RONDA BUTLER HARKEY
Partner since 2008
rbh@obt.com

Ronda Butler Harkey focuses her practice primarily in the areas of premises liability litigation, construction and immigration law.  She also has experience in handling breach of contract and commercial disputes.

Ronda has experience in corporate immigration compliance, corporate and employment-based immigration filings, and individual or family-based immigration filings.  She is experienced in drafting corporate immigration compliance plans and is the author and presenter of “Who’s Who in Immigration Today,” a paper discussing immigration compliance law and procedure.

In 2005, the President of the State Bar of Texas appointed Ronda for a three year term as a member of the State Bar of Texas’ standing committee on Laws Relating to Immigration & Nationality.  As a committee member, Ronda quarterly meets with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security’s Texas offices to discuss immigration issues and improvements to the governmental policies and procedures affecting immigration.

Ronda was named a Texas Rising Star in the area of Civil Litigation Defense by Texas Monthly and Law & Politics for 2006.  In 2007 and 2008, Ronda has been named a Texas Rising Star in these publications in the area of Immigration and Nationality.  She has experience in handling cases involving construction, railroad, refinery, and petrochemical accidents from post-accident investigation to case defense.

Ronda attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her B.A. in English with emphasis in Spanish in 1999, graduating with highest honors. Ronda graduated from The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. in 2002.

Ronda is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Texas Association of Defense Counsel, American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section, Defense Research Institute, Jefferson County Bar Association, Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association Board of Directors, Southeast Texas Human Resources Association, and Montgomery County Bar Association.  She has been admitted to practice in all Texas state courts, as well as Federal District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

Ronda practices primarily in the firm's office in Beaumont and Houston-The Woodlands.