Statewide Day of Civility in the Law

Kim Askew Related Seminars and Products

Partner

K&L Gates

Ms. Askew has extensive experience representing national clients in complex commercial litigation in a variety of industries. She also represents clients in significant employment matters involving claims of race, disability, gender and age discrimination, sexual harassment and in litigation involving business torts, trade secrets, non-compete, and non-solicitation and employment agreements. She has successfully tried cases to non-jury and jury verdicts in state and federal courts around the country, and handled appeals before the Texas Courts of Appeals and the Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals. 
Ms. Askew is a long-time leader in the American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, and Dallas Bar Association. She is a member of the ABA House of Delegates, Past Chair of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association, the first lawyer of color to serve as chair, and previously served on the Board of Directors of ALI-ABA. She is a member of the Council and the Membership Committee of The American Law Institute and has chaired key ALI committees. She chaired the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors in 2003-04 after prior service as chair of the Section of Litigation and the Continuing Legal Education Committee. She is the current Texas State Delegate in the ABA House of Delegates.

Michael K. Hurst Related Seminars and Products

DBA President

Lynn Pinker Cox Hurst

Michael K. Hurst is widely recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the country in large and complex commercial, intellectual property, and employment litigation. Michael is also a prominent leader of The Bar Association and the community, serving as President of the 11,000+ member Dallas Bar Association in 2018. He has extensive courtroom experience and has litigated and tried numerous high profile cases, including breach of contract, fraud, theft of trade secrets, non-compete agreements, partnership disputes, oil and gas, electricity, employment discrimination, tortious interference, and breach of fiduciary duty. Michael is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
A passionate advocate of the preservation of the civil jury trial system, Michael has also handled oil and gas disputes, catastrophic matters, products liability litigation, and class actions. He is a frequent speaker and panelist on topics ranging from trial skills, theft of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duties to energy litigation. 

Hon. Eva Guzman Related Seminars and Products

Justice

Supreme Court of Texas

Justice Eva Guzman has served at three levels of the Texas judiciary. In 2009 she was appointed to serve on the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Rick Perry. She was elected to a full term in November 2010, when she became the first Hispanic woman elected to state-wide office in Texas. Before her appointment, Justice Guzman served for almost a decade on the Houston-based Fourteenth Court of Appeals. She began her judicial service on the 309th District Court in Harris County, after an appointment by then-Governor George W. Bush. Now in her 15th year on the bench, Justice Guzman has consistently received high marks in judicial evaluation polls.
Justice Guzman is the Court's liaison to the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the Texas Access to Justice Commission, responsible for oversight and funding of the state's legal-assistance programs for the poor. She also is Chair of the Supreme Court's Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families. 
Before taking the bench, Justice Guzman enjoyed a successful 10-year career in Houston. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Houston, a law degree from South Texas College and an LL.M. from Duke University School of Law.
Justice Guzman was re-elected in 2016, and her current term expires on December 31, 2022. 

Hon. Royal Furgeson, Jr. Related Seminars and Products

Dean

UNT Dallas College of Law

Royal Furgeson, Jr., United States District Judge, Northern District of Texas, was named as the Founding Dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law in January 2012.
Dean Furgeson is also acting as an arbitrator and mediator in selected cases and is on the FedArb.com roster. He is the former Senior U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. Prior to taking Senior Status, he served in the El Paso, Midland, and San Antonio Divisions of the Western District of Texas. He served as a federal judge for over 18 years.
Furgeson was awarded the 2015 Morris Harrell Professionalism Award from the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism.
A native of Lubbock, Judge Furgeson graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and earned his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law, where he was an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. After law school, he served the U.S. Army for two years, attaining the rank of Captain. Following a tour in Vietnam, he returned to Lubbock as law clerk to the Honorable Halbert O. Woodward.

Hon. Douglas Lang Related Seminars and Products

Justice

Fifth District Court of Appeals

Since October 24, 2002, Justice Lang has served as one of 13 Justices on the Court of Appeals, 5th District of Texas at Dallas. Justice Lang also serves as the sole appellate judge member of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, served as a member of the Texas Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation from 2003 to 2009, and was specially commissioned by the Governor of Texas to sit on a case at the Texas Supreme Court.
He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in May, 1972. Prior to law school, he graduated from Drake University in 1969 with a degree in Business Administration.
Justice Lang has been active in community and bar association activities, serving as President of several associations including the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers in 1977, the Dallas Bar Association in 1991, the Texas Association of Bank Counsel in 1996-97, the Wm. AMac@ Taylor Inn of Court in 1999, the National Conference of Bar Presidents in 2004-05, and the Drake University National Alumni Association from 2002-04. His civic activities have included service as a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, member of the board of governors of The Dallas Foundation, and Boy Scout troop leader.

