Memorials
Submit a memorial at texasbar.com/memorials or call (512) 427-1830. For information on closing a deceased attorney’s practice, go to www.texasbarcle.com/materials/closingapractice.html.
Richard F. Martin
Martin, 70, of Richardson, died June
24, 2017. He served in the U.S. Navy and Reserves from 1964 to 1974.
Martin received his law degree from Southern Methodist University School
of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1974. He was an associate of
Chancellor & Wood in Dallas from 1974 to 1977; a partner in
Chancellor, Wood & Martin in Dallas from 1977 to 1985 and in private
practice or managing partner with associates in Dallas from 1985 through
2014. Martin was an active member of St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church in
Richardson, where he served as an elder, trustee, captain of an ushering
team, and in many other positions. He was a certified Dallas County
Master Gardener and worked on numerous projects within the organization.
Martin is survived by his wife of 49 years, Clare Martin; sons,
Christopher R. Martin and Eric J. Martin; brothers, John Martin and Les
Martin; and one grandchild.
Natalie Stewart
Cortez
Cortez, 40, of Dallas, died
January 10, 2018. She received her law degree from Stanford Law School
and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 2009. Cortez was admitted to the
Virginia Bar in 2002 and the District of Columbia Bar in 2003. She was
an associate of Powell Goldstein in Washington, D.C., from 2002 to 2007;
an associate of Sayles Werbner in Dallas from 2008 to 2012; and an
associate of Priest Johnson in Dallas from 2012 to 2013. Cortez is
survived by her husband of 14 years, Nathan Cortez; son, Hugo Cortez;
daughter, Mia Cortez; father, Randy Stewart; mother, Nancy Stewart;
brothers, Trey Stewart and Nick Stewart; and sister, Carmen Clipper.
Donald Ross Patterson
Patterson, 78, of Tyler, died
October 10, 2017. He received his law degree from the University of
Texas School of Law, his LLM from Southern Methodist University School
of Law, and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1964. Patterson served in
the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1965 to 1982. He was
in private practice in Tyler from 1982 to 2009 and an attorney in the
immigration law section of a Tyler firm from 2009 to 2012. Patterson was
a member of the Texas Bar College and certified in immigration law by
the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The highlight of his career was
arguing Miller v. Albright before the U.S. Supreme Court in
1997. Patterson was an honest lawyer and admired by all. He enjoyed
photography, model railroading, and collecting fountain pens and
watches. Patterson is survived by his wife of 52 years, Peggy Ann
Patterson; sons, D. Ross Patterson and Jerome Ashley Patterson;
daughter, Gretchen Anne Patterson Lees; brother, W. Wayne Patterson; and
eight grandchildren.
Michelle Leek Sutton
Sutton, 49, of Rockwall, died
November 28, 2016. She received her law degree from the University of
Tulsa College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 2000. Sutton
was an assistant district attorney in the Kaufman County District
Attorney’s Office, an associate judge and special sitting judge on
Dallas County Probate Court No. 3, a Dallas County Probate Courts
investigator/guardianship attorney, and a solo practitioner with Sutton
Law Offices. She is survived by her husband of 18 years, Rob Sutton;
daughters, Mary Ann Sutton and Monica Lynn Sutton; father, Len Leek;
mother, Patricia Leek; brother, Brian Leek; and sister, Monica Leek.
Merle Richard Flagg
Flagg, 88, of Frisco, died
January 14, 2018. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
Flagg received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law
and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1956. He was an assistant district
attorney with Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade; an attorney
with Gilliland, Cates & Flagg; and with Flagg Law Corporation from
1980 to 2015. Flagg served on the Dallas Bar Association Fee Disputes
Committee and was a practicing certified public accountant and a
lifetime member of the Texas Society of CPAs. He was a man of deep faith
and integrity, serving as chairman of deacons and choir president at
First Baptist Dallas. Flagg enjoyed traveling the country with his wife
in their motorhome. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lottie Lee
Flagg; sons, Mark Flagg, attorney Neal Flagg, and attorney Brett Flagg;
nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Lawrence
A. Melcher
Melcher, 92, of Lubbock, died
January 20, 2018. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 and in
the Reserves from 1947 to 1955. Melcher received his law degree from the
University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1950. He was a solo practitioner in Lubbock from 1950 to 2013. Melcher
was dually appointed and qualified as an attorney and counselor of the
U.S. Supreme Court. He owned and operated land in Hall County, where he
raised cotton, alfalfa, and cattle. Melcher is survived by his
daughters, Melynie M. Greaser and Mellisa M. Talley; brother, Robert
Melcher; sister, Margaret McWilliams; four grandchildren; and five
great-grandchildren.
