Byron Egan, with Jackson Walker.

After graduating with his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas, Egan served as a law clerk for Judge Irving L. Goldberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit before going on to practice corporate law. In the past 50 years, he has established his position as a preeminent lawyer in the field of corporate law. Egan has authored a treatise, “Egan on Entities: Corporations, Partnerships & Limited Liability Companies in Texas,” the second edition of which was published in 2018. Egan is the only person ever to win the Burton Award for Excellence in Legal Writing four times.

The legal profession is constantly evolving and that evolution only seems to have accelerated in recent years. What's the biggest change you've seen in the profession during your career?

Technology has entered the legal profession and is increasingly disruptive, often in good ways. Lawyers are now able to do many word processing, research, and other tasks on their own. This results in less need for legal assistants, law libraries with volumes of books, and file space to store voluminous papers. The paperless environment accelerates the speed with which lawyers can, and their clients expect them to, deliver quality content to clients. This trend is accelerating.

What is one thing about the profession that has remained unchanged over the years?

Lawyers must be attentive to the needs of their clients, listen to them, and respond professionally.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone entering into the profession that you wish you had as a young lawyer?

Listen to your clients and colleagues. Recognize that the law is a demanding mistress and be ­prepared to spend the time needed to be ­excellent.