration. We listen to our clients, accurately assess their goals and risks, and provide focused and practical legal advice and advocacy.

2025 is the first year Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson has been ranked in the Chamber Spotlight Texas Guide. The firm received the rare distinction of a first time double ranking. Only 30 of 202 firms received double rankings and only 7 first-time firms received a double ranking.

The 11 partners are the owners of the firm: Wade Caldwell, Chris Clark, Zach Fanucchi, David West, Valerie Van Courtlandt, J. Alex Garcia, Karen Monsen, Robert Seiler, Eddie Ramirez, Brad Akin, and Clint Malloy. The firm has two associates, Joe (Trey) Mims and Michael Shields.

Our clients are varied in size, operate in a variety of industries, and are treated as if their legal issues are the most important the firm has to consider. We represent multi-billion-dollar commercial companies, mid-size and small entities, financial institutions, and non-profits, as well as individuals and families.

At Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson, our mission is to achieve the best legal results for our clients and provide prompt, high quality service. Our experienced attorneys deliver legal services and counseling with integrity. Our diverse abilities allow us to provide creative legal and practical advice so that our clients can make confident choices in their lives, families, and businesses.

Department contact: G. Wade Caldwell (210-228-3617, [email protected])

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson’s oil and gas attorneys represent mineral and land owners, with a complete range of legal services related to the development of their minerals and use of their land.

The firm’s oil and gas practice was started by G. Wade Caldwell. Wade is a mineral owner from a ranching family in Albany, Texas and has served as President of the National Association of Royalty Owners (“NARO”) as well as President of NARO-Texas. He is AV-rated for the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell, has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America for Commercial Litigation and Oil & Gas Law since 2018, and as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer since 2021.

With more than 50 years of experience, the firm’s oil and gas attorneys assist clients with negotiating and drafting oil and gas contracts, including leases, surface use agreements, easements, mineral sales, pooling agreements, and production sharing agreements. They regularly handle title curative, entity formation, and royalty audits for our clients.Alternative energy work includes protecting mineral rights during solar, wind, and surface development efforts.

The firm’s oil and gas attorneys also have extensive litigation experience related to title disputes and oil and gas development, including terminating leases for lack of production and pursuing lessees for improper deductions or underpayment of royalty.

Department Contact: Zach Fanucchi (210-228-3614, [email protected])

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson’s trial attorneys collectively have more than 100 years of litigation experience, representing retailers, equipment companies, and corporations, including both large and small businesses. CCCF seeks to resolve disputes in the most economical and advantageous manner for our clients, including moving for dispositive resolution or if feasible, settlement. When necessary, CCFF’s trial attorneys regularly try complex, as well as routine cases, in state and federal court and in arbitration.

The firm offers trial expertise and experience in the areas of banking, including lender liability, UCC, wire transfers, ACH disputes, collections; bankruptcy; deceptive trade practices; employment; insurance defense, including personal injury; oil and gas; premises liability; products liability; real estate; title insurance; and trusts, estates, and guardianship. CCFF attorneys and paralegals also have extensive experience conducting legal research and drafting all necessary pleadings, briefs, and motions throughout the trial and appellate process. CCFF’s trial team is licensed in Texas, New Mexico, the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas.

Our creditors rights team delivers cost-effective commercial debt collection services in a variety of industries with an emphasis on equipment rentals and construction. The dedicated collections paralegal staff under the direction of CCFF partners handle our clients’ collection efforts from demand through trial. The team frequently settles collection matters through mediation or arbitration and regularly appear on behalf of creditors in bankruptcy courts across Texas.

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson’s oil and gas litigators represent land, mineral, and royalty owners in a variety of disputes arising from the oil and gas industry including title, royalty, working interest, and other ownership issues; recovery of royalty, surface payments, or other amounts owed; interpretation and enforcement of leases, operating agreements, production agreements, and other land use agreements.

Department contact: Karen Monsen (210-228-3618, [email protected])

The employment law practice of Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson focuses on the representation of private employers in a wide range of industries, including energy and utilities, technology, construction, banking and financial planning, non-profits, professional services, restaurants, and more. Its attorneys have more than four decades of employment-related experience, appearing before state and federal labor agencies, various state and federal district and appellate courts across the country, and in state, national, and international arbitration.

The firm’s employment law attorneys draft and advise on employment policies, strategy, and forms and agreements. On a daily basis, they advise on employee relations, discipline, performance, and terminations.When necessary, its attorneys provide immediate assistance and go on-site when Department of Labor or other investigators arrive to conduct workplace inspections.The attorneys also act offensively to pursue injunctive relief in state and federal court when in the best interest of the client.

