Clark McCoy
Partner
Clark McCoy is in the Frisco, Texas offices of the firm and has experience in representing governmental and private organizations.
Mr. McCoy is the Municipal Attorney for two home-rule Texas municipalities, the City of Anna and the Town of Fairview, both in Collin County. Mr. McCoy helps to frame customized solutions for the opportunities and challenges brought by rapid growth in those communities. He also represents Anna Community Development Corporation, Anna Economic Development Corporation, Anna Public Facility Corporation, Anna Housing Finance Corporation, Fairview Community Development Corporation, Fairview Economic Development Corporation, Princeton Community Development Corporation, Princeton Economic Development Corporation, and other governmental entities. For the last 25 years, he has provided consulting attorney services to other governmental entities in various matters including land use and development, eminent domain, annexation, zoning, public employment, and business transactions.
Mr. McCoy has argued in and obtained favorable rulings from federal and state district and appellate courts in various cases including: City of Celina v. Dickerson, Town of Fairview v. Lawler, City of Argyle v. Pierce and Clear Channel Outdoor, Sadeghian v. City of Aubrey, City of Van Alstyne v. Young, Dildy v. City of Rockwall, Williams v. City of Pilot Point, Villasana v. McKinney Police Dep’t, Criswell v. City of Murphy, Boaz v. Town of Marshall Creek, Brewer v. Collin County, Reeder v. Paris News and City of Paris, Fischer v. Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, State v. One (1) Henry.22 cal Rifle w/ Tasco Scope, Chamness v. Deck Enterprises, LLC, Sloan v. Rohus, City of Krum v. Rice.
Mr. McCoy earned his J.D. from Southern Methodist University and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1997.
Publications: Author: “Federal Preemption-Can Local Land Use Regulation of Radio Broadcasting Towers Withstand the Challenge?” IMLA, Municipal Lawyer, Vol. 45 No. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2004. Speaker: “Ethics and Professionalism,” Texas Bar Leaders Conference, 1999.
Bar Admissions
United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, 1998, and Northern District of Texas, 1999; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2000; United States Supreme Court, 2002; United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2003.
Memberships
State Bar of Texas; Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit; Texas City Attorneys Association; International Municipal Lawyers Association.
James C. Tidwell
Partner
James C. Tidwell provides a wide range of legal services. Starting his career as a trial attorney, Mr. Tidwell has trial and litigation experience in a variety of employment, governmental, civil rights, commercial litigation, patent and personal injury matters in both federal and state courts. Out of his trial practice grew additional general counsel work as well as an appellate practice. Mr. Tidwell currently provides legal services covering day-to-day issues as well as providing litigation and trial representation. Mr. Tidwell also provides mediation services and received his training through the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, UT School of Law.
Mr. Tidwell currently represents various cities, counties, local school districts and business clients. This includes day-to-day issues such as employment, contracts, Open Meetings Act, Public Information Act, ordinance drafting, law enforcement, zoning, annexation, land use and meeting support. Growth and development in the local area have expanded the practice to include development matters, economic development negotiations, development agreements and issues related to various types of financing districts (MUD, PID). Mr. Tidwell currently serves as general counsel for the City of Howe, City of Savoy, City of Ector, City of Ladonia, City of Sadler, City of Callisburg, City of Whitewright, City of Bells, City of Tom Bean, City of Knollwood, Lake Kiowa Property Owner’s Association, Inc., and the Sherman Independent School District. He also currently provides consulting and outside litigation services to the City of Irving and the City of Waco. In addition, Mr. Tidwell served as lead counsel for the following example entities in various litigation matters in both state and federal court: the City of Irving, City of Paris, City of Honey Grove, City of Waco, Cooke County, Grayson County and Fannin County. Mr. Tidwell also handles litigation assignments for the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool for cities and the Texas Association of Counties. Mr. Tidwell also serves as local counsel in complex cases pending in the Eastern District of Texas, including cases pending in Sherman, Tyler, Marshall and Texarkana.
Mr. Tidwell earned his Bachelor of Science (magna cum laude) and J.D. from Texas Tech University.
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1990, United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, 1991 and Northern District of Texas, 1993; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1996.
