Attorney Profiles

Donald J. Walheim 
San Antonio, Texas
Partner
phone 210-225-0001
888-700-7557 (Toll Free)
fax 210-225-0041
email Email Me

Don Walheim is a school attorney, representing Texas public school districts, which he has done effectively for close to 30 years. Having begun the practice of law in 1971 as a general practitioner involved with diverse civil and criminal litigation, he eventually converted his practice to represent school districts, beginning in 1977, when he started representing his first school district client. He continues to represent that same client today. Since 1977, Mr. Walheim has become an authority in school and administrative law and is a well-known advocate in the courts and before the Texas Education Agency on behalf of school districts and school boards throughout the State. In addition, he has testified before the Senate Education Committee in Austin, Texas, on legislation affecting the State’s public schools.

Mr. Walheim has devoted a substantial portion of his practice to work as general counsel for various Texas school districts, both in and outside San Antonio. He advises school boards and their administrators on a daily basis on such diverse issues as labor relations, employment law, contract law, special education, elections, open meetings, open records, purchasing and many other issues that are too numerous to include in this short biography.

Several noteworthy cases in which he has been involved are the landmark decisions in the United States Supreme Court and Texas Supreme Court to include Plyler v. Doe and Texas v. Certain Named and Unnamed Undocumented Alien Children; and Edgewood ISD v. Kirby.

Year Joined Organization:
1999
Areas of Practice:
School Law
Bar Admissions:
Texas, 1971
U.S. District Court Western District of Texas
U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1976
U.S. Supreme Court, 1981
Education:
St. Mary's University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, 1971

J.D.

La Salle College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1964

B.S.


Major:  Accounting
Representative Cases:
Plyler v. Doe, (United States Supreme Court ,Texas Supreme Court)
Texas v. Certain, (United States Supreme Court ,Texas Supreme Court)
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, (United States Supreme Court ,Texas Supreme)
Professional Associations and Memberships:
National School Board Association


Texas Association of School Boards, Council of School Attorneys


San Antonio Bar Association


Diverse Civil and Criminal Litigation, 1971
General Practitioner


Senate Education Committee


Past Employment Positions:
Law Office of Donald J. Walheim, Sole Practitioner, 1976 - 1979


Hardberger, Branton & Herrera, Inc., Associate, 1971 - 1976


Schulman, Walheim & Heidelberg, Inc., Partner, 1979 - 1999


Schulman, Walheim & Heidelberg, Inc., Corporate Officer, 1979 - 1999


United States Army, Officer, 1964 - 1968



With offices in San Antonio, Dallas, Laredo, and Houston, Texas, as well as Mexico City, Mexico, the minority-owned law firm of Escamilla, Poneck & Cruz, LLP, offers a wide range of legal services to governmental agencies, private corporations, and individuals throughout the state of Texas including the cities of Jourdanton, Floresville, Seguin, New Braunfels, Boerne, Laredo, Macdona, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Grapevine, Colleyville, South Lake, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Denton, Plano, Richardson, and Flower Mound, and throughout the counties of Bexar, Atascosa, Wilson, Guadalupe, Comal, Kendall, Tarrant, Fort Bend, Harris, Wise, Hays, Williamson, Webb, Live Oak, Nueces, Austin and Cameron.

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