About the Firm
Farrow-Gillespie Heath Wilmoth (FGHW) is a respected, majority woman-owned law practice with big-firm credentials and small-firm warmth and personality. We build enduring client relationships on a foundation of professional excellence that inspires trust and confidence.
Located in downtown Dallas, FGHW is rated AV Preeminent®, the highest rate awarded to law firms, and is distinguished as both a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB).
Since 2007, our award-winning attorneys have provided sophisticated legal representation in a broad selection of practice areas to businesses and organizations, as well as to individuals.
FGHW serves companies large and small, from family-owned shops to the Fortune 500 list, bringing to the table a wealth of both transactional and litigation expertise. Our attorneys serve as ongoing key support for long-term client businesses and augment the legal teams of large companies when an outside perspective is needed. From organization formation, mergers and acquisitions, and governance, to contracts, taxation, and trademarks, we provide expert advice and protect clients’ near- and long-term interests.
Nonprofit organizations benefit from our attorneys’ range of support, from formation and application for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status, to ongoing board counsel, governance assistance, contracts, mergers and acquisitions counsel, and fundraising legal advice.
Families and individuals trust and refer others to the FGHW team for assistance with those personal legal needs that require an extra degree of sensitivity and compassion. Among us are some of the best attorneys with extensive experience across the service spectrum. Specialists in adoption and guardianships facilitate our clients’ most emotionally challenging journeys. Our estate planning team establishes secure and comforting protections for what will ultimately represent a client’s legacy. And the distinguished probate experts at FGHW ensure that legacy is transferred to beneficiaries as planned.
Experienced and Award-Winning
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Routinely named to awards lists, including:
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Texas Super Lawyers® (a Thomson Reuters service) (Scott Chase 2003-2021; Julie Heath 2012-2021; Liza Farrow-Gillespie 2013-2019; Mary L. O’Connor 2008-2013)
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Texas Super Lawyer “Rising Star” (a Thomson Reuters service) (Jennifer Lewis 2014-2021; Jessica Dunne 2020-2021)
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Best Lawyers in America (Best Lawyers®) (Scott Chase 2001-2022; Mary O’Connor 2019-2022; Debra Witter 2019-2022; Julie Heath 2020-2022; Paula Beasley 2022)
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Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Best Lawyers®) (Jessica Dunne 2021-2022; Christopher Elam 2021-2022; Spencer Turner 2022)
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Best Lawyers in Dallas (D Magazine) (Scott Chase 2013-2021; Mary L. O’Connor 2017-2021; Chris Wilmoth 2018-2021; Amanda Brenner 2020; Julie Heath 2017-2019; Paula Beasley 2018, 2022; Liza Farrow-Gillespie 2013-2019)
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Best Lawyers under 40 (D Magazine) (Jessica Dunne 2021)
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Substantial previous employment experience at large Dallas and national law firms
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Winner of a “Top 10 Texas Verdict,” Texas Lawyer Magazine
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Board Certifications, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in Health Law (Scott Chase); Personal Injury Trial Law (Henry Wehrmann); and Estate Planning & Probate (Jennifer Lewis)
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Former Probate Court Judge
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Routinely appointed in civil matters by state and federal judges
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Former briefing attorney, federal judicial law clerks, interns
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Former General Counsel with publicly traded companies
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Member, National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms
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Adjunct Professors at SMU Cox School of Business and SMU Dedman School of Law
Recognized by
2024
History of the Firm
In 2007, two formidable women with highly successful law careers were ready for a new challenge and decided to share office space. They had known each other for many years, and more recently had worked together on a difficult case, a crucible in which their professional regard and compatibility had been tested. “We had no grand plans,” said co-founder, Julie Heath, of their early brainstorming. “We just knew we were really good lawyers and had a lot of common values.”
Both she and co-founder, Liza Farrow-Gillespie, knew they could create and sustain a law practice; they’d already done it separately. Still, creating a viable firm with a variety of personalities and practice specialties was another thing entirely.
Culture was paramount in their vision. Having observed how caustically other firms’ members interacted, Farrow-Gillespie and Heath committed to building a different kind of environment: one that fostered respect and caring about those who came into and through it; one with a “no-jerks” policy, where everyone agreed to resolve conflict without mistreating or disrespecting others; a gentler, people-centric place that encouraged a healthy work-life balance; one whose internal values would influence everything they did and would welcome everyone they worked with and served at every level.
Even then no stranger to challenge, Farrow-Gillespie, a breast cancer survivor, had recently completed a six-year sailing voyage around the globe with her husband. Before that, she was privileged to serve as permanent briefing attorney for the late United States District Judge Barefoot Sanders and had enjoyed a successful private practice. In this proposed business venture, she visualized a preeminent, woman-owned firm that could consistently deliver top-quality results for a wide range of clients.
A strong attorney herself, Heath had previously served in the commercial litigation section of a large firm, and had also enjoyed a successful solo practice as an employment litigation attorney. She had already proven herself a versatile and powerful advocate for clients on both sides of the table, and visualized a firm that projected her own versatility and advocacy philosophies into the firm’s overall ethos.
And so, what began as an office-sharing experiment forged around the highest professional standards and human values ultimately attracted a diverse cadre of talented lawyers with similar standards and values. Over the years this cadre grew into a well-respected, mid-size law firm that also happens to exemplify the excellence of women in leadership.
In July 2020, our beloved co-founder, Liza Farrow-Gillespie passed away, leaving a legacy of compassion, courage, and drive that remains a fundamental part of the firm’s culture.
Today, FGHW is that rare law firm that prevents and solves clients’ problems expertly and efficiently, while fostering the “life” part of its team’s work-life balance that brings true humanity into everything we do.
We are more than just our jobs: we are artists, authors, athletes, faith leaders, teachers/lecturers, mentors, humanitarians, and more. And as such, we see you, our valued clients, as more than just your projects and problems. Your legal needs are an integral part of your life, and we make sure our solutions serve that broader purpose.
Executive Committee (L to R): Chris Wilmoth, Paula Beasley, Julie Heath, and Mary O'Connor
