James E. Coleman Jr. of Carrington Coleman.
Photo: Mark Graham

Prominent Dallas Lawyer Dies at 96

James E. "Jim" Coleman Jr., of the firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, passed away Feb. 22 in Dallas. He was 96. In a career spanning more than six decades, he was a role model and mentor to countless attorneys, a trusted adviser to his clients, a gifted and successful trial lawyer, and a tireless advocate who upheld the legal profession's highest standards.. "I love being a lawyer because the law is the most beautiful thing you can do. It is about helping people," he told Texas Lawbook in a 2013 profile published on the eve of his 90th birthday.

Coleman enlisted in the U.S. Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor, rising to the rank of second lieutenant. As a platoon leader in Gen. George Patton's Third Army, he earned the Silver Star for gallantry in action in the historic march through Europe. Buoyed by the G.I. Bill, he completed his undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech in 1948. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1951, shortly before receiving orders to report for deployment to Korea. Unknown to him at the time, the orders were actually from the Central Intelligence Agency, where he remained until 1953. When he left the agency, he turned down the opportunity to join Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, the Atlanta-based law firm that his father-in-law, William Sutherland, helped to found. He instead opted to move his young family to Texas, joining Carrington, Gowan, Johnson & Walker, and then opening its successor firm, Carrington Coleman on Jan. 1, 1970.

"This profession is better for the simple fact that Jim Coleman had a passion for the law," says Bruce Collins, the firm's managing partner. "We will not see another like him, in terms of his approach to the law and the way he worked with people, in our lifetimes. He was the right person to lead the way for positive change and his example and values will always be this firm's guiding principles."

Attorney Takes Office as 2020 Houston Bar Foundation Chair

Susan L. Bickley of Blank Rome took office as 2020 Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation on February 25, 2020 at the Foundation's annual meeting and luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in Houston. Bickley succeeded Travis Torrence of Shell Oil Company. The Houston Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Houston Bar Association (HBA), provides grants to support pro bono civil legal services for low-income Texans through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers, as well as other community service and education programs. Bickley represents a diverse range of clients at Blank Rome, including publicly held corporations, smaller companies and start-ups, as well as public entities and their officials. Bickley holds several leadership positions within the Blank Rome firm, including being a member of Blank Rome's Executive Committee, the Office Chair for Blank Rome's Houston Office and the leader of the firm's employment practice in the Houston office. In 2019, Bickley received the President's Award from the University of Houston Law Center in recognition of her outstanding commitment, service, and dedication to the UH Law Center students and alumni. In 2010 and 2011, Bickley received the President's Award from the Houston Bar Association for her work with the bar. 

Houston Attorney Promoted to Partner

Intellectual property and technology law firm Patterson + Sheridan has promoted Brooks Tueting to partner in the firm's Houston office. Tueting joined the firm as an associate immediately following graduation from the University of Wyoming College of Law. Tueting focuses on providing patent preparation and prosecution services, litigation support, and portfolio analysis for clients in industries ranging from semiconductors to software and energy to agriculture. Tueting earned his B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from Baylor University in  2009 and his J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2012.

Finance Partners Join Dallas Firm

Prominent finance lawyers Jim Markus and Tim Johnston have joined the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone as partners in the Finance Practice Group. Markus and Johnston join Haynes and Boone from Vinson & Elkins where they were finance partners. Markus and Johnston have spent the bulk of their careers handling complex finance transactions in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, distribution, energy, and electronics. They represent lenders, including international and regional banks, private equity funds and corporate borrowers, and have particular experience handling syndicated and bilateral domestic and cross-border asset-based lending (ABL) transactions and leveraged financings in the commercial and industrial spaces. "We are thrilled to welcome this incredible team. Jim and Tim will bolster our strength, depth and ability to handle all facets of ABL and other types of complex finance transactions," said Neal Kaminsky, chair of Haynes and Boone's Finance Practice Group, in a statement. "Our finance practice is a cornerstone of the firm and has enjoyed significant growth over the past year in Charlotte, New York and other markets. Adding Jim and Tim is an important part of our strategic growth plans for our finance practice."

Firm Adds Attorneys in Houston, Austin and Dallas

Coats Rose, a transactional and litigation law firm focused on development, announced the addition of four attorneys in its Austin, Houston and Dallas offices, bolstering the firm's real estate, public finance, and affordable housing and community development practices.

Melanie Cogburn joins the Austin office as of counsel in the real estate practice. Her practice is focused on general business and real estate litigation, including disputes related to real property and real estate transactions, "business divorce," agent/broker liability, commercial leasing, construction defects, land use, code enforcement, breach of contract, insurance bad faith, DTPA, breach of fiduciary duty, copyright and trademark infringement, theft of trade secrets, and representation of creditors in bankruptcy. She also serves as outside general counsel to clients, negotiating agreements and providing risk management. 

Brandon Collins joins the Houston office as associates in the real estate practice group. His practice focuses on commercial and residential real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, and leases, and real estate development, including restrictive covenant declarations and easement creation, interpretation and enforcement. He has both a lender and borrower's perspective on performing and managing commercial and residential real estate transactions. He regularly advises clients on contractual matters, financing, leasing, title, 1031 tax-free exchanges, mortgage licensing requirements, mortgage servicing compliance, and restrictive covenant issues affecting real estate.

Taheera Randolph joins the Houston office as an associate in the affordable housing and community development practice groups. Randolph has a practice focused on affordable housing, and her experience includes drafting high-stakes legislation for state legislators involving the regulation of real estate transactions, agencies, and personnel; the production and regulation of hemp; banking and finance regulation; corporate governance; state and local government contracting and procurement; data privacy and cybersecurity; state and local pension systems; and state water regulation, including the creation of various types of water districts.

Evan Janc joins the firm's Dallas office as an associate in the public finance practice. His practice is focused on public finance and real estate law, including the creation and administration of special purpose districts throughout Texas, particularly in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He represents clients before various governmental entities, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, cities, counties, and various regional service providers.