79S10376 JTR-D

By:  Jones of Dallas                                              H.R. No. 226



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, DeMetris Sampson of Dallas has been selected as a 
recipient of a 2005 Outstanding Texan Award in the area of 
professional service by the Texas Legislative Black Caucus; and
	WHEREAS, Outstanding Texans are honored for the positive 
impact they make in their communities, and as the first African 
American woman to become a partner in a majority firm in Dallas, Ms. 
Sampson serves as an inspiration and an outstanding role model to 
many; and
	WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Ms. 
Sampson went on to earn advanced law degrees there and at Southern 
Methodist University School of Law before embarking on her richly 
varied legal career, which has included work with the San Antonio 
City Attorney's Office, the Dallas County District Attorney's 
Office, the Committee on Judicial Affairs for the Texas House of 
Representatives, and her current work in private practice as a 
managing partner with the Dallas office of Linebarger Goggan Blair &
 Sampson, LLP; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Sampson's contributions to the community extend 
far beyond her professional life, and she has lent her time and 
talent to a number of worthwhile civic activities, serving on the 
board of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce and co-chairing 
successful bond campaigns for the City of Dallas and the Dallas 
Independent School District; and
	WHEREAS, She has also served on the advisory panel of the 
North Texas Future Fund and the executive committee of The 
University of Texas Law School Alumni Association, and has been a 
member of the Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force since 1987; and
	WHEREAS, Her extensive expertise on the law and lawmaking is 
much sought after by her professional peers, and she has chaired the 
Dallas Bar Association's Legislation Committee and the Political 
Congress of African American Women; a founding member of the Inn of 
Court, she is also a member of the Dallas Bar Foundation and the 
Texas Bar Foundation; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Sampson is the recipient of numerous honors, 
including the Martin Luther King, Jr., Justice Award bestowed by 
the five local bar associations, the Maura Award from the Women's 
Center of Dallas, and The University of Texas Ex-Students 
Association's Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award; and
	WHEREAS, DeMetris Sampson has demonstrated a profound 
commitment to the law and to her community, and her professional 
achievements have produced results of lasting benefit to countless 
Texans; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby honor DeMetris Sampson on 
her receipt of an Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas 
Legislative Black Caucus and extend to her sincere best wishes for 
the future; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Ms. Sampson as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.