US
ABOUT
Chris Peele
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Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and is licensed to practice law in all federal and state courts in Texas, as well as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for the United States. He is also admitted as a member of the Federal Bar of the District of Columbia.
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Chris began his professional career in 1999 at Vinson & Elkins, LLP in Austin, Texas where he participated in complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts for nine years.
He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. From 2008 to 2013, he prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases on behalf of the United States. His primary focus was on white collar crimes such as healthcare fraud, investment-based Ponzi schemes, money laundering, embezzlement, and identity theft. He routinely handled other crimes as well, including drug, gun, and immigration crimes. In 2010 and 2011, he served as a Special Trial Attorney in the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as an Assistant General Counsel to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction in Washington, D.C. He worked to reduce fraud and abuse in the United States’ Iraq reconstruction effort by focusing prosecutorial efforts on financial crimes arising out of Iraq. He investigated and prosecuted individuals and corporations in federal districts across the United States for federal crimes such as bribes and kickbacks, production of defective war materials, theft of government property, and conflicts of interest. In the course of his investigations and prosecutions, Chris worked with law enforcement agencies from other countries such as Iraq and Great Britain and coordinated with prosecutors from the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, Civil Division, and FCPA Unit.
Before founding Peele | Nimocks | Toth, Chris practiced over nine years as a partner in a nationally recognized boutique law firm founded by a former United States Attorney General and several U.S. Attorneys. He represented individuals and companies facing government investigations and high stakes litigation.
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State:
• Texas
Federal:
• Western District of Texas
• Eastern District of Texas
• Northern District of Texas
• Southern District of Texas
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois
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Chris Peele is a co-founder of Peele | Nimocks |Toth. He focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, government investigations, regulatory matters, and civil litigation.
When he is not representing clients, you will find him moving. He likes to exercise, play soccer, and snowboard. When he can’t do those things, he tackles a home improvement project that is way too big for him. His few sedentary moments come when he watches the Longhorns or Austin FC. He has a very patient wife and three high school / college-aged children that find him mildly embarrassing but useful when things break.
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Mr. Chris Peele
Chris@pntlawfirm.com
(512) 417-0334
206 Wild Basin Rd. S.
Bldg. A, Ste. 206
Austin, TX 78746
Austin R. Nimocks
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J.D., Baylor University School of Law
B.B.A., Baylor University Hankamer School of Business
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Austin has litigated in state and federal courts across the country. He focuses his practice on civil litigation (plaintiff and defense), commercial litigation, corporate matters, federal compliance, internal investigations, government relations, and white-collar criminal defense.
Litigating for over 25 years, including three as a public defender, Austin has practiced law within the private, government, and non-profit sectors, geographically spanning the United States and beyond.
Austin began practicing law on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In addition to his time spent as a public defender, his law practice in Mississippi was extremely diverse, involving personal injury, commercial litigation, appellate, contracts, real estate, administrative law, bankruptcy, libel & defamation, insurance defense, general civil litigation, and other matters.
Austin then served as Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (“ADF”) in Washington, D.C. While at ADF, he handled appeals and litigated constitutional cases in state and federal courts across the country, including matters regarding marriage, parental rights, voters’ rights, and religious freedom. He also authored several pieces of legislation and policy memoranda and testified before numerous state legislatures, as well as Congress. While with ADF, he made regular public appearances, speaking at numerous events and participating in hundreds of television, radio, and newspaper interviews with all major national media outlets.
Following this, Austin served in the Executive Administration of Texas Attorney General's Office as both Special Counsel and the Associate Deputy Attorney General for Special Litigation. During his time with the Attorney General's office, Austin coordinated and led myriad multi-state lawsuits and strategic litigation against the federal government, other states, and local government entities. On behalf of Texas (and other states), his teams achieved many victories against the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies.
Prior to starting the Peele | Nimocks | Toth Law Firm, he worked for former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in the Ashcroft Law Firm in Austin, Texas. For General Ashcroft, Austin litigated cases against all levels of government (federal, state, and local).
