State Bar Director Spotlight • April 2025
Aaron Z. Tobin
Hometown: Paris, Texas
Position: Member in Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton
Nerenberg in Dallas
Board Member: District 6, Place 1 Since 2022
Interview by Will Korn
Photo courtesy of Aaron Z. Tobin
I probably decided that i wanted to be a lawyer for sure my sophomore year of college, but it was a dream that started in high school when a local lawyer, Hon. Scott McDowell, took me under his wing. He allowed me to go to court with him once a week and to shadow him in the office so that I saw the everyday side of the practice. I still remember a few of our conversations some 30 years later. He would talk to me about representing the unpopular defendant and civility in the courtroom. He later became a judge, and I once had the privilege of appearing in front of him. It is amazing the mark it can leave when a leader like Judge McDowell takes an interest in a young person.
I enjoy learning about finance and strategic issues for businesses. It really allows me to get to know a client and their business and partner with them for many years. As far as trial law, I played competitive sports growing up. The courtroom allows me to remain competitive, fight for clients who need an advocate, and do it all without spraining a hamstring.
I have been involved with serving the bar at the local level for over 20 years. I very much enjoy bar work and spending time trying to assist lawyers. I really wanted to learn more about our State Bar and serve at the state level. A number of lawyers that I truly respect have served at the state level and encouraged me to follow the same path. I am very glad I took the advice. I have a deeper appreciation for our State Bar and have had the opportunity to make many meaningful relationships with practitioners from other parts of the state.
I have a greater appreciation for our State Bar, but I would not say my service has necessarily changed my perception. I have always felt lawyers are good people who do good things for their clients and the community. My experience on the State Bar board has reinforced this belief.
As a State Bar of Texas Director, you are an ambassador and it is important for you to spread the word about all the good work the State Bar is doing. Yes, we serve at the state level, but we also serve a district. It is important to stay active at the local level so that you can listen to the important needs of the local practitioners and educate them on what the State Bar is doing to address those needs.
Attorney wellness is one of the top issues our profession faces today. We have to continue down a path of research and study to find the most effective tools to assist our lawyers. The demand on our practitioners’ time has never been greater, and it is only getting worse with society’s growing dependency on instant and ubiquitous communication. The pressure of the practice is only intensifying. Finding meaningful outlets and resources for our practitioners to cope with the growing demands of the practice has to be a top priority.
To do this job well, you have to put in a lot of time, so you might as well find a subject you like and people you enjoy doing it with. My first teacher, Dennis Sullivan, taught me that. He took his craft very seriously, but he kept the office light often poking fun at each other’s sports or collegiate allegiances. To this day, I look for people to join our team that have like interests and are good cultural fits. I am fortunate to be on a team with people that I not only respect professionally, but that I genuinely enjoy spending time with.
