Texas Center for Legal Ethics Names 2025 Pope Award Recipient
AUSTIN – The Texas Center for Legal Ethics is proud to announce that Mike Hatchell will receive the 2025 Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award.
Each year, the Texas Center for Legal Ethics presents the Pope Award to a judge or attorney who personifies the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in appellate law. The Pope Award is named for former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope, one of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics’ founders and the first individual to receive the Award in 2009.
An acclaimed appellate attorney, Hatchell serves as appellate counsel at Haynes & Boone in Austin. He has been recognized in successive issues of Texas Lawyer’s “Go-To Guide” as one of the top five appellate lawyers in Texas and has served as lead counsel in over 400 appeals. He is a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, serves on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, and received the Texas Bar Foundation’s 2015 Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award.
A recipient of the Pope Award in 2012, appellate attorney Kevin Dubose noted, “Mike Hatchell is widely regarded as the dean of the Texas appellate bar—not only for his pioneering role when few appellate specialists existed, but for the standard of excellence, craftsmanship, and integrity he has set throughout his career.” Dubose added, “Much of the unique culture of Texas appellate practice stems from having Mike as a role model. As a young lawyer, I watched him speak at CLEs and hoped one day I might grow up to be like Mike Hatchell. I’m still waiting for that to happen.”
Appellate attorney and 2019 Pope Award recipient Charles “Skip” Watson stated of Hatchell, “In my opinion he was and is the finest appellate lawyer in Texas history.” Watson added, “I can only vouch that no one is more worthy of an award named after Jack Pope than Mike Hatchell.”
The Pope Award will be presented to Hatchell at the Annual Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner on Sept. 5 in Austin.
Founded in 1989 by Chief Justice Pope and two other retired Texas Supreme Court chief justices, the Texas Center for Legal Ethics is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. Through educational programs, publications, and other resources, the Center supports lawyers in navigating ethical issues and encourages a culture of integrity and professionalism across the legal community. For more information about the Center, go to LegalEthicsTexas.com.
For more information on Mike Hatchell receiving the Pope Award, please contact Brad Johnson, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics, at brad.johnson@texasbar.com.