State Bar of Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT
Lowell Brown, communications division director
State Bar of Texas
800-204, 2222, ext. 1713, or 512-427-1713
lbrown@texasbar.com
State Bar of Texas to honor Austin attorneys during Annual Meeting
AUSTIN — Presentations of awards honoring exceptional service to the public and the legal profession will be a highlight of the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, to be held June 26-27 at the Hilton Austin and Austin Convention Center.
Austin individuals will be among those honored, including:
- Steve Benesh, who will receive a Presidential Citation for his leadership as chair of the 2014 Annual Meeting Committee.
- Suzanne Bryant, Judge Norman W. Black Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas LGBT Law Section
- Allene D. Evans, Distinguished Counselor Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Native American Law Section
- Justice Raul A. Gonzalez Jr., Reynaldo G. Garza Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section
- Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, Sarah T. Hughes Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Tax Section
- Zak Hall, President’s Award of Merit, presented by the Texas Young Lawyers Association
- Clint Harbour, President’s Award of Merit and Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Texas Young Lawyers Association
- Tim Kelly and David Chamberlain, Austin-based members of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, who, along with section representative to the board Michele Wong Krause of Dallas, will receive Presidential Citations for being instrumental in the creation of the Texas Bar Private Insurance Exchange. Through their work on the State Bar of Texas Insurance/Member Benefits Subcommittee, they helped the State Bar realize a longtime goal of creating a multi-carrier private exchange, ensuring that State Bar members, their staffs, and their dependents have access to a wide range of health insurance choices.
- Andrea Marsh, J. Chrys Dougherty Legal Services Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee; and the Impact Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Poverty Law Section
- Toni Nguyen, Justice David Wellington Chew Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section
- Lisa Richardson, of Round Rock, who, along with Joshua Caldwell of McAllen, will jointly receive the State Bar of Texas Presidents’ Award. Caldwell, a board member of Law Focused Education, Inc., and Richardson, a member of the Law Focused Education Committee, were instrumental in implementing the State Bar of Texas civics education program “I was the first. Vote for Me!” in several school districts throughout the Rio Grande Valley and the Williamson County area. With the support of their local bar associations, Richardson and Caldwell conducted classroom presentations, contacted school districts to organize presentations for other attorneys, and served as advisors for attorneys interested in conducting the program.
- Pete Schenkkan, Frank J. Scurlock Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee
- Judge Sam Sparks, Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer, presented by the Texas Bar Foundation
- Shannon Speed, Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Native American Law Section. Speed, of the Chickasaw Nation, received the award for her work on behalf of Indian Country.
- Broadus A. Spivey, a former State Bar of Texas president, who will receive an Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer award, presented by the Texas Bar Foundation
- Christopher Stidvent (Round Rock), Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Award, presented by the Texas Access to Justice Commission
- Terry Tottenham, a former State Bar of Texas president, who will receive a Presidential Citation for his leadership as chair of the State Bar of Texas Task Force on Aging Lawyer Issues.
- Maj. Sergio Tristan (Chief, Military Justice, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard), the Col. Ted E. Bailey Jr. Award for Outstanding Reserve Component Judge Advocate of Texas, presented by the State Bar of Texas Military and Veterans Law Section
- Jay L. Westbrook, Banco Rotto Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Law Section
For more information about the Annual Meeting, visit www.texasbar.com/annualmeeting.
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The State Bar of Texas is an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Texas that provides educational programs for the legal profession and the public, administers the minimum continuing legal education program for attorneys, and manages the attorney discipline system. For more information, visit www.texasbar.com.
