Inadmissible

Although Smithville lawyer Art Keinarth says his home in the Bastrop area looks like someone dropped a bomb on it, he and his family are healthy, and “we’re all going to be OK.” He says, “We’re all kind of tired physically, I think, because of the displacement and disruption in our lives.” But he says they’re making headway every day. Keinarth is one of three lawyers who lost their homes because of the Bastrop wildfires, says David Collins, president of the Bastrop County Bar Association. The others are Bastrop County District Attorney Bryan Goertz and Bastrop solo Virginia Piper. Keinarth says his own house was just a mile or two from Piper’s and Goertz’s homes. Goertz could not be reached for comment, andPiper didn’t return a telephone call seeking comment. As of Sept. 14, Keinarth, a partner in Reynolds & Keinarth in Smithville, said he still couldn’t get out to see his property for himself. But he says photographs reveal that what was once a large, two-story home made of brown limestone and wood trim around the gables and windows is now just a driveway and a few scattered stones. His sons, 12 and 16, grew up there. “My wife and children have dealt with the loss in a really positive way. But, of course, on the day we had to evacuate from the property, we didn’t have very much time to get out, and there were a lot of personal items that just got left and burned up. We all take the position that those are things and they can be replaced,” says Keinarth, adding: “We still have each other, we have our memories of those things, and we’re going to be OK without it.” The family was able to rent a vacant, unfurnished home in downtown Bastrop. Last week, Keinarth returned to his office, where he practices family and criminal-defense law. He still needs to spend time helping his family with living arrangements and insurance issues. What will the family do in the long term? “Most likely what we are going to do is rebuild a house. We don’t know yet whether it will be in the same location or a different location. But we don’t intend to leave the Bastrop-Smithville area,” says Keinarth, noting he has lived and worked there for 31 years. “This is home, and this is where my children grew up, and we have friends.”

Party Time

Rascal Flatts, a trio that performed at RodeoHouston in March, will provide the musical entertainment at the Lanier Law Firm ‘s annual holiday party on Dec. 4. “They are an incredible band, just hit after hit,” says W. Mark Lanier, founder of the Houston plaintiffs firm. “They are genuinely good people, and it will be a delight to have them here.” Lanier says he expects about 6,500 people to attend the family-oriented party held at his house in the Cypress area of northwest Houston. Lanier says the invitation his wife, Becky, designed is in its “final form.” For the fourth year, the firm will invite party guests to make a charitable contribution. Lanier says the money will go to Guatemala SANA, a charity that builds schools, equips classrooms and provides food for children of Guatemala; some local charities in Houston; and, in conjunction with Rascal Flatts, a hospital in Nashville. “Rascal Flatts is motivated by charitable concerns, just as Becky and I are, and this is a joint effort with them to use the Christmas season to help those less fortunate, and we are glad to get to partner with them in that regard,” Lanier says. Rascal Flatts’ song “Easy” featuring Natasha Bedingfield is No. 20 on Billboard’s Country Songs chart. The entertainment always makes the firm’s party a must for members of the Texas legal community. In 2010, Sting performed, while the party featured New Jersey rock band Bon Jovi in 2009 and teen pop singer Miley Cyrus in 2008. “We’ve got a couple of extra surprises planned this year,” Lanier says.

Jones Not Amused