They work closely with clients to ensure compliance with employment federal, state, and local laws and regulations, for example, fair employment laws, harassment and sexual harassment laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act and state payday law, the Family and Medical Leave Act and leave laws, the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Immigration Reform and Control Act, unemployment and workers’ compensation laws, document retention and destruction, as well as pertinent common law.Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson attorneys respond to state and federal court and agency subpoenas and other agency and court orders.

The employment section attorneys conduct and advise on in-depth internal investigations and conduct extensive employee and supervisor training, both in best practices and legal obligations.They draft and advise on safety policies (such as lockout/tagout and on-site contractor safety) and appear before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in multiple jurisdictions addressing reportable and recordable injuries and illnesses, and exposure and whistleblower complaints.

The section’s attorneys have several decades of experience advising on security and cybersecurity, with a focus on internal threats (from sources such as employees, contractors, and customers) and successfully prosecuting many cybersecurity cases threatening the viability of a wide variety of companies in state and federal court. The team works with law enforcement and insurers when necessary to bring claims of employee theft.

Department Head Karen Monsen was recognized by the San Antonio Business Journal as the 2013 Employment Law Attorney of the Year. She has been published by and conducts electronic discovery training for State Bar of Texas continuing legal education programs. She has taught professionals nationally and law students at St. Mary’s University School of Law on electronic discovery, cybersecurity, and document retention and destruction.

Department Contact: R. Christopher Clark (210-228-3638, [email protected])

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson’s corporate attorneys each have over 25 years of experience representing clients in a wide variety of matters throughout the life cycle of a business. We utilize a practical approach to assisting business owners and managers achieve their goals and address the legal issues that arise in the course of business.

CCFF’s transactional attorneys regularly represent large commercial companies, family-owned businesses, and single purpose entities, advising clients from formation through each phase of growth. Our corporate partners have extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions, debt financing, private equity investment, and partnerships and joint ventures. We regularly assist our clients in planning and implementation of succession and exit strategies. Examples of industries served include heavy equipment, trucking, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, food service, real estate, farm and ranch, and healthcare.

Representative transactions include:

• Acquisition of equipment, automotive, and rental dealerships by a heavy equipment dealer
• Merger of Texas and California technology companies providing hardware, software, and services to the Department of Defense
• Acquisition of agriculture equipment dealer and expansion of the dealership into new geographic territories
• Reorganization of family-owned water recreation companies
• Advising private investors in connection with a healthcare start-up
• Private equity investment in a group of family-owned companies
• Complex commercial transactions involving corporate, real estate, and financing issues

The firm’s corporate attorneys regularly act as outside counsel to organizations by providing general counseling on strategic matters, ownership and management issues, Board of Director issues, succession planning, and other matters, including:

• Executive compensation negotiations and employment contracts
• Counseling directors and owners regarding their rights, duties, and liabilities
• Representing generational ownership of family-owned businesses and ranches in developing strategies and a governance structure incorporating the joint goals of the family and business.
• Appointment, when appropriate, of an outside advisory board for family-owned businesses

The Department Head is R. Christopher Clark, who is AV-rated for the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell. Chris has been a board member of numerous businesses, including charities.He has also served as an adjunct professor in the Michael Neidorff School of Business at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Department Contact: Valerie Van Courtlandt (210-228-3634, [email protected])

The real estate law practice of Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson focuses on the representation of individuals and companies operating in the area of commercial real estate, including acquisition of land (improved and unimproved), development, construction and permanent lending, all types of commercial leasing, and more. Each of its partners has more than 25 years of real estate and business-related experience.

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson’s real estate attorneys draft and advise on purchase and sale agreements, numerous documents in connection with real estate development, easement agreements, leasing agreements, as well as a multitude of ancillary agreements used and relied upon in the realm of commercial real estate law. On a daily basis, they advise on landlord-tenant matters, due diligence issues in connection to the purchase and sale of commercial tracts, issues regarding the acquisition, sale or day-to-day operations of shopping centers and office buildings, as well as issues in connection with multi-use properties.

Department Contact: David West (210-228-3646, [email protected])

Caldwell Clark Fanucchi & Finlayson provides practical and timely legal advice to banks on a variety of issues.Our team of specialists assists in the areas of corporate governance; bank litigation and response to legal service of process; bank operations, including questions on customer accounts, check fraud, ACH and wire transfers, and UCC questions; personnel disputes; employment policies and procedures; cybersecurity incidents; document retention and destruction; lending and real estate matters; and trust, estate, and fiduciary issues.CCFF offers timely access to knowledgeable attorneys who can help address the questions that bank staff need to address on a daily basis.

The Financial Institution Department was started by David West, who is AV-rated for the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell since 1997. Since 2011, David has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America, and since 2025, a Best Lawyer in America in Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, and Commercial Litigation. David was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Banking and Finance in San Antonio by Best Lawyers in 2023 and 2025. He is Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1997.