Marc Whitehead & Associates partner Britney McDonald named Texas Rising Star for third year

Britney Anne Heath McDonald, a partner at Marc Whitehead & Associates in Houston, has been named to the 2026 Texas Rising Stars list for the third time. The recognition highlights her work representing clients in disability, insurance and benefits disputes nationwide.

Why it matters: - McDonald’s selection underscores demand for legal help in disability and insurance benefit denials, where clients are often facing lost income, medical crises and appeals against large insurers or benefit systems. - The recognition also highlights a Houston attorney whose practice spans federal litigation, veterans benefits and Social Security disability claims nationwide.

What happened: - Britney Anne Heath McDonald, a partner at Marc Whitehead & Associates, was named to the 2026 Texas Rising Stars list. - The honor marks her third year on the list. - McDonald is based in Texas and represents clients nationally in disability insurance and denied-benefit disputes. - Her practice covers ERISA claim disputes, breach of insurance contract claims, bad faith insurance matters, veterans benefit denials and Social Security Disability claims.

The details: - McDonald writes motions and argues cases in federal district courts across the country. - She also advocates for veterans before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. - McDonald has helped recover millions of dollars for clients who had previously been denied compensation. - She became a partner in 2023. - Before that, she served as the firm’s senior managing attorney for the insurance department starting in 2015. - She also spent seven years managing the firm’s veterans disability department. - Her work spans the full life of a claim, from the application process through administrative appeals, negotiations, mediation and federal litigation. - McDonald helps develop appeal and federal-court strategy with the firm’s legal team by reviewing legal research, medical histories, policies and benefit claims. - She earned her Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law and her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in Speech Communications from Baylor University. - McDonald has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 2012. - She is an accredited veterans claims attorney with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a certified mediator.

Between the lines: - The honor reflects a career built around clients who are often outmatched by insurers and government systems. - McDonald said the work matters most when clients are sick, unable to work and worried about what happens next. - Marc Whitehead, founding partner of Marc Whitehead & Associates, said McDonald has grown into a leader who keeps the client at the center of each case. - Her leadership outside the firm includes service with the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, including its Board of Directors and Executive Committee. - Her broader professional memberships include the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, National Organization of Veterans Advocates, National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives and Texas Women Lawyers.

What's next: - McDonald is likely to continue focusing on disability, insurance and benefits disputes in federal courts and veterans tribunals. - Marc Whitehead & Associates continues to represent individuals nationwide in Social Security Disability, long-term disability insurance and veterans’ disability matters. - More information is available at the firm’s website.

The bottom line: - The third straight Texas Rising Stars nod puts McDonald’s client-centered benefits practice in the spotlight as disability and insurance denials remain a high-stakes fight for many families.