Gauntt, Earl, & Binney, LLP expand into Greater Dallas/Fort Worth area

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Gauntt Earl & Binney, LLP (GE&B) is pleased to announce the opening of their Dallas office led by newly named managing partner Karl W. Koen. The Dallas office is Gauntt Earl Binney & Koen, LLP (GEB&K).

“With decades of experience and resources that stretch across the state, our Dallas litigation attorneys are well-positioned to succeed in large, complex cases,” said Chad Gauntt, founder of Gauntt Earl & Binney. “Our Dallas office is led by managing partner Karl W. Koen, who has already earned a reputation for strong legal representation. We are litigators, prepared to go to trial when necessary to protect the interests of the parties we represent.”

About Karl W. Koen

Mr. Koen will be leading the Dallas office with more than 22 years experience. His civil practice has focused on litigation involving Fortune 500 Companies in business and personal injury lawsuits, including oil and gas exploration and operations accidents, commercial transportation claims, product liability claims, Employer liability claims, premises liability, catastrophic injury and property damages claims, subrogation, Dram Shop claims, and Wrongful Death/Survival Claims for companies and individuals.

After graduation from the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Koen worked as a CPA for a Big Eight accounting firm and a national communications firm before returning to law school at Texas Tech University, serving on the Board of Barristers and participating in mock trial programs, while also obtaining his private pilot license for aviation defense cases. Mr. Koen then went into private practice and successfully litigated and tried numerous lawsuits defending and prosecuting claims for his clients in multi-million dollar claims in both state and federal courts throughout the state of Texas. Mr. Koen has been a Super Lawyer numerous times, and has a preeminent AV peer review rating by Martindale Hubbell.

Mr. Koen is a member of the Texas Bar, Dallas Bar Association (Litigation Section), Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC), the DRI (Defense Research Institute), the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western U.S. District Courts, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Koen is a member of Parkway Baptist Church and an avid bicyclist, runner, snow skier, is certified in scuba diving, and holds his private pilot’s license.

About Robert Collins

Robert Collins joins GEB&K, as an accomplished trial attorney, whose practice centers on commercial, business and catastrophic personal injury litigation, with a focus on maters related to oilfield operations, commercial transport claims, as well as premised and product liability claims.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism, Mr. Collins attended Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas, where he participated in the school’s mock trial and moot court programs. In the final year of law school, Mr. Collins participated in SMU’s Criminal Justice Clinic, representing criminal defendants in the Dallas County court system for both misdemeanor and felony charges. While in private practice, Mr. Collins has successfully represented his clients in state and federal courts across Texas.

Mr. Collins is a member of the Texas Bar, Dallas Bar Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association and the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA).

A resident of Dallas, Robert enjoys golf and competitive tennis. In his free time, Robert volunteers for the American Diabetes Association and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

About Rachel R. Vulpitta

Rachel R. Vulpitta joins GEB&K, having worked on both defense and plaintiff issues; she brings an understanding of the clients’ needs to her work in commercial, business and personal injury litigation. Prior to joining Gauntt, Earl, Binney & Koen, L.L.P., Ms. Vulpitta worked in a commercial litigation firm and also clerked for The Honorable Kerry P. FitzGerald on the Dallas Court of Appeals.

After graduation from Texas State University with a degree in Marketing, Ms. Vulpitta worked for a year in a private equity firm in Dallas, Texas and she subsequently attended Southern Methodist University School of Law, where she participated in the school’s moot court program and was a regional finalist in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Throughout law school, Ms. Vulpitta, along side of The Honorable Kerry P. FitzGerald, successfully piloted a minority education program in Dallas elementary schools. While in private practice, Ms. Vulpitta has successfully represented her clients in state and federal courts in Texas.

Rachel enjoys international travel, fiction novels, vegan food, hot yoga, and spending time with her nieces and nephew.