The Bear that Evokes Shared Values and Purpose
To an outsider looking in, a magazine photo of partners Frank Lyle and Aubry Dameron posing beside a six-foot, 300-pound bear statue might come across as playful, quirky, tongue-in-cheek, and perhaps more so, a little out of place.
After all, Frank and Aubry are the skilled and compassionate faces behind Springer, Lyle & Dameron, a highly respected law firm and fixture in Denton for more than 35 years. Surely, they’d rather be posing in a big conference room or standing shoulder to shoulder on the courthouse lawn.
But trust them when they say the bear isn’t there for novelty’s sake. It stands as a quiet tribute to the late Jeff Springer, a partner and friend whose humble yet larger-than-life presence and commitment to always doing the right thing helped shape the firm into what it is today.
“Jeff and his wife, Michelle, went to Baylor University and were naturally huge Baylor Bear fans and supporters,” Frank said of his former partner, who passed away unexpectedly last June.
“It may look odd to an outsider to see a big ole, hand-carved bear standing in our landscaping in the backyard of our building, but it was important for us to honor Jeff in this way. He meant so much to us as a partner and friend.”
Frank added, “An artist in Colorado carved it out of a giant ponderosa pine tree and shipped it to us. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
More importantly, the bear is a daily reminder of the values Jeff lived by — treating people with kindness and always doing the right thing. It’s a culture of integrity that Frank and Aubry remain committed to carrying forward today.
Springer, Lyle & Dameron is every bit the advocacy firm clients deserve when life takes an unexpected turn. They represent clients in everything from personal injury to business and probate litigation, wills and estate planning matters, and appeals. Frank and Aubry also act as mediators to resolve disputes for others.
Over the years, they have represented hundreds of clients in a broad range of situations throughout Texas and, at times, in other areas across the country. All the while, their philosophy is simple: they don’t accept more work than they can handle and, above all, they work as a team to achieve the best possible outcomes for their clients.
At the heart of that approach is Frank, an AV preeminent-rated, multi-year Super Lawyer who specializes in cases involving severe injuries from 18-wheeler collisions and other injury producing events. Frank earned his JD from South Texas College of Law in Houston and returned to Denton in 1986 to practice law where he grew up. For years, he and Jeff worked as an inseparable legal tandem, initially hiring Aubry as a legal assistant before she went off to law school. She later returned to the firm and worked there for 10 years before being recently named a partner.
Aubry graduated with a B.S. from Sul Ross University, completed her M.S. in Mathematics from Texas A&M, and earned her J.D from SMU Dedman School of Law. More importantly, she’s cut from the same cloth as Frank and Jeff. She is a natural litigator who knows how to put her clients’ goals and interests above her own.
“Jeff was one of those guys who was smart, highly gifted, yet incredibly humble. Over the years, we’ve focused on hiring people who fit that mold, and Aubry and our young associates are perfect examples of that,” Frank said.
“Aubry is a great attorney, and she’s also a really good person. That’s why she will continue being the attorney she was meant to be, and it’s why our firm will continue to grow.”
With a big bear looking over them every step of the way, and everything it represents always close at hand.
