News From Around the Bar • May 2025

Texas Board of Legal Specialization Certifies New Class, Celebrates 50 Years of Certifications

Above: Texas' newly board-certified attorneys and paralegals were sworn in by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Austin. Photo by Eric Quitugua

The latest group to be certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) was inducted at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin on March 14. Spanning 36 specialty areas, inductees included 206 attorneys and 49 paralegals. “Becoming board-certified in your specialty area, you are providing your clients with the best legal representation around, and you are serving the public interest in advancing the standards of our noble legal profession,” TBLS Executive Director Leo Figueroa said. “There is no doubt that you will fulfill that mission with integrity and dedication.” The ceremony was also a celebration for TBLS, which has been certifying attorneys in Texas for 50 years. TBLS began with only three specialty areas—criminal law, family law, and labor and employment law—with 23 attorneys making up the inaugural class. Among those honored were keynote speaker Gerald Harris Goldstein (criminal law and criminal appellate law) and State Bar of Texas Past President Buck Files (criminal law), who were part of the group of lawyers certified by TBLS in 1975. For more information about TBLS, go to tbls.org.

FRISCO CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CENTER WINS 46TH ANNUAL TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION
The team from Frisco Career and Technical Education Center in Frisco placed first at the 46th annual Texas High School Mock Trial Competition on March 8 at the George Allen Courthouse in Dallas. Frisco will represent the state of Texas at the 2025 National High School Mock Trial Competition May 7-10 in Phoenix, Arizona. Uplift North Hills Preparatory in Irving placed second, and Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet in Dallas finished third. The competition included more than 20 high school teams from across Texas to argue a hypothetical criminal court case written by local attorneys with the Dallas Bar Association (DBA), according to a press release. The DBA has sponsored and coordinated the statewide competition since its inception in the 1970s to teach high school students how the justice system works. In its 46-year history, the Texas High School Mock Trial Competition has featured more than 120,000 participants and has awarded approximately $300,000 in scholarships at the local, regional, and state levels, according to a press release. For more information about the competition, go to texashighschoolmocktrial.com. For more information about the DBA, go to dallasbar.org.

SHARON SANDLE RECEIVES 2025 PAT NESTER INNOVATION IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Sharon Sandle, director of the State Bar of Texas Law Practice Resources Division, is the recipient of the 2025 Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award. This award was established by the State Bar of Texas CLE Committee in 2017 and recognizes an individual whose innovative contributions have substantially advanced continuing legal education in Texas. Under Sandle’s direction, the Law Practice Resources Division comprises the Texas Bar Books legal publishing program, the Law Practice Management Program, and the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator (TOJI). Under her guidance, the division has shifted from traditional publishing to a digital-first approach, including the launch of texasbarpractice.com, a hub for the legal publishing program and practice management resources. Sandle, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, was also instrumental in the early development of TOJI and its transition to a virtual program with a statewide reach.

TEXAS BAR FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2025 AWARD RECIPIENTS
The Texas Bar Foundation (TBF) announced the recipients of its 2025 slate of awards. Each year, the foundation honors those who exemplify the highest standards of the legal profession and are nominated and selected based on their outstanding contributions to the legal field and dedication to justice. This year’s recipients will be recognized at the 2025 Annual TBF Dinner on Friday, June 20, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort, during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. The recipients are as follows: Outstanding 50-Year Lawyer Award: Hon. Diane DeVasto, Tyler; Andrew L. Kerr, San Antonio; Barbara K. Runge, Houston; Hon. Ruby Kless Sondock, Houston; and Luther H. “Luke” Soules III, San Antonio; Dan Rugeley Price Memorial Award: Georganna L. Simpson, Dallas; Lola Wright Foundation Award: Andrew S. Murr, Junction; Outstanding Law Review Article Award: Gus G. Tamborello, Houston; Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award: William H. Ford, San Antonio; Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award: Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann, Supreme Court of Texas, Austin; Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award: Jeffrey S. Levinger, Dallas; and Terry Lee Grantham Memorial Award: Amy M. Stewart, Dallas. For more information about the TBF, go to txbf.org.

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS HONORED BY TEXASBARCLE
Six Texas attorneys were selected as recipients of the Standing Ovation Award from TexasBarCLE. The lawyers were chosen based on their exceptional volunteer contributions to CLE programing in 2024. “TexasBarCLE is grateful to all our volunteers for their dedication to the continuing education of their peers. But every year, a few go above and beyond,” TexasBarCLE Director Hedy Bower said. “These are the folks who are consistently gracious, easy to work with, and willing to step up when it counts. The staff truly appreciates the chance to recognize those who made a real difference—sometimes in ways that saved the day.” The following lawyers were recognized: Cade W. Browning, of Abilene; Elizabeth S. Cantu, of Edinburg; Leigh de la Reza, of Austin; Avery Duke, of Boerne; Philip Mack Furlow, of Lamesa; and Marilyn C. Maloney, of Houston. For more information about TexasBarCLE, go to texasbarcle.com.