The Firm

Richards, Elder & Green, L.L.P. combines the talents of seasoned partners, each board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, into a Firm representing both entities and individual clients in a broad range of civil matters.

While the Firm continues to represent real estate developers, media outlets, health care providers, banks, contractors, commercial and private litigants and other diverse clients, the most defining characteristic of the Firm is its broad-based and comprehensive involvement with cooperatives. The roots of the Firm trace back to attorneys who created utility cooperatives the Firm still represents. Its attorneys have been instrumental in crafting legislation governing cooperatives in the State of Texas, in creating new cooperatives, in representing cooperatives before the Texas Public Utility Commission, educating and giving guidance to the management and directors of cooperatives, obtaining in excess of a Billion dollars of loans for utility cooperatives from the Rural Utilities Services (successor to the Rural Electrification Administrations) and other cooperative borrowers.

Richards, Elder & Green, L.L.P. knows cooperatives inside out. It understands capital credits and the Seven Cooperative Principles and the changing landscapes faced by clients, some providing service in declining rural areas and others facing competition as urban areas sprawl into their traditionally rural areas.

The Firm’s attorneys are equipped with a broad range of both legal and life experience. Don R. Richards was raised in a newspaper family, was editor of the campus newspaper at Texas Tech University and has operated newspapers. From this background came an interest in media law, open records and open meetings law, and an understanding of how to deal with the media. He was a congressional aide and one time nominee for U.S. Congress. From this background came an inside understanding of the legislative and political process and an understanding of community and member relations.

Dulan D. Elder’s early legal practice was concentrated in the area of banking, oil and gas and real estate. He has examined many abstracts and conducted stand-up title examinations and rendered title opinions on farm and ranch properties as well as giving drilling and division order title opinions. This extensive title and lending background serves him well in representing cooperatives in lending transactions. Over time, Mr. Elder became heavily involved in the representation of agricultural cooperatives in addition to his involvement with utility cooperatives. As the focus of the Firm has turned towards cooperatives, Mr. Elder has applied his extensive experience in multiple facets of complex commercial transactions to the needs of cooperatives.

Robin M. Green’s father was a long-time director of an electric cooperative. Mr. Green began his career as a prosecutor before going into private practice. Mr. Green has extensive experience in litigation from both the defense and plaintiff perspective, giving him a grasp of the nuances of litigation and dispute resolution. Mr. Green authored a book on Texas divorce in 1985, Divorce–When It Is the Only Answer, which has been updated and is now in its second printing.

The Firm enjoys assisting its clients in doing big things in small places:

Selling/purchasing electric transmission and distribution facilities, mergers of electric cooperatives, negotiating Wholesale Power Contracts, interconnection agreements and related agreements with wind power generators in West Texas and other complex commercial transactions both within ERCOT and the Southwest Power Pool jurisdictions.

Interconnection agreements between its telecommunications cooperatives and other providers. The creation and governance of non-regulated subsidiary activities to protect core cooperative assets and maximize tax treatment. The negotiation and sale and purchase of wireless facilities.

In addition to providing expertise in the creation, operation and governance of cooperatives and expertise in the particular primary functions of cooperatives, be it electric, telephone or agricultural, the Firm handles not only the complex commercial transactions in which its cooperative clients become involved but also has long time involvement in related areas of law which spin off from the operations of cooperatives such as employment law, probate/estate law necessary to determine ownership of capital credits of decedents, and member/public relations guidance.