The Robe Law Firm provides a broad range of legal services to individuals and businesses. Penny Robe’s background provides some unique advantages to business clients. Having served as an in-house attorney and as a military officer, her understanding of strategic business decisions has a depth that only such experience can bring.
As a legal adviser to small businesses, Penny provides advice on issues common to most businesses, while also addressing the effect that the laws regulating that particular industry have on the company’s proposed actions and agreements. For family members dealing with a death in the family, the Robe Law Firm help these clients understand all of the ways to transfer property to those who remain and explain these options as to which are faster and which are the most cost effective way to make that happen.
Penny spent over nine years working as an in-house lawyer, employed by one client at a time, and building in-depth understanding about business strategy and processes. Penny’s background gave her the opportunity to learn about the intersection of business and law, including electronic information.
When Penny served her country as a commissioned officer/lawyer on active duty with the United States Air Force, she learned Military Law and gained valuable experience helping military members with their personal legal matters like divorce and family law, wills and estate planning, and about the military law aspects of these areas of law.
Penny is a veteran, having served on active duty for almost six years, and is committed to helping other veterans. She offers military discounts to active duty, reservists, guard, honorably discharged veterans and military dependents.
Prior to joining the Air Force, Penny was a criminal prosecutor in Plainview, Texas, serving as Assistant District Attorney for the 64th and 242nd Judicial Districts of Texas and acting County Attorney for Hale County, Texas.
In 2011, she was named the Collin County Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. This is awarded to the attorney who donates the most time in that year of free legal services to the poor through Collin County’s chapter of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.
Penny currently serves on the Board of Directors for Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.
President of Robe Law Firm
I established the Robe Law Firm as a full-service law firm, providing the entire spectrum of legal support to individuals and small businesses. For individuals, the firm offers help in family law matters, wills and estate planning. The firm offers legal services to physician practice groups, engineering companies, and technology companies. Individuals or companies who are planning meetings can receive excellent legal advice specific to the hospitality industry.
Association of Corporate Counsel-Dallas Fort Worth Chapter Vice President and Board Member
The Association of Corporate Counsel is the largest group of attorneys who work in-house (employed by their client.) I was honored to serve as First Vice President of the chapter, as a director on the Board, and as Chair of the Pro Bono Committee. My involvement with the Association included service as Faculty at the 2008 ACC Annual Meeting on the topic, “Electronic Content Management Systems -- Unravel the Mysteries Before You Speak to the Vendors”
Corporate Counsel at Pinnacle Partners In Medicine
As one of Pinnacle’s two in-house lawyers, I played integral role in multiple acquisitions, and served as sole legal advisor in negotiation of a $15 million credit agreement, cross-collateralized by eight entities, with complex escrow provisions added after initial negotiations were completed.
I was the primary legal advisor on all employment law issues for over 1000 Pinnacle employees and was responsible for negotiation of provider employment agreements. After learning the organization’s practices, I updated standard agreement template for all physician and CRNA employment agreements.
My role included advising leadership on matters specific to healthcare law, like Stark and Anti-Kickback laws, focusing on how to be compliant and still achieve the business goal.
While there, I negotiated, drafted, and reviewed contracts concerning all aspects of company operations, including facility agreements, managed care/payer contracts, complex financing agreements, software service agreements, real estate leases, equipment leases, billing and collections agreements.
Technology Counsel & Regional Counsel at PBS&J
In my role as Technology Counsel for PBS&J, I developed the company's electronic records management system, ensuring compliance with electronic discovery, and addressing all technology law matters; I also served as legal advisor to the company's Oracle implementation team.
Working with such an excellent engineering firm afforded me the opportunity to learn project management and I served as the project manager for various software implementations relevant to the legal department. My experience with project management increased my practical knowledge of the business drivers that affect the bottom line, allowing me to give targeted strategic advice to business leaders.
As Central Regional Counsel, I also negotiated, drafted, and reviewed contracts concerning all aspects of company operations, developed and enforced a cohesive corporate Intellectual Property strategy, and routinely trained managerial personnel on principles of contracting, fiscal, employment, technology, and intellectual property law.
I provided assistance on employment issues, internal investigations, and legal/risk management questions from leadership
General Counsel at Star's Edge International
When I left active duty in the Air Force, I became the first attorney for Star's Edge International, a seminar corporation based in Orlando, Florida and operating internationally. In my role as the company’s first General Counsel, I drafted, negotiated and administered large contracts with thousands of attendees at global hospitality interests on four continents. I protected the company’s intellectual property interests in administrative and judicial forums as well as on the internet.
JAG Officer in the United States Air Force
After being commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force in December, 1994, I entered active duty in the United States Air Force in January of 1995. My first base of assignment was McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California and this was followed by a tour of duty at Goodfellow Air Force Base, in San Angelo, Texas.
As a JAG, I assisted active duty military members, retirees, reservists, and eligible dependent family members with their personal legal issues, including estate planning, probate, consumer protection, taxation, family law, and bankruptcy. It is important to consider how military law can affect these areas. (Military discounts are available.)
An interesting part of my Air Force experience was directing Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs at McClellan and at Goodfellow. The program provided military members with free help on their individual tax returns. We were filing electronic tax returns in the late 1990s.
As a JAG officer, I also advised leadership on issues of contract and federal procurement law, constitutional law, environmental law, federal labor relations, the Freedom of Information Act, administrative law, fiscal law, copyright law, and criminal law. I adjudicated tort claims, including property damage, personal injury and medical malpractice, assessing applicability of the Federal Tort Claims Act. I served as legal advisor to Mather Hospital, including acting as the hospital's representative at Provider Privileging hearings.
Assistant District Attorney at Hale County, Plainview, Texas
After law school, until joining the U.S. Air Force, I served as Assistant District Attorney for the 64th and 242nd Judicial Districts in Plainview, Texas. I gained a great deal of litigation experience and handled cases from investigation and charging through appeal, including felony and misdemeanor offenses, mental commitments, children's protective service actions, and juvenile cases. The cases ran the gamut from sitting third chair in four capital murder trials down to jury trials on speeding tickets.
*** Penny elected inactive status in Florida in 2014 since Robe Law Firm limits its practice to Texas. Penny has previously been an accredited attorney for the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims for veterans benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); Robe Law Firm is no longer accepting cases for representation before the VA and the accreditation is now lapsed.