Attorney returns to private practice after seven years with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, bringing experience in estate planning, probate, real estate and business law
A new chapter in Huntsville
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Angela Shimek Valis has joined Smither, Martin & Henderson, P.C., marking a return to private practice for the longtime attorney, municipal judge and former Fellowship of Christian Athletes area director.
Valis began working at the Huntsville firm in May after stepping down from her position with FCA in April. She had served the organization for seven years, most recently as area director for the FCA Piney Woods West chapter.
Her move back into private practice brings together more than 15 years of legal experience and years of community and ministry work in Huntsville.
“I was just praying for an opportunity to continue to serve, but in a different capacity, and to use my law degree,” Valis said. “This has been just fantastic.”
A calling that began early
Valis, a native of Shiner, said her interest in becoming a lawyer dates back to childhood.
“Since I was 6 years old, I’ve always wanted to be an attorney,” she said.
She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication before earning her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2007. While attending law school, she served as editor-in-chief of The Scholar, the school’s law journal.
Valis was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2008. Her professional memberships include the State Bar of Texas, the Walker County Bar Association and the Texas Bar College, according to information published by Smither, Martin & Henderson.
Before moving to Huntsville, Valis practiced with a small firm in New Braunfels, where she became a partner and worked in estate planning and oil and gas law.
Her husband, Garrett Valis, moved to Huntsville in 2014 for a position with the Sam Houston softball program. Angela Valis remained behind temporarily to close her legal practice before officially moving to Huntsville in 2016.
Garrett Valis was named Sam Houston’s head softball coach in 2018. The couple has three children.
An unexpected Huntsville connection
When Angela Valis arrived in Huntsville, she began searching for work wherever she could find an opportunity, including interviewing for a position with a local church daycare.
Although the position was outside the legal field, Valis said she was willing to help wherever she was needed. During the interview, Ken Holland, one of the people meeting with her, asked what she truly wanted to do.
That conversation helped connect her with a local attorney and opened the door for her to begin practicing law in Huntsville.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Valis said.
She later worked with attorney Sam Moak before beginning her seven-year tenure with FCA.
Continuing ministry through legal work
Valis said she wrestled with the decision to leave full-time ministry and return to a law firm. She had previously assisted Smither, Martin & Henderson with probate matters and other contract work when attorney Alvin Lloyd Martin was out of town, giving her an existing relationship with the firm.
Martin and Valis eventually discussed the possibility of her joining the practice.
Valis said her first two estate-planning appointments helped confirm that decision. The clients spent much of their time discussing church, their faith and where they might become connected in the community.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, this is where I’m supposed to be,’” Valis said. “I’ll be doing ministry through my law practice right here.”
Valis said serving others does not have to be limited to a formal ministry position. She views her legal practice as another way to help people through important and sometimes difficult decisions.
“It’s a huge blessing to be able to serve in your community, in your profession, but it almost be like a ministry,” she said.
Valis is also a commissioned minister, writer and children’s book author. On her personal website, she writes about her faith, family, community service and desire to encourage others.
Estate planning and real estate
Valis’ primary areas of practice include estate planning, real estate transactions, probate, oil and gas law and business entities.
She assists clients with wills, powers of attorney, trusts and other estate-planning documents. She also works with deeds, contracts and matters involving the purchase or sale of commercial and residential property.
“My primary focus and what I enjoy most is estate planning,” Valis said. “If people have questions about trusts, we can handle that as well.”
Her business law experience includes helping clients establish partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations and nonprofit organizations.
Valis said the firm also works to connect clients with other qualified professionals when a matter falls outside its areas of practice.
“The great thing about our firm is we’ll try anything once and make sure we can do it right,” she said. “If not, we know a lot of great people in the community we can refer people out to.”
She described estate planning and real estate transactions as the areas in which she is most comfortable.
Building relationships with clients
Valis said one of her favorite parts of practicing in Huntsville is the opportunity to work with people she knows through the community, Sam Houston athletics, FCA, local churches and her service with the city.
Originally from a small town, Valis said Huntsville has provided the same sense of familiarity and connection she experienced growing up in Shiner.
“Ever since we moved here, we have felt that hometown community feel,” she said. “I just feel like family. Everyone’s like family.”
That community connection shapes how she approaches meetings with clients. Valis said estate planning and other legal matters often involve more than drafting documents or completing a transaction.
“What I like the most about it is that I just think the people here are amazing, and the consultations are never transactional,” Valis said. “It’s not like you’re coming into the law office to be interviewed and get some paperwork. We chat, we talk, we talk about life, talk about Huntsville, and everybody has a story.”
Serving as associate municipal judge
Valis also serves as an associate judge for the Huntsville Municipal Court. She was appointed to the position in February 2025 and continues in that role while practicing with Smither, Martin & Henderson.
The City of Huntsville staff directory lists Valis as an associate judge with the municipal court.
Her work as an attorney, judge and community volunteer is part of a broader commitment to service that she also discusses through her writing and ministry work.
“Most of all, I love serving where God calls me to,” Valis writes on her website.
More than a century of local legal service
Smither, Martin & Henderson traces its history to 1919, when Eugene R. Berry opened a law office on the downtown square in Huntsville.
Robert B. Smither joined Berry in 1936 to form Berry and Smither, which continued until Berry’s death in 1968. Lloyd C. Martin joined the practice in 1970, and the firm became known as Smither & Martin.
Several Huntsville attorneys have been associated with the practice since the 1970s. Joe B. Henderson Jr. retired at the end of 2024 after 43 years with the firm, leaving Alvin Lloyd Martin, the grandson of Lloyd C. Martin, as its sole shareholder.
The firm’s listed practice areas include real estate, wills and trusts, probate and business law. Valis’ professional background also includes oil and gas law and the formation of business entities.
Her addition continues the firm’s longstanding work with families, property owners and businesses in Huntsville and the surrounding area.
Contact information
Smither, Martin & Henderson is located at 1224 University Ave. in Huntsville. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and closes for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
For additional information, call 936-295-2624 or visit the Smither, Martin & Henderson website.
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