Sheets & Crossfield • Round Rock

Sheets & Crossfield • Round Rock

Written by Amy Stansbury Friday, 05 September 2008

Stephan Sheets of Sheets & Crossfield has been the Round Rock city attorney for more than 31 years, so he has an interesting perspective of the city. He said he thinks Round Rock has always embraced growth because at one time, Georgetown was the county seat, Taylor was thriving with cotton and business, and Round Rock was just a “dusty little place next to Round Rock White Lime.”

“All [Round Rock] was, was a place where the quarry workers lived,” Sheets said. “Heck, there was nothing here. So I think that made the people who originally lived here want to achieve something better.”

Sheets said, unlike other nearby cities such as Georgetown, there was not much heritage and tradition to hang on to in Round Rock.

“They wanted something better — some growth and something different than what they had,” Sheets said. “So, I think it was more of an incentive. How that has evolved 50 years later, I’m not sure that I really understand that, but it’s interesting how personalities of cities kind of stay the same generation after generation.”

Sheets has witnessed a few generations in Round Rock, having practiced law there since 1975. In the early ’80s, he represented Williamson County landowners and developers who petitioned the county to establish road districts that would create the transportation infrastructure needed in the Round Rock area. Charlie Crossfield was the assistant attorney, representing Williamson County.

After the two men worked together on that case, Sheets asked Crossfield to go into private practice with him. Sheets & Crossfield was established in 1986, and the two have worked out of their office on Main Street ever since.

Lawyers are usually known for their association with negative events that occur in people’s lives, such as lawsuits, divorces and deaths. But Sheets and Crossfield said they feel that practicing municipal law is more fun, positive work that they consider to be a real privilege.

“Gosh, look what we get to do,” Sheets said. “I mean, every time I drive around town, you get to think that you were part of bringing Dell computer [Inc.] here, and part of this new highway, and part of Dell Diamond. I mean, we get to build things, and most lawyers don’t have that sort of job satisfaction.”

Sheets and Crossfield agreed that what other lawyers do is important because they are helping people out with their problems, but they said that work might not necessarily be as rewarding as what they get to do.

“Every day, we do feel rewarded,” Crossfield said. “I think that’s partly because of the vibrancy of Central Texas, and the spirit that people have here. I mean, it’s really remarkable. You go to other places in the United States and talk to other city attorneys. I doubt that they have had as many opportunities to do as many things as we have.”

Sheets said that in representing Round Rock as city attorney through its growth from a population of 5,000 to nearly 100,000 people today, it is almost as if he has represented 12 different cities.

“The city’s name hasn’t changed, but it’s completely different now than it was 30 years ago,” Sheets said. “I’ve had the best of both worlds in that I’ve been able to represent the same city, but it has completely changed. There are some things I miss about old Round Rock, but it’s probably a better place to live now than it was then.”

City Attorneys

City attorneys can be hired as a salaried city employee, or municipalities can choose to hire a lawyer from a firm and pay them by the hour.

Round Rock — Stephan Sheets is paid by the hour and has been the Round Rock city attorney since 1977.

Central Texas cities

Charlie Crossfield is paid by the hour for his work as city attorney for the following cities:

• Elgin
• Hutto
• Smithville
• Special counsel to Buda

Pflugerville City Attorney — Lawyer Floyd Akers, not associated with Sheets & Crossfield, has been a salaried city employee since January 2007.

Sheets & Crossfield, 309 E. Main St., 255-8877