FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2022
Contact: Bambi Hall
Public Affairs Director, State Bar of Texas
(512) 427-1706 or (800) 204-2222 (toll free)
bhall@texasbar.com
State Bar of Texas announces candidates for 2023-2024 president-elect
AUSTIN—Today, at its quarterly board meeting, the State Bar of Texas voted to approve Jerry Alexander and W. Stephen Benesh as candidates for 2023-2024 president-elect.
Alexander and Benesh will appear on the ballot in April 2023 along with any certified petition candidates. Presently there are no additional president-elect candidates, although members have until March 1 to submit their nominating petitions to the State Bar for certification.
Alexander, a graduate of Southern Methodist University for his bachelor’s and law degrees, is a 50-year lawyer who began his career at Passman & Jones in Dallas as a court runner and law clerk. He has served as the firm’s president since 1998 and his practice focuses on commercial litigation, bankruptcy, antitrust, trade secrets, and aviation law.
Alexander started early in his career as an active member of the Dallas Bar Association working on several committees and became its 107th president in 2016. He has served as State Bar of Texas (SBOT) director of District 6, Place 3 (2017-2020) and was SBOT board chair in 2019-2020. This year, he received the SBOT President’s Award “In Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions through Distinguished Service to the Lawyers of Texas.”
During his career, Alexander has earned many accolades, including an AV Preeminent 5.0 rating from Martindale Hubbell, being named to Texas Monthly “Super Lawyers” and D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” lists.
Benesh, who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, is a 35-year lawyer and has spent his entire legal career at Bracewell LLP, becoming a partner in 1995. A frequent author and lecturer on legal topics, his practice is focused on business litigation and commercial disputes.
Benesh began his service to the profession over 20 years ago as a member of the Austin Bar Association, culminating in his service as Austin Bar president in 2006-2007. Thereafter, he served on the SBOT Board of Directors from 2008 to 2011, and chaired the SBOT Annual Meeting in 2014, for which he received a Presidential Citation. Since 2017, Benesh has served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Bar Foundation, currently serving as its chair-elect.
For over 15 years, Benesh has been repeatedly honored by several ranking services, including Best Lawyers in America, Legal 500 and Super Lawyers. He has been named “Austin Lawyer of the Year” in his area of specialty by Best Lawyers three times (2014, 2016, 2022) and has twice received the Austin Bar’s President’s Award for Outstanding Service. He is rated “AV Preeminent.”
Alexander and Benesh were recommended to the board by the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee, which interviewed nine potential nominees. This year, the subcommittee considered candidates from any county in the state, in compliance with State Bar rules.
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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, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @statebaroftexas, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/statebaroftexas, or visit texasbar.com.