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State:
• Texas
• Michigan
• District of Columbia
• Arizona
• Mississippi
• Alabama
Federal:
• Supreme Court of the United States
• D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
• First Circuit Court of Appeals
• Second Circuit Court of Appeals
• Third Circuit Court of Appeals
• Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Alabama
• U.S. District Court, M.D. Alabama
• U.S. District Court, S.D. Alabama
• U.S. District Court, D. Arizona
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan
• U.S. District Court, W.D. Michigan
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Mississippi
• U.S. District Court, S.D. Mississippi
• U.S. District Court, W.D. Texas
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Texas
• U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas
• U.S. District Court, S.D. Texas
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois
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In addition to being licensed in Texas, Austin is also admitted to practice law in multiple other states, the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous federal circuit and district courts.
Austin is a native Texan, born and raised in the Fort Worth area. He resides and attends church in Dripping Springs, Texas, along with his wife and three daughters.
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Mr. Austin R. Nimocks
Austin@pntlawfirm.com
(512) 522-4893
206 Wild Basin Rd. S.
Bldg. A, Ste. 206
Austin, TX 78746
Michael Toth
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Mike graduated from Stanford University with highest honors and the University of Virginia (J.D. & M.A.). Mike completed federal judicial clerkships for the Honorable Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for the Honorable Ursula Ungaro of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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Before becoming a General Counsel, Mike served as a judge on the Texas Third Court of Appeals in Austin. He also served as a Senior Counsel in the Executive Administration of the Texas Office of Attorney General and as lawyer in the United States Marine Corps, where he is a currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the reserves.
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State:
• Texas
• New York
Federal:
• Western District of Texas
• Northern District of Texas
• Southern District of Texas
• Eastern District of Texas
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. Supreme Court
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Mike lives in Driftwood, Texas, with his wife and three children. He is also a tech corporate counsel with experience as the top in-house lawyer at several high-growth, early-stage companies. At PNT, Mike serves as outside General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and legal advisor to numerous companies. A collaborative problem-solver, Mike’s practice areas cover a broad range of corporate issues, including regulatory compliance, contracting, managing corporate litigation, debt and equity fundraising, licensing, data privacy and security, employment and corporate governance.
Mike is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal on corporate legal topics and his work has been covered in Bloomberg, the New York Times, Law 360, and other publications. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and New York, as well as numerous federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
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Mr. Michael Toth
Mike@pntlawfirm.com
(512) 522-4893
206 Wild Basin Rd. S.
Bldg. A, Ste. 206
Austin, TX 78746
Ben Walton
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A native Texan, Ben obtained his B.A. in Christian Philosophy from Whitefield College (Lakeland, FL) in 2007. Ben then graduated summa cum laude from Liberty University School of Law (Lynchburg, VA) in 2010. While in law school, Ben served as Editor-in-Chief of the Liberty University Law Review and received numerous advocacy awards in both local and national moot court tournaments.
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Ben served as a law clerk to the Hon. William G. Petty (Court of Appeals of Virginia) and then to the Hon. Alice M. Batchelder (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit). In 2014, Ben moved home to Texas and joined a civil litigation firm in Austin, where he represented both small businesses and large corporate clients. Ben handled litigation in both state and federal courts across Texas, including products liability, construction defect, premises liability, personal injury, and other types of disputes. In 2017, Ben joined the General Litigation Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, where he handled extensive employment law litigation, as well as lawsuits involving constitutional law and other subject areas. Ben joined PNT as Senior Counsel in 2025.
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State:
· Texas
Federal:
· Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
· Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
· Eastern District of Texas
· Northern District of Texas
· Southern District of Texas
· Western District of Texas
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With roots in the Texas Hill Country, Ben and his wife currently live in South Austin with their three daughters. Ben is an active deacon and chorister in his church, and he loves classical music and a good book.
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Peggy Dresselle
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Peggy Desselle – Office Manager at PNT
Peggy brings years of experience in finance and operations, making her a valuable asset to the PNT team. With a strong background in business administration, she is highly organized, detail-oriented, and dedicated to ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.
She takes a client-focused approach, always striving to be kind, approachable, and responsive to both client and team needs. Her expertise in accounting and organization allows her to take on essential tasks, helping to support the team and create an efficient work environment.
Outside of work, Peggy enjoys hiking, traveling—especially to the mountains—and reading. She thrives in dynamic environments and embraces the challenge of learning new things, making her a great fit for the positive and energetic culture at PNT.