Inadmissible: State Bar Elections

It’s not official until January, but a State Bar of Texas subcommittee has chosen two attorneys to recommend as president-elect candidates in 2015. After interviewing five nominees on Dec. 12, the bar’s elections and nominations subcommittee chose Randy Howry and Frank Stevenson as potential candidates. The bar’s board of directors must vote to approve them on Jan. 16, 2015. Howry is a partner in Howry, Breen & Herman, an Austin firm with eight attorneys. He’s a litigator who represents plaintiffs and defendants who is board-certified in personal injury trial law and civil trial law. “The majority of members of our bar are members of a small firm, or they practice on their own, and I think I understand what it’s like for these small-firm and solo practitioner lawyers to get out there and do what they do,” he said. Howry added that as a member of the Texas Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates, he has lobbied the legislature on civil justice bills. He said he’s prepared to help the state bar navigate its review by the Sunset Advisory Commission, which periodically reviews state agencies and recommends changes to the legislature. Stevenson, a partner in Locke Lord in Dallas, also said he has the right experience to take the bar through its sunset review. “We have some challenges involving sort of in some cases a lack of unity within the state bar. We have a number of members who question whether we are responsive or even relevant to their needs, and I think based on past experiences I’ve had in bar leadership, I think I am particularly well suited to address some of those challenges,” Stevenson said. He was the 2012-13 chairman of the bar’s board of directors. Among other things, he represents financial institutions in lending transactions and works with governmental agencies in drafting various agreements. The bar’s subcommittee also interviewed three other nominees: Steve Benesh, partner in Bracewell & Giuliani in Austin; Janna Clarke, of counsel in Broude, Smith & Jennings in Fort Worth; and Dan Micciche, partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Dallas.

Batter Up

Who’s going to bat for plaintiffs and trial lawyers in the 2015 legislative session? The one leading the Texas Trial Lawyers Association in the effort will be Bryan Blevins, 2015 president. Blevins, a partner in the Provost Umphry Law Firm in Beaumont, handles mass tort cases involving asbestos, silica and pharmaceuticals. Among other things, Blevins has represented small businesses with claims against BP for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Blevins’ wingman in the session will be Jeffrey Simon, 2015 president-elect. Simon, founding shareholder of Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett in Dallas, represents plaintiffs in product safety cases. Texas Lawyer spoke with Blevins about leading TTLA in 2015. Here are his answers, edited for style and length.