Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award
Call for Nominations: 2024 Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award
The Texas Center for Legal Ethics is now accepting nominations for the 16th annual Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. The Award is presented to an appellate lawyer or judge who epitomize the highest level of professionalism and integrity.
The Award honors one of the Center’s three founders, former Chief Justice Jack Pope, who was the recipient of the inaugural Award in 2009. Both active and retired lawyers and judges are eligible. The 2024 Pope Award will be presented at the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner in September.
Nominations should include a one-page explanation of the nominee’s qualifications as well as a bio or C.V.
Deadline for nominations: May 1, 2024.
Send nominations to:
Jonathan Smaby
Texas Center for Legal Ethics
1414 Colorado, 4th Floor
Austin, TX 78701
info@legalethicstexas.com
Previous Pope Award Recipients
2023
Steven K. Hayes a highly respected appellate practitioner from Fort Worth.
2022
Lynne Liberato An acclaimed appellate lawyer, Liberato is Senior Counsel at Haynes and Boone in Houston. She is a former President of the State Bar of Texas and was the first woman to serve as President of the Houston Bar Association.
2021
Chief Justice Ann Crawford McClure of the El Paso Court of Appeals will received the 2021 Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. She served on the committee that drafted the Texas Standards for Appellate Conduct, the first set of ethical guidelines in the United States that applied specifically to appellate lawyers. She was the only sitting appellate justice on that committee and played an active role in the drafting process. Under her leadership, the El Paso Court of Appeals was the first court to adopt the Standards, and she authored the first appellate opinion to cite the Standards.
2020
Reagan W. Simpson is an appellate attorney with Yetter Coleman in Houston and a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He received the 2020 Greg Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation. He was named Houston Appellate Lawyer of the Year in 2010 and 2016 and Austin Appellate Lawyer of the Year in 2013 by Best Lawyers in America.
2019
Charles "Skip" Watson is an appellate attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Austin. A Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, he chaired the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section committee that drafted the Texas Standards of Appellate Conduct. Watson also serves on the Texas Supreme Court’s Rules Advisory Committee.
Pictured above are (left to right) Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Skip Watson, and Judge Irma Ramirez.
2018
David Keltner, who served as a justice on the Fort Worth Court of Appeals from 1986 to 1990, is currently an appellate attorney with Kelly Hart & Hallman in Fort Worth. He is one of the original drafters of the Texas Lawyer’s Creed, and he worked with Chief Justice Pope in 1984 to enact the State Bar of Texas’ new disciplinary procedure rules.
Pictured above are (left to right) Jonathan Smaby, David Keltner and Chief Justice Nathan Hecht.
2017
Chief Justice Carolyn Wright was appointed as Chief Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals 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.
Pictured above are (left to right) Jonathan Smaby, Chief Justice Carolyn Wright and Chief Justice Nathan Hecht.
2016
William J. Chriss practices in the Corpus Christi office of San Antonio-based Gravely & Pearson, L.L.P., and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is the author of the acclaimed book The Noble Lawyer, which examines the history and current state of the legal profession.
Pictured above are (left to right) Jonathan Smaby, William Chriss and Chief Justice Nathan Hecht.
2015
Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod was appointed to the 5th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2007 by President George W. Bush. Prior to her appointment, she served as Judge of the 190th District Court in Harris County after previously practicing law at Baker Botts in Houston.
Pictured above are (left to right) Jonathan Smaby, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Brent Rosenthal and Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod
2014
Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 2001 by Gov. Rick Perry before being elevated to Chief Justice in 2004. He worked to increase openness of the judiciary and improve access to justice for the poor while serving as a strong advocate for the judicial branch before the Texas Legislature.
Pictured above are (left to right) Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Patti Gearhart Turner, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics
2013
Judge Patrick Higginbotham was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in 1982 following a distinguished career as a Dallas attorney and federal district judge. The founder and namesake of the Patrick Higginbotham Inn of Court, Judge Higginbotham has earned extensive praise throughout his career based on his integrity and commitment to improving the legal profession.
Nina Cortell is an attorney at Haynes and Boones in Dallas. She is a longtime leader in the Dallas legal community and the recipient of many accolades from her peers. A widely respected appellate attorney; she has been a leader on issues affecting women lawyers for more than 30 years.
Pictured above are (left to right) Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, Nina Cortell, Jonathan Smaby, Judge Patrick Higginbotham and Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod
2012
Justice Harriet O'Neill served with distinction on the Supreme Court of Texas from 1998 until she retired in 2010. She has long been a champion for pro bono representation of low-income victims of domestic violence in Texas. She founded the Law Office of Harriet O’Neill in Austin, where her practice includes business, personal injury and commercial litigation, and the mediation of complex legal disputes. She frequently writes and lectures for continuing legal education programs.
Kevin Dubose, a Houston-based appellate attorney, conceptualized, initiated, and executed a project that culminated in the creation of the landmark Standards for Appellate Conduct, which, in 1999, became the first set of ethical standards tailored to appellate practice adopted by any jurisdiction in the United States. Mr. Dubose, a partner at Alexander Dubose & Townsend LLP, frequently instructs and writes on a variety of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) subjects, including how lawyers can maintain a healthy work/life balance; advice on improving legal professionalism and ethics; and ways to improve clarity and effectiveness in legal writing.
From left are former Justice Harriet O'Neill; former Chief Justice Jack Pope; and Kevin Dubose
2011
William Hilgers is an attorney at the Austin law firm of Hilgers & Langham, where he practices estate planning, probate, business transactions, taxation, and nonprofit formation. He previously served as chairman of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and the Texas Bar Foundation. In 1989, he was instrumental in the founding of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and served as chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Judge Will Garwood was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 after serving as an associate justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Garwood was in private practice for 20 years and served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps after law school. He also served as a law clerk to Judge John R. Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
From left are Charlie Wilson, former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics; William Hilgers; former Chief Justice Jack Pope; Judge Will Garwood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and Jonathan Smaby, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.
2010
Lloyd Lochridge practices law in Austin with the firm McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, where he has been a member since 1959. He has a long record of service to the Bar, including serving as the President of the State Bar from 1974-75. Prior to moving to Austin, Mr. Lochridge practiced in Mission, Texas and throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley. He served with United States Navy from 1941-1945. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Judge Thomas Reavley is a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was appointed to the Fifth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Prior to that, he served as an Associate Justice on the Texas Supreme Court from 1968 to 1977 and was Texas Secretary of State from 1955 to 1957. Judge Reavley has served as a prosecutor and adjunct professor and lecturer at a variety of law schools, including the University of Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech. He is a graduate of the University of Texas and Harvard Law School.
From left are Jonathan Smaby, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics; Lloyd Lochridge; former Chief Justice Jack Pope; Judge Thomas Reavley of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and Charlie Wilson, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.
2009
Justice Jack Pope, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, pioneered the promulgation of the judicial canons of ethics in Texas and – along with former Chief Justices Robert Calvert and Joe Greenhlill – founded the Texas Center for Legal Ethics in 1989. He served as a trial judge in Corpus Christi from 1946-1950, as a Justice on the 4th Court of Appeals from 1951-1964, as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from 1964-1982, and as Chief Justice of the from 1982 until his retirement in 1985. As a distinguished Texas lawyer and then as a legendary trial and appellate judge, Jack Pope exemplified the highest standards of professional ethics.
From left are Bill Chriss, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics; former Chief Justice Jack Pope; Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson; and Kelly Frels, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.