Joe Pelton

Mr. Pelton has been practicing law for over 37 years (18+ in Houston and 19+ in Abilene). An Abilene native, Mr. Pelton graduated from Abilene High School and McMurry College, now McMurry University. After graduating from McMurry in 1972 with a major in Accounting, he attended the South Texas College of Law while working full-time as the personal accountant for W.B. "Tex" and Sue Fondren Trammell. While going to school, Mr. Pelton was also an enlisted/commissioned soldier in the Texas Army National Guard, with 7+ years of service. He graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia at the age of 19, making him one of the youngest Commissioned Officers in the U.S. Army/Texas Army National Guard. In 1976, Mr. Pelton began practicing law in Houston, Texas. During his time in Houston, Mr. Pelton was a personal lawyer for Marvin Zindler, a member of KTRK - Eyewitness News in Houston, for over 20 years. (Notable cases with this representation were the events that occurred and have been portrayed in "The Best Little Whore House in Texas" andZindler vs. The American Nazi Party. In 1994, Mr. Pelton opened the Abilene Office and assisted with the closing of Ed Paynter's Law Office. In addition to practicing law, he began teaching at McMurry, his alma mater. He was a professor for 7 years, teaching American Government, Texas Government, Business Law, and Paralegal Studies. Presently, Mr. Pelton is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association and serves as the Ethics Advisor for the West Texas area.