Mark Ciavaglia practice is primarily focused on collection law in Galveston County. In 2004, the firm he was currently working for merged its collection practice with Linebarger. He formerly served the City of Texas City Municipal Court as a prosecutor and Alternate Judge for seven years. He served six years on the District 5B Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas, three years of which he served as Chair of the Committee. 

Mr. Ciavaglia has been active in civic and community affairs, having served on the founding board of the Advocacy Center of Children for Galveston County and the Texas City ISD (TCISD) Foundation for the Future. In 2020, he was given the ‘Vocational Service Award’ by the Rotary Club of Texas City. 

Mr. Ciavaglia attended College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas and graduated from the University of Houston, Clear Lake with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1990. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas in 1993 and was licensed to practice by the State Bar of Texas that same year. 

Ronald Rocha supervises regional clients from the firm’s San Antonio office and his tenacity has produced higher collection rates for our clients. His background as a research assistant positioned him to be one of the office’s best researchers, problem solvers, and trouble shooters.

He first joined Linebarger in 1994 as a Research Assistant after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from St. Mary’s University. After six years working with the firm as a research and litigation assistant, he went on to law school, in 2000. While in law school, he did his legal internship in our Houston Office within the bankruptcy department under the direction of John Dillman, who had just started with the law firm.

Upon graduation from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2002 with his Juris Doctor, Ronald returned to the San Antonio Office to work and study for the bar exam. After passing the bar, he was designated as the firm’s official Ombudsperson to ensure the firm’s efforts aligned with the taxpayer’s rights and responsibilities. He was also assigned oversight of the sheriff sale process. While in that role he drew upon his experience as Ombudsperson to put in place procedures, that streamlined our foreclosure process to minimize the number of properties pulled from the sale as a result of payment arrangements.

David Aelvoet is the Managing Partner of Linebarger’s Bankruptcy division and has practiced law in the area of tax collection for three decades.

He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Bar Association, and the San Antonio Bankruptcy Bar Association, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Mr. Aelvoet was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1993 after receiving his Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University School of Law, his Masters of Business Administration in Management from St. Mary’s University, and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Southwest Texas State University.

Capital Partner Sonia Gonzalez manages clients in the Bexar County regional area from our San Antonio office.

Ms. Gonzalez was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico and graduated from Eagle Pass High School in 1994. She takes pride in her community and volunteers for several organizations including San Antonio Sports Foundation, the Martinez Street Women’s Center, the Library Foundation of Eagle Pass, the San Antonio Food Bank, and the University of Incarnate Word. Sonia is a member of the Board of Directors of the South Texas Business Partnership (SoTx), formerly known as the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and serves on its Governmental Affairs Committee.

Sonia received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio in 1998. Prior to earning her Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2001, she worked as a research assistant for the firm’s San Antonio office. After four years in private practice, she re-joined the firm in 2007.

Ms. Gonzalez is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maverick County Bar Association, the Mexican American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Texas.

Mark Harris currently serves as Managing Partner in Linebarger’s Philadelphia law office, overseeing a team of attorneys and providing support for the clients served by the firm’s local office. Mr. Harris also serves on the firm’s National Marketing Committee, pursuing new business opportunities for the firm.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Harris practiced Title VII, labor and employment discrimination, family and juvenile law, breach of contract, intellectual property, and both corporate and consumer collections law in the federal and private sectors.

Mr. Harris is a 2015 graduate Fellow of the Leadership Dallas Independent School District program, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing leaders and agents of change to impact DISD’s educational programs. Mr. Harris has been a recurring speaker and panelist on taxation and collections issues, discussing issues of interest and impact to the firm’s clients in the industry. He is an active member of the State Bar Association of Maryland, serving in the State and Local Government and Delivery of Legal Services. He was a long-time volunteer for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and is a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Mr. Harris also sits on the boards of the North Broad Renaissance in Philadelphia, PA; Tel International in Dallas, TX; and the Alumni Board of Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, Houston, TX.

Mr. Harris is admitted to practice law in Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, and the District of Columbia. Mr. Harris obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and his Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.

Mark Flowers oversees Linebarger’s West Texas clients from the firm’s Odessa office. Mr. Flowers has deep ties to the region, serving as an assistant city attorney for the City of Midland, Texas, where he did civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels, contract drafting and review, general counsel on various municipal issues, and misdemeanor prosecution.

