85S12230 JGH-D

By: Anderson of McLennan H.R. No. 273

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The law firm of Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, and this milestone is indeed deserving of special recognition; and

WHEREAS, One of the oldest law practices in Texas, the firm was founded in 1917 in Waco, and it has since expanded to encompass offices in Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, allowing it to engage in a broad statewide practice extending all the way from the Red River to the Rio Grande Valley; and

WHEREAS, Today, Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee represents a wide variety of clients in many areas of law, including litigation, business, estate planning, telecommunications, tax, real estate, oil and gas, banking, tax exempt financing, intellectual property, practice before state agencies, labor and employment, and agriculture, as well as the representation of cities and other local governmental entities; and

WHEREAS, Many attorneys from this storied firm have been active in the State Bar of Texas and other professional associations; Cullen Smith and Jim Bowmer have served as presidents of the state bar, Wilford Naman was the chair of the state bar's board of directors, and Mr. Smith and Roy Barrett were each former presidents of the Texas Young Lawyers Association; Hilton H. Howell and Hayes Fuller served as presidents of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, and a number of the firm's attorneys have held membership on the boards of the state bar and the TYLA; moreover, many have held the office of president of their local bar associations; and

WHEREAS, Several members of the firm have established distinguished records in public service; before joining Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee, George Cowden served as a Texas state representative, chair of the State Board of Insurance, and chair of the Public Utility Commission; Jerry "Nub" Donaldson also served in the Texas House of Representatives, and David Sibley served in the Texas Senate; after retiring from the firm, George Chase became an associate justice of the 10th Court of Appeals in Waco; and

WHEREAS, Seven members of Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee have been elected to fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only honor for exceptional attorneys who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality; the firm's lawyers who have received this prestigious recognition are Wilford Naman, Jim Bowmer, Bob Burleson, Louis Muldrow, Roy Barrett, Larry Brady, and Larry Warren; and

WHEREAS, The 44th largest law practice in Texas, Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee was selected in 2015 by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell as one of the nation's Top Ranked Law Firms, a distinction achieved by only about one percent of the nearly 254,000 firms evaluated; and

WHEREAS, The practice's current president, Hayes Fuller, follows in the footsteps of past presidents Cullen Smith, J. Rodney Lee, Albert Witcher, Wesley Filer, and Roy Barrett; Mr. Barrett serves as chairman of the board and is ably assisted by a member-elected executive committee composed of Keith Gamel and Clark Aspy from the Austin office, Charles Mitchell from Fort Worth, Ben Selman and Jordan Mayfield from Waco, and Larry Warren from San Antonio; and

WHEREAS, The lawyers in the firm's Austin office include Clark Aspy, Cliff Blount, Clifton Bowling, Whitney Broadwater, George Cowden, Dennis Donley, Bradley Douglas, Michael Duncan, Keith Gamel, James Howard, Rachel Heckelman, Curt Kurhajec, Jay Lea, David LeBas, Steve Morris, Stephanie Potter, Chris Sayers, J. Baird Smith, and Frank Tuttle; and

WHEREAS, Representing the firm in Fort Worth are Jennifer Andrews, Lindsay Daniel, Grant Liser, Sandra Liser, Charles Mitchell, Shane O'Dell, Ray Palmer, and Jackie Robinson; and

WHEREAS, The legal staff in the San Antonio office includes Georgina Buckley, Mark Cooper, J. Mark Craun, Erik Krudop, J. K. Leonard, Averie Maldonado, Mike Myers, Steve Navarro, David Ortega, James Parker, Karl T. Rivas, Andrew Stamper, and Larry Warren; and

WHEREAS, The practice's original office in Waco is represented by Jeff Armstrong, Roy Barrett, Charles Barrow, Nick Bray, Jerry Campbell, Cara Chase, Andrew Clark, Wesley Filer, Hayes Fuller, Kerry Haliburton, John Hawkins, Trenton Hood, Paul Hubbard, Kyle Knas, Robert Little, Jordan Mayfield, Nancy Morrison, Kristen Mynar, John Palmer, Lindsey Philpott, Neal Pirkle, Dan Pleitz, Andy Powell, Jeanine Rispoli, Joe Rivera, Stephanie Schwab, Ben Selman, Laura Swann, Cullen Smith, Tod Swann, Vicky Trompler, and Albert Witcher; and

WHEREAS, Since its inception, Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee has rendered vital service to its clients throughout the Lone Star State, and its current partners and associates may indeed take pride in the legacy of legal excellence that has been built by the firm over the course of the past century; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee on its centennial and extend to all those associated with the firm sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the firm as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.