Our Team

Thomas P. Carnes
Wendy Sue Stafford
Beverly Carnes

Thomas P. Carnes, Attorney & Mediator

Tom Carnes is a big law firm refugee who has operated his own law firm since 2002.  Following his graduation magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center in 1992, he worked in commercial litigation for two major law firms in their Houston offices.  In 2002, Tom embarked on his solo career and formed Carnes Ely LLP  with John Ely in 2004.  In 2008, he moved to the Texas Hill Country and resumed his solo practice there, a practice which continues.

Prior to attending the University of Houston Law Center, Tom, a native of Denton, earned a BBA and MBA from the University of North Texas, and worked in the restaurant business, banking, and corporate finance in the Denver/Boulder and Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

Tom has achieved the highest peer review rating of “A-V” by Martindale, which is based on the reviews of his peers.  He has been a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, which requires an extensive annual commitment to continuing legal education well beyond that required by the State Bar of Texas, since 1996.

Tom is a trained mediator as well as an attorney, having completed both the basic mediator’s course and the advanced family law mediation course.  Tom mediates both business and family law disputes, in the context of both parties represented by counsel and non-represented (pro se) parties.  In addition, Tom is trained as a collaborative divorce attorney, as an alternative to traditional divorce, and is a member of Collaborative Divorce Fredericksburg, Collaborative Divorce Texas, and the Collaborative Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. 

Tom also completed the four-year Education for Ministry (EfM) seminary course through The School of Theology at The University of the South (Sewanee) in 2017, and continues to mentor the EfM group meeting at Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg.  Beginning in 2019, Tom has also served as the Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, overseeing the twelve EfM programs located in the Diocese.  Tom brings this variety of skills and depth of understanding to a wide variety of legal engagements, each skill set being an integral part of the whole.   He is a lawyer, mediator, collaborator, active listener, and student; each role informs the others.

Tom lives with Beverly Carnes at Agarita Creek — A Hill Country Ranch Retreat near Fredericksburg, Texas, with their herd of Jacob and Navajo-Churro Sheep, several donkeys, a few cows, some chickens, and three livestock guardian dog named Beatrice, Bexley, and Bernadine.

Wendy Sue Stafford, Legal Assistant

From Pensacola, Florida, Wendy Sue moved to the Texas Hill County in 2006. She attended University of West Florida.

Wendy Sue joined Thomas P. Carnes, Attorney and Mediator in 2009, after acquiring legal experience working with other law firms.

Wendy Sue wears many hats at the firm, filling the receptionist, legal assistant, and paralegal roles.

Wendy Sue lives in Kerrville, Texas with her husband Layne and their blended family: Jadon, Leilani, and Braden.

Beverly Carnes, Billing Administrator

Beverly is a graduate of the University of Texas, and holds a master’s degree from the University of Houston.  She is responsible for the billing, invoicing, and accounting functions for the firm, and is its business manager.

Previously, Beverly worked in public accounting and corporate tax before embarking on a career change into speech and language pathology.  Since moving to the Fredericksburg ranch with Tom, Beverly has, in addition to assisting the law firm, principally managed Agarita Creek – A Hill Country Ranch Retreat and is the shepherd of the parties’ heritage Navajo Churro sheep.