Decker, Jones, McMackin, McClane, Hall & Bates, P.C. traces its origins to the year 1896 when George Q. McGown entered the practice of law in Fort Worth. He soon developed a successful practice representing a variety of local and national business interests. In 1911, he invited his son, H.T. McGown, to join the practice, and the two formed a partnership under the name McGown & McGown.
To its burgeoning commercial litigation and business practice, the firm began to add other legal services, including, most notably for the day, oil and gas law. With the economic growth resulting from the discovery of oil near Ranger, Texas in 1917, the firm’s client base expanded as Texas entrepreneurs responded to the wealth of opportunities presented by this new industry.
After World War II, the firm emerged as a leader in banking and insurance. Berl E. Godfrey, who had joined the firm in 1929, was instrumental in forming the Bank of Commerce and later served as President of the Association of State Chartered Banks for more than a decade. Throughout this period, the firm, then known as McGown, Godfrey, Logan & Decker, chartered a number of insurance companies and practiced extensively before the State Board of Insurance.
Throughout its history, the firm has remained at the forefront of business law practice due, in large part, to its commitment to respond to the changing needs of its clients. Over the years, tax, estate planning, and probate services have greatly expanded, and members of the firm have assisted in developing several major commercial real estate projects in the north Texas area. At the same time, the growth of many Fort Worth-based businesses has demanded greater expertise in the fields of corporate and securities law. The firm’s business and corporate section, led for many years by Robert W. Decker, has helped many of these local entrepreneurs break new ground and extend their reach into national and international markets.
In 1990, Decker, McMackin, and McClane, as the firm had come to be known, sought to expand the breadth of its litigation services. To that end, the firm merged with one of Texas’ premier insurance defense firms that had been established in 1975 by a handful of the state's most respected trial attorneys. The resulting firm - Decker, Jones, McMackin, McClane, Hall & Bates, P.C. - is a full-service law firm that provides a wide array of legal and consulting services to businesses and individuals.