Emily Inin Burnett
Burnett, 32, of Durham, North
Carolina, died November 23, 2016. She received her law degree from the
University of North Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the Texas
Bar in 2012. Burnett was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2015 and
to the New York State Bar in 2014. She was an intern in the Office of
the Tribal Prosecutor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in
Cherokee, North Carolina, from May to August 2011; a defense counsel for
juveniles as a certified law student at the Juvenile Justice Clinic in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from August to December 2011; a law clerk
to Judge J. Scott Hacker, of the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Court for
the Southern District of Texas (Laredo Division), from August 2012 to
August 2013, to Judge Mary Lou Robinson, of the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Texas (Amarillo Division), from August 2013 to
August 2014, and at the Massachusetts Superior Court in Boston and New
Bedford from September 2014 to September 2015. Burnett had a drive to
help those in need and for animal rescue. She will be remembered for her
intelligent wit and kindness. Burnett is survived by her father, Bruce
K. Burnett; mother, Gail L. Burnett; brothers, Michael J. Burnett and
Iain C. Burnett; half-brother, Ryan Burnett; and half-sister, Ashley
Burnett. Contributions to the Emily’s Light Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
would be greatly appreciated.
Eddie Mack Tubb
Tubb, 77, of Spring, died January
15, 2018. He received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma
College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1969. Tubb was a
partner in Tubb, Lowder & Easterwood in Hereford from 1969 to 1971
and a partner in Tubb & Easterwood in Hereford from 1971 to 1986. He
enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golf. Tubb is survived by his wife of 52
years, Melissa; daughters, Penny Tubb and Libby Tubb Garavito; brother,
Joe Tubb; and four grandchildren.
Bernard B. Athey Jr.
Athey, 86, of Dallas, died January 6,
2018. He served in the U.S. Army from October 1953 to October 1956.
Athey received his law degree from South Texas College of Law and was
admitted to the Texas Bar in 1962. He was an attorney for Vinson &
Elkins in Houston and London, England, United Kingdom, from 1971 to
1978. Athey helped open the Vinson & Elkins London office and worked
there from 1972 to 1977. He was an attorney for Looper, Reed &
McGraw in Houston from 1978 to 2003 and of counsel to Looper, Reed &
McGraw in Dallas from 2003 to 2013. Athey was certified in oil and gas
law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, received an Outstanding
50-Year Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation in 2012, and was a
member of Delta Theta Phi law fraternity. He had a lifelong love of
hunting, was an avid skeet shooter, and was a dedicated swimmer. Athey
is survived by his wife of 57 years, Shirley Athey; son, David Athey;
daughters, Barbara Romano and Sarah Buchanan; brothers, William Athey
and John Athey; and five grandchildren.
Susan K. Knoll
Knoll, 58, of Houston, died January 24,
2018. She received her law degree from the South Texas College of Law
and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1988. Knoll worked at Arnold, White
& Durkee, which later became Howrey, from 1988 to 2008; McDermott
Will & Emery from 2009 to 2010; and Wong Cabello Lutsch Rutherford
from 2012 to 2015. She was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme
Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and was
admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Knoll is survived by
her life partner, Dan Liebman; father, LeRoy Knoll; and sisters, Lee Ann
Jones, Kara Reynolds, and Teresa Darnell.
John Hess
McElhaney
McElhaney, 83, of Dallas, died
January 27, 2018. He received his law degree from Southern Methodist
University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1958.
McElhaney was a partner in Turner, Rodgers, Winn, Scurlock & Sailers
from 1958 to 1976 and in Locke, Purnell, Boren, Laney & Neely (now
Locke Lord) from 1976 to 2016. He was elected to the American College of
Trial Lawyers, served in several leadership capacities for the American
Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas, and received the SMU Dedman
School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. McElhaney enjoyed
scuba diving trips to remote locations, biking through New England to
see fall foliage, and exploring Europe by riverboat. He is survived by
his wife of almost 56 years, Jackie McElhaney; son, Scott M. McElhaney;
daughter, Victoria McElhaney Benedict; and four grandchildren.
Leland A. Sebastian
Sebastian, 88, of San Antonio, died
October 30, 2017. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
Sebastian received his law degree from the George Washington University
Law School and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1986. He worked as a
patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and as a
volunteer attorney in legal aid, helping with immigration amnesty
programs. Sebastian also worked for many years as a court-appointed
attorney in criminal juvenile defense and adult criminal defense. He
enjoyed reading and traveling and was known for his desire to always
help others. Sebastian is survived by his wife of 42 years, Maria
Carmen, and his sister, Ludeen Duck.TBJ
