Deborah Goodall graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in Journalism and attended Baylor Law School (Class of 1984). In 1982 she began a two-year clerkship with the prominent Dallas criminal defense firm of Burleson, Pate & Gibson. Based on her position in the top percentage of her class, she was a member of the Baylor Law Review and served as Notes and Comments Editor in 1983. She published “Penal Code Section 22.04: A Duty to Care for the Elderly” in the summer 1983 edition of the Baylor Law Review. Following graduation, Ms. Goodall received an honorary appointment to serve as a briefing attorney for the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas for a one-year term, where she clerked for the Honorable Jon Sparling, former head of specialized crime in the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.
In 1985 she was hired by James A. Rolfe, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, to join Ravkind, Rolfe & Baccus-Lobel, where she handled a variety of federal and state criminal matters, including misdemeanor and felony DWI cases. Throughout her 23-year career as a criminal defense lawyer, she has consistently and successfully represented clients charged with DWI offenses.
She has been involved with several high-profile cases covered by local and national new media, including representing the owners of two of the major savings and loans associated with the collapse of that industry. While representing Vernon Savings & Loan owner Don Dixon, famed Harvard law professor and news commentator Alan Dershowitz assisted her with Dixon’s criminal appeal and served as “Of Counsel” on her briefs to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
During her career, she has experienced the evolution of DWI law. Field Sobriety Tests have gone from a pick-up coin test to being standardized, and there have been many changes in breathalyzer standards and methods as the law has become increasingly harsh over the years. Deborah has worked with and observed the best criminal trial lawyers during the past 25 years and places Doug Wilder at the top of that list, especially when it comes to all aspects of DWI defense.
Her philosophy is that it takes a team effort to successfully and properly defend DWI cases. The courtroom may be the culmination of your DWI case, but many essential steps must be taken prior to and along with the preparation and trial of your case. It benefits all of our DWI clients to have a solid team behind them every step of the way so that no stone is ever left unturned.