Memberships
Fellow Texas Bar Association; Grayson County Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit; Bar Association for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute; Texas Association of School Boards Council of School Attorneys; Texas City Attorneys Association; International Municipal Lawyers Association. Sherman, Texas location.
Distinctions
Member: U.S. Eastern District of Texas Local Rules Advisory Committee; Judge Paul Brown American Inn of Court. Fraternities: Board of Barristers, Phi Delta Phi. Committees: 2006 State Bar of Texas Suing and Defending Governmental Entities (Planning Committee). Speaker: “Juveniles and Law Enforcement Interaction,” 18th Annual Suing and Defending Governmental Entities Course. Speaker: “Corralling the Pro Se Plaintiff,” Texas Municipal League 2000 Attorney Workshop; “Contracting, Purchasing and Claims,” Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, 1997.
David V. Overcash
Partner
David V. Overcash joined the firm in 2011 and provides our clients the full spectrum of legal services, including civil litigation in federal and state trial courts, appellate matters, and advising governmental bodies on best practices and regulatory compliance.
Mr. Overcash has extensive experience with general counsel work for Texas municipalities as City Attorney for both Type-A general law and home-rule cities, primarily in Collin County and Denton County, which includes over a decade of municipal prosecutor experience and advising their development corporations. Recent accomplishments include assisting the City of Princeton, Texas, with the formulation and adoption of its first home-rule charter in 2022. In addition to those duties and his work for other municipalities, Mr. Overcash provides both litigation lead and consulting attorney services on an individual case basis, including excessive force accusations against law enforcement officers and jailors, election contests and disputes, eminent domain, property disputes, construction defects, minority shareholder rights, and contract actions. Recent appellate work has included successful defense of a Texas municipality’s sex offender residency restriction ordinance (SORRO) to the Texas Supreme Court (City of Krum, Texas v. Rice) and preserving a favorable summary judgment defending a municipal police officer against an excessive force claim (Morrill v. City of Denton, Texas).
Mr. Overcash earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1996 and his law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 2010. He clerked with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, assisting the felony prosecutors in Criminal District Court, and applies his expertise in criminal matters as prosecutor on behalf of the State of Texas and several municipalities in North Texas. Mr. Overcash’s uncommon and extensive experience working with municipalities after a decade of service with the City of Dallas Water Utilities, giving him an intricate, ground-level working knowledge of municipal utility operations and water-related issues. This background provides exceptional insight to clients regarding environmental compliance issues, capital improvements, public health matters, and the technical aspects of both water and wastewater utilities.
Bar Admissions
State of Texas; Eastern District of Texas; United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Distinctions
SMU Science & Technology Law Review (Articles Editor); SMU Dedman School of Law Dean’s Scholarship Recipient; National Order of Barristers; Mastery in Advocacy – Dedman School of Law 2010; American Corporate Counsel Association – Larry Margolies Fellowship
Memberships
State Bar of Texas; Dallas Bar Association; Texas City Attorneys Association
Pete Eckert
Of Counsel
Pete Eckert has experience in a variety of civil litigation matters in both federal and state trial courts with an emphasis on representation of governmental entities and commercial litigation.
Mr. Eckert currently serves as the City attorney for the City of Heath and the City of Rockwall as well as water corporations and other governmental entities. He successfully argued an annexation case important to all Texas cities in the Supreme Court of Texas styled City of Rockwall, Texas v. Vester T. Hughes, as Sole Independent Executor of the Estate of W. W. Caruth, Jr. He also serves as consulting attorney to the City of Celina and works with Mr. McCoy as additional trial counsel for the Town of Fairview. Mr. Eckert earned his J.D. from the University of Texas.
Bar Admissions
Texas; United States District Court, Northern District of Texas; and United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
Distinctions
City Attorney, Bryan, Texas 1970-74; City Attorney, Garland, Texas 1974-82; practiced municipal and governmental law with Hutchison, Price, Boyle & Brooks and Cowles & Thompson, P.C., from 1984 to 2000; formed the firm of Caso, Egelston & Eckert, L.L.P., in 2000; joined Wolfe, Tidwell & McCoy, LLP, in 2006. Member: State Bar of Texas, International Municipal Lawyers Association; Texas City Attorneys Association. Garland, Texas location.