D. Patrick Long Related Seminars and Products

Partner

ABOTA/Squire Patton Boggs

Pat is a founding partner of the Dallas office, of Squire Patton Boggs. For more than 30 years, Pat has routinely tried major jury trials for a wide range of clients in federal and state courts, and has handled numerous arbitrations. Pat obtained his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and he graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University. He formerly served as Chair of the District Thirteen Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and Past-President of the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Ms. Harriet E. Miers Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Locke Lord LLP

Harriet Miers is a member of our Litigation and Public Policy sections and a former managing partner of Locke Lord. She returned to the Firm in May 2007 after serving in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001-2007 as Staff Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff For Policy, and Counsel to the President. Prior to joining the White House, Ms. Miers had a distinguished career in her commercial litigation practice, representing a broad range of clients in varied industries. She has offices in Dallas and Washington, D.C.

Stephanie Zapata Moore Related Seminars and Products

Executive Vice President/General Counsel

Vistra Energy

As executive vice president and general counsel of Vistra Energy, Moore advises the company’s leadership team on legal, regulatory and corporate governance matters, in addition to overseeing the corporate secretary’s office and leading the company’s legal and compliance team.
Prior to her current role, Moore served as vice president and general counsel of Luminant, a competitive power generation subsidiary of Vistra Energy and its predecessor Energy Future Holdings. Moore’s primary responsibilities included coordination and delivery of all legal services for Luminant, including commercial matters, litigation, environmental advocacy, and regulatory compliance and counseling. In addition, she worked closely with other senior leaders to develop and implement the company’s strategy for addressing numerous environmental, permitting and other regulatory matters, including comments on proposed rulemakings, advocacy before relevant regulatory agencies, and representing the company’s position in litigation and administrative proceedings. She also oversaw contract administration and Luminant’s compliance program.
Prior to joining Luminant in 2005, Moore was an associate at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in the corporate and securities practice group, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions and private securities offerings. She also spent a year in the trial practice group at Gardere, where she represented clients in commercial litigation matters.
Moore received her undergraduate degree in English from Duke University and her law degree from William & Mary School of Law.

S. Theis Rice Related Seminars and Products

Chief Legal Officer

Trinity Industries, Inc.

Mr. Rice began his career at Trinity Industries in 1990 as Environmental Legal Counsel. Since 1990 he has held multiple key positions including Environmental Director, Chief Counsel Business Segments, and Vice President Mergers and Acquisitions. As Vice President Mergers and Acquisitions, he led Trinity's acquisition of four Romanian rail manufacturing and supply /trading companies during Romania's privatization initiative and thereafter moved to Europe to run the newly-acquired businesses. Upon his return from Europe he was appointed by the Board of Directors as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer and was later elected by the Board of Directors as a Senior Vice President of the company, retaining his role as Chief Legal Officer, with additional responsibility for Trinity's safety, environmental, and ethics and compliance departments.
Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Rice was a principal and co-founder of SportsBand Radio Network and served as General Counsel for a Dallas family with interests in mineral exploration and development, natural gas gathering and transmission, real estate, and banking.
Mr. Rice graduated cum laude from South Texas College of Law where he was a published member and Comments Editor of South Texas Law Touma/ and the recipient of two Bancroft-Whitney/Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company awards for excellence in legal studies. Prior to law school he received his BA degree from the University of Texas at Austin and thereafter attended the University of Dallas Graduate School of Business Management.

Hon. Karen Gren Scholer Related Seminars and Products

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

Judge Karen Scholer is the newest judge on the federal bench in the Northern District of Texas, having been confirmed on March 5, 2018.  Judge Scholer is the first Asian American United States district judge to serve in the State of Texas and in the entire Fifth Circuit.  Judge Scholer previously served as a state district judge and was in private practice immediately before taking the federal bench.  

