Partner
Annette Chaires is a partner in Goldsmith & Bogisch. She was raised in a bilingual family, where the primary language spoken was Spanish. Ms. Chaires majored in Finance, with minors in English and Spanish at the University of Texas and earned a B.B.A. in 1986. While at U.T., Ms. Chaires performed with the Varsity Singers and played in the U.T. Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of Phi Chi Theta, a business sorority, and a member of the Orange Jackets, one of the oldest honorary service organizations at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Chaires graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1988.
After graduating from law school, Ms. Chaires became an associate with Lynch, Chappell, Allday & Alsup. She worked primarily in the areas of business law, securities and estate planning. In 1991, she formed her own general practice focusing on the areas of business and criminal law. In 1992, she formed the partnership Chaires & Hallee, with Michelle Hallee, (later to become Chaires & Maples). Chaires & Maples was a general practice with criminal law as its primary area of practice. Ms. Chaires has been very active with the criminal defense bar and served on the Board of Directors of the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. In 1999, Michelle Maples took a leave from the practice of law to raise her family, and Ms. Chaires continued her practice as the Law Offices of Annette Chaires.
Ms. Chaires has performed with the Bar & Grill Singers, a group of singing lawyers that spoof themselves and the legal profession since 1991. The Bar & Grill singers perform nationwide and have raised over $300,000 for volunteer legal services for the indigent. In 2000, Ms. Chaires and the Bar & Grill Singers received the W. Frank Newton Award from the State Bar of Texas in recognition of their outstanding contributions in provision of and access to legal services for the poor.
Ms. Chaires is actively involved in her community. She has coordinated the Spanish Program at Lake Pointe Elementary School and has taught Spanish classes for over 7 years. In addition, she is actively involved with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with her two children.
Ms. Chaires practices with Goldsmith & Bogisch in the areas of oil and gas, litigation, employment and corporate matters. Ms. Chaires has extensive courtroom experience, including over ten bench and jury trials.