Cantey Hanger Expands Into Ellis County

Cantey Hanger has affiliated with The Law Offices of Gregory E. Wilhelm, P.C., a three-attorney firm in Ellis County.

Wilhelm is a former Ellis County treasurer and former Texas Trial Court Judge in Ellis County.

“Cantey Hanger is proud to join with Judge Greg Wilhelm in opening our offices in Ellis County,” says Cantey Hanger Managing Partner Brian Newby in a statement. “Judge Wilhelm is the right fit as our partner in charge. He brings an outstanding legal talent and reputation for excellence as we expand into this exciting and dynamic market.”

The Law Offices of Gregory E. Wilhelm practices in the areas of probate, guardianship, estate planning, real estate and as related litigation, wealth management, trust administration, corporate entities and complex mediation.

“We always want to listen to and understand client needs,” Wilhelm says. “We work to provide stability during life’s ups and downs and provide strategic legal representation.

“Being asked to be affiliated with Cantey Hanger, a quality and precise firm with a legacy history, is quite an honor. It allows us to bring our skills as a firm to a larger audience.” 

Wilhelm, the president of the Ellis County Bar Association, received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. In 1999, he graduated from Regent University, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, earning his law degree and also a master’s in public policy.

While at Regent, Wilhelm served as the law school chaplain and today he serves as chairman of the Regent Law Alumni Board and member of the Regent Law Board of Visitors. He is a former adviser to the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

Within weeks of being licensed to practice law in Texas in 1999, Wilhelm opened The Law Offices of Gregory E. Wilhelm. Soon after, he helped to form Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ellis County, of which he served as its founding president.

He later was elected as Ellis County Treasurer before serving as Trial Court Judge for the Ellis County Court at Law No. One.

Upon leaving the bench, Wilhelm resumed his law practice, served as a vice president of the Dallas Chapter of the Christian Legal Society, was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry as a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board and chair of the Parental Rights Advisory Panel, and began a nine-year term of service on the statewide Board of Texas CASA, later serving as its board president.

Partner Patrick Thorman also received his law degree from the Regent University School of Law, in 2013. While at Regent, he received the Counselor at Law Award for his work with clients in the Civil Litigation Clinic. Additionally, he served as executive editor of the Regent Journal of International Law, in which his writings were published.

He earned a bachelor’s of business administration, cum laude, in 2003 from LeTourneau University.

Thorman’s practice focuses primarily in the areas of probate, guardianship, estate planning (wills and trusts), business transactions, business disputes, and real estate transactions. He is on the board of Jlyasdi’s Journey, an East Texas nonprofit that provides support and services to families with premature babies in the NICU.

Associate Cassandra M. Payton is also a graduate of Regent University School of Law, in 2016. She earned her bachelor’s in political science from Biola University in California in 2012.

At Regent, she served on the university’s Moot Court board and served the law school as student chaplain. She is a member of the national Christian Legal Society.

Her practice focuses primarily in the areas of probate, guardianship, estate planning, trust litigation, fiduciary litigation, property disputes, real estate transactions, and real estate litigation.