Two Texas Partners Secure TBLS Insurance Law Certification
HOUSTON – Feb. 18, 2025 – Phelps partners Peri Alkas and Paige Jones completed a rigorous credentialing and exam process to earn their board certification in Insurance Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS). Just 65 lawyers across Texas hold the board’s certification in this specialty.
TBLS is the only organization authorized to certify lawyers and paralegals with substantial, relevant experience in select areas of Texas law.
Peri and Paige join Phelps’ team of TBLS-certified insurance lawyers. The second-largest in the state, the group includes Dallas/Fort Worth partner Sondra Sylva and Houston partner Clinton Wolbert.
Peri is a courtroom veteran who has taken more than 65 civil and criminal cases to trial. Insurers seek her out when they face stubborn first-party, bad faith and extra-contractual claims that require creative, tailored solutions. She has a strong track record of finding resolutions early in insurance disputes through favorable negotiations and summary judgment dismissals. She recently secured dismissal for a global insurer in a $50 million case involving business income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paige leads the firm’s Dallas/Fort Worth coverage team as head of the office's insurance practice. For more than two decades, she’s managed litigation and arbitration involving large loss commercial and residential claims, energy claims and business-related disputes. In 2024, she obtained a declaratory judgment for and early dismissal of surplus lines insurers on a claim for tornado damage under a Named Storm insurance policy. She also recently secured a permanent injunction to stop infringement of a major insurance marketplace’s trademarks by an insurance adjuster.
Both mentioned the certification will enhance their practices. “Insurers are facing increasingly complex risks in the Texas market. This certification highlights our commitment to helping them navigate new challenges and manage their exposure.”
The board will recognize Peri and Paige for their achievements at a ceremony and reception on March 14 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin, Texas.