Mr. Flowers is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas and the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas and has received Merit Certification in Municipal Law from the Texas City Attorneys Association. Mr. Flowers is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a College of the State Bar of Texas member.

He received his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University in 1997, where he was Director of the Texas Tech School of Law Legal Research Board. He also has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Austin College in 1991 and a Master of Education from Texas A&M – Commerce in 1994.

Mr. Flowers has served as Vice President of the Midland County Young Lawyers Association, on the board of directors for the Texas Young Lawyers Association, Rotarian in the Odessa Rotary Club, Board of Directors of the Ellen Noel Art Museum in Odessa, Board of Directors of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.

Corey Hamilton, Ph.D. manages the firm’s office in Miami, Florida.

Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Hamilton was an Assistant State Attorney for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit and clerked for the Florida Department of Transportation’s 5th District legal division.

Dr. Hamilton serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. He is also a member of Golden Key International Honor Society and Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Fraternity.

Dr. Hamilton is admitted to the Florida Bar, the United States Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Dr. Hamilton received a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Florida in 2004 followed by his Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in 2007 where he was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honor Fraternity. He also received a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University in 2017 specializing in Law and Public Policy.

Tara L. Grundemeier serves as the managing attorney for the Houston bankruptcy division, overseeing bankruptcy operations for the Greater Houston area and Southeast Texas. She provides strategic advice, planning, and representation for the firm’s clients in bankruptcy cases across the country.

Tara joined Linebarger in 2003 and was a member of the team representing firm clients in the Enron bankruptcy—then the largest corporate bankruptcy filing in United States history. As a first-year attorney, she handled claims reconciliation for clients owed millions of dollars in property taxes by Enron and its related entities, gaining exposure to the scale, complexity, and legal acumen required in major corporate reorganizations.

Since that time, Tara has represented firm clients in some of the largest and most significant bankruptcy cases in the nation, involving energy and industrial companies, large real estate portfolios, healthcare systems, and national retail/restaurant chains. Her practice includes litigating highly technical disputes arising under the Bankruptcy Code, including valuation issues, ad valorem property tax treatment, and the allowance and priority of claims. She also represents clients in appellate matters and cross-border insolvency proceedings involving multi-jurisdictional reorganizations.

In addition to her legal practice, Tara serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary and is a Life Fellow of both the Texas and Houston Bar Foundations. She is a past board member of the national States’ Association of Bankruptcy Attorneys and serves on her firm’s internal Benefits Committee and Legal Standards Committee. She is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, and the Turnaround Management Association.

Tara earned her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Houston. She is licensed to practice in Texas and before the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. She is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Richard Hill works at Linebarger’s Houston, Texas office. He has been licensed to practice law in Texas since November 1986. His legal career began as a criminal and civil attorney in the private sector.

In February 1989, Mr. Hill joined the Harris County Attorney’s office as a trial attorney in the Eminent Domain and Ad Valorem Tax Divisions. He was then elevated to Division Chief in November 1991. During his 13-year tenure with the Harris County Attorney’s office. In February 2000, Mr. Hill was unanimously appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court to serve as Judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law #1. While on the bench, he presided over more than 500 jury and non-jury trials. 

Mr. Hill attended public schools in Orlando, Florida. After graduation from High School in 1971, he served a four-year tour of duty in the United States Air Force, where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service while serving in Southeast Asia. He graduated from Florida State University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science. He then attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence in August 1981. Mr. Hill enjoyed a successful career in sales and marketing as an account executive for several years before applying to the State Bar of Texas for his law license. 

Tanya Eriksson Wood is a capital partner and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. She is responsible for overseeing current and delinquent tax collections for various clients at Linebarger.

Before joining Linebarger, she served as the Tax Assessor-Collector for the Houston Independent School District and holds the title of Registered Tax Assessor-Collector. Her background also includes roles as an abstractor and escrow officer for Lawyers Title Company in Houston and as a law clerk for Hughes, Watters & Askanase, LLP in Houston. She holds Real Estate Salesman and Real Estate Broker licenses obtained in 1996 and 2002, respectively.

Mrs. Eriksson Wood is a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo™ and is actively involved with their International Committee. She is also a member of charitable organizations such as the Bluebonnet Bells and Art Angels.

She is licensed to practice law in the courts of Texas and Oregon. Mrs. Eriksson Wood received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in Houston and holds a Master’s of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration, graduating Cum Laude, from Texas A&M University in College Station.