Stuart has been practicing law for more than 30 years and joined Stibbs & Co. as a partner in September 2015. Prior to joining the firm, Stuart was General Counsel for a multi-state energy and real estate development company based in The Woodlands. He is an accomplished trial lawyer with significant experience in complex commercial cases, and has a wide range of business experience in commercial real estate, finance, corporate governance, government relations and business management.
He is a passionate and principled champion for his clients and has a deep knowledge base with skills honed during his years as a trial lawyer and as in-house counsel. Equally at home in the boardroom or the courtroom, Stuart possesses a unique skill set for a lawyer. He has been described as “a lawyer’s lawyer”. His experience as in-house counsel gives him an understanding of practical business issues while his experience as a trial lawyer allows him to analyze the same issues from a litigation perspective. He can provide clients with the information and tools necessary to make informed decisions. The result is a measured approach to finding solutions for clients.
Away from the office, Stuart is passionate about family, faith and Texas barbeque. He and his wife Eve have three daughters, and one granddaughter who frequently accompanies “Papa” on weekend trips to the office or wherever else he is going. They are active members of St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Christian Church where Stuart serves on the Parish Council and as chairman of the building committee. A self-described “barbecue nerd”, he is a graduate of Foodways Texas Barbecue Summer Camp and Camp Brisket at Texas A&M University, which he describes as a “fantasy camp for barbecue junkies”. He enjoys cooking barbecue on his smoker and sharing barbecue tips with anyone who will listen.
Stuart is active in the community and serves as a board member for The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership and for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce. He also likes to share stories of the early days of The Woodlands when as a teenager he worked clearing trees for road construction and as a lifeguard at the Woodlands Athletic Center.
Experience:
2015 – Present – Stibbs & Co., P.C. – Partner
2003 –2015 – Petroleum Wholesale, L.P./Sun Development, L.P. – General Counsel
1991 – 2003 – Law Offices of Stuart W. Lapp, P.C. – Managing Shareholder
1985 – 1991 – Dunn, Kacal, Adams, Pappas & Law Litigation Associate
Professional Memberships and Affiliations
American Bar Association
Houston Bar Association
Montgomery County Bar Association
The Woodlands Bar Association
General Counsel Forum National Conference on Weights and Measures
Certified Mediator A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center
Certified Hearing Examiner – Texas Education Agency
Community and Civic Involvement
The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership (Board Member, 2007 – Present; Chairman, 2014-2015)
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce (Board Member, 2014 – Present; Vice President – Government Affairs)
Voter Awareness Council – founding member
The Woodlands BBQ Festival benefiting the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