Roy L. Stacy Related Seminars and Products

Founder

Stacy Conder Allen

Roy L. Stacy has been a Texas trial lawyer for more than 40 years. He founded Stacy | Conder | Allen LLP to build a law firm where dedicated attorneys could focus more on the practice of law. The firm he created enjoys a reputation for talented and experienced attorneys who represent clients with the utmost integrity. Most of Roy’s clients have been with him for decades, a testament to his ability to develop valued relationships that truly meet their needs time and again.

Roy’s practice includes all types of insurance defense litigation, commercial litigation and malpractice litigation. He has represented countless insurance carriers and their insureds in state and federal courts across Texas since 1974, as well as several neighboring state courts. He defends companies involved in litigation stemming from trucking and transportation accidents, construction defects and personal injury lawsuits involving claims of negligence or other liability.
He earned his J.D. from Baylor University, where he graduated first in his law school class with honors. While at Baylor, Roy served as Associate Editor of the Baylor Law Review and was a member of the National Moot Court team. Prior to law school, Roy earned his B.A. from Angelo State in 1972, where he majored in Political Science.

Tom Vick Related Seminars and Products

President

State Bar of Texas

G. Thomas Vick Jr. Vick is a partner in Vick Carney LLP in Weatherford. Board certified in family law, he has published dozens of works on various aspects of the law and lectured widely.
Vick chaired the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees in 2013-2014. He served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008 and the Texas Access to Justice Commission from 2006 to 2009. A former mayor of Weatherford, Vick has served as president of both the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists and the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, as a chair of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, and as chair of the Supreme Court Task Force to Expand Legal Services Delivery.
Vick was named the 2008 State Bar of Texas Family Law Section Outstanding Family Lawyer, given the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists Judge Sam Emison Award, and named the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’ Fellow of the Year in 2009. He received presidential citations for service to the State Bar in 2008 and 2012.
Vick received a bachelor’s degree from Austin College in Sherman in 1977 and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1981.

Sandra Waddell Related Seminars and Products

Managing Counsel

Toyota Motor North America, Inc.

Ashley Jones Wright Related Seminars and Products

UNT Dallas College of Law

Ashley Jones Wright, an experienced educator, works as an English teacher at DeSoto High School and is enrolled in the UNT Dallas College of Law evening program. Mrs. Wright has served as a law clerk for the 14th Judicial District Court of Dallas and the Fifth Court of Appeals. During the summer of 2016, Mrs. Wright earned a judicial internship with Hon. Eva Guzman, a Texas Supreme Court Justice. Mrs. Wright is a dedicated leader and holds several officer positions in active student organizations, including immediate pas Advocacy Chair for the Black Law Students Association and Secretary for the Women in Law Student Association. Additionally, Mrs. Wright serves as a Staff Reporter for Accessible Law, published by UNT Dallas Law Review. For her diligent work and dedication to service, Mrs. Wright was awarded the prestigious Sarah T. Hughes scholarship by the Dallas Bar Foundation. As a Sarah T. Hughes scholar, Mrs. Wright received a full tuition scholarship award.

Hon. Carolyn Wright Related Seminars and Products

Chief Justice

Fifth District Court of Appeals

Chief Justice Carolyn Wright was appointed to the position of Chief Justice, 5th District Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, by Governor Rick Perry on November 17, 2009. Chief Justice Wright leads the largest intermediate court in Texas and one of the busiest courts in the nation, with thirteen justices serving six Texas counties. She has authored thousands of legal opinions in cases involving legal issues in every area of Texas law.
Chief Justice Wright’s service as a judge spans over 30 years. She was in the first round of judicial appointees by Governor George W. Bush in his first term of office in 1995. Before her appointment, Judge Wright served as a State District Judge, a Dallas County Associate Judge, and a practicing attorney.
Outside of her commitments to the court, Chief Wright is tireless in her efforts to improve the Texas judicial system. She has actively participated as a member of the faculty or served as a panelist, speaker, mentor, and leader in many judicial, legal, and professional organizations, including the American, National, and Dallas Bar Associations, the National Judicial College, and the Texas Bar Foundation. She is also a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, an active member of her church, and a member of the Executive Women of Dallas, the Links, Inc., and the Summit.
She graduated from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., where she received the Distinguished Alumni Award. She is married to James Sanders.