Historical Public Servants Hon. Hortense Sparks Ward

Legendary Lawyers

hon. hortense sparks Ward: a texas trailblazer for equality and suffrage –By David Furlow and Elizabeth Furlow

Hortense Sparks Ward is a with the support of Democratic Party officials, was the first woman household name in our to register to vote in Harris County. family. As a father and a Texas was the first Southern state to ratify the 19th Amendment daughter, we have both been to the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Secretary of State certified the

inspired by Ward’s example as an attorney who fought for justice and equal rights. Ward was a Texas attorney who blazed a trail for others to follow. She was the first woman in Texas to pass the bar exam, in 1910, and she was one of the first woman members of the State Bar.

Ward drafted a bill to protect the property rights of women who acquired income, then successfully lobbied the Texas Legislature for its enactment.1 She served as Special Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court’s “All Woman-Court” in 1925, the first all-female panel of a state supreme court.2 But Ward’s greatest victories occurred between 1915 and 1920 during the struggle to enfranchise Texas’s women voters.

Ward led the successful campaign for ratification of a federal constitutional amendment to grant Texas women the right to vote. As president of the Houston Equal Suffrage Association, Ward also successfully lobbied Texas Governor William P. Hobby and the Legislature to pass a bill in 1918 that authorized women to vote in primary elections. Ward published newspaper articles and a pamphlet, “Instructions for Women Voters,” that helped convince nearly 386,000 women to register to vote in just 17 days during 1918. To honor her instrumental role in mobilizing women’s suffrage, Ward, “Mr. Bracewell, I am running for office, and I need your advice.”

These words were repeated many times by aspiring politicians who passed my office in Pennzoil Place on their way to Searcy Bracewell’s point conference room seeking his guidance, and hoping to receive his blessing. Searcy was Harris County’s sole state senator for ten years when state law limited any county to a single senator. He was also a frequent participant with other Houston leaders in Lamar Hotel Suite 8-F meetings.1

Searcy came by his legal and political interests naturally. His amendment’s ratification on August 26, 1920. After winning the battle for women’s suffrage in Texas, Ward and her law partner husband, William Henry Ward, filed a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the new poll tax law the Legislature had just enacted. The Wards recruited a well-respected plaintiff and filed a mandamus action in accord with the Texas Constitution. The Wards’ victory opened doors to voters of every race and gender, ultimately

enabling all citizens to vote as equals.3 David A. Furlow, attorney and historian, serves as Editor Emeritus of The Journal of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society. Elizabeth Furlow is a litigation associate at Baker Botts L.L.P. She is the Off the Record Editor of The Houston Lawyer.

endnotes

1. JAMES L. HALEY, A NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT, 1836–1986 146, 168, 278 (2013). 2. See Barbara Karkabi, Judge O’Connor’s Nomination Reminds Us: Once Texas Had an All-Woman

Supreme Court!, HOUS. CHRON., July 13, 1981, at 6; LINDA C. HUNSAKER, FAMILY RE-

MEMBRANCES AND THE LEGACY OF CHIEF JUSTICE HORTENSE SPARKS WArd, 4

J. TEX. SUP. CT. HIST. SOC’Y 51–61 (2015), http://texascourthistory.org/Content/Newsletters//TSCHS%20Journal%20Summer%202015.pdf; Debbie Mauldin Cottrell, All-Woman Supreme Court, TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASS’N, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ entries/all-woman-supreme-court. 3. Despite Ward’s efforts, people of color continued to face significant obstacles in exercising their right in the years that followed. See, e.g., Jen Rice, How Texas Prevented Black Women from Voting Decades after the 19th Amendment, HOUS. PUBLIC MEDIA (June 28, 2019, 12:30

PM), https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/in-depth/2019/06/28/338050/100years-ago-with-womens-suffrage-black-women-in-texas-didnt-get-the-right-to-vote/. The

the bracewells: a Lineage of Political and Community engagement

–By Kelly Frels

authors hope Ward’s work will inspire readers to keep up the efforts for positive change. father, J. S. Bracewell, was a notable trial lawyer known for his oratory skills, especially in jury arguments. As youngsters, Searcy and his brother Fentress, on summer days, would listen to their father’s jury arguments through open windows of the Harris County Courthouse.

The racial prejudices and hatred displayed by the Ku Klux Klan and the White Men’s Union that J. S. Bracewell encountered on juries when representing African-American clients led him in 1922 to run for Harris County Criminal District Attorney as the anti-Klan candidate. While he lost that election, his campaign helped bring change. Popular among Houston lawyers, J. S. was elected to serve as the president for the Houston Bar Association in 1939.

Searcy Bracewell spent many hours visiting with us younger lawyers about life and lawyering. Listening to others and understanding their views on issues was a key message we received in these

sessions. Searcy’s listening and capacity to find solutions were personal traits that won him acclaim from his fellow lawmakers and lawyers. He certainly knew how to tell stories—especially about his exploits while serving on General George Patton’s staff in Europe. One adventure for General Patton required him to return to England and replenish the General’s supply of bourbon. When Searcy returned to France with the bounty, the 3rd Army had advanced so far it took days of travel plus much explaining to military officials why he had so much whiskey.

After graduating from Texas A&M, Searcy worked in his father’s law office while studying law at Houston Law School, which was established by Houston lawyers in 1912 and closed with the advent of World War II. When Searcy returned from Army service in Europe and Fentress returned from Naval service in the Pacific, they joined their father J. S. and trial lawyer Burt H. Tunks in 1945 to form a new law firm, Bracewell & Tunks. November 1, 1945, marked the beginning of today’s Bracewell LLP, which will be celebrating its 75th Anniversary virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much like the Houston Bar Association is celebrating its 150th Anniversary virtually.

Searcy began his 12-year stint in the Texas Legislature two years after the war, serving in the House of Representatives for two years, then in the Senate for ten years where he sponsored legislation that helped in the development of the Texas Medical Center, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Fentress Bracewell was Bracewell’s first Managing Partner and was appointed to the Port of Houston Commission. Fentress served as the Chairman of the Port Commission from 1970 to 1985 and was instrumental in developing the Barbours Cut Container Terminal which bears his name.2

Searcy, J. S., and Fentress Bracewell lived lives of community service that have served as examples for all of us who followed. Bracewell lawyers learned from being a part of the founders’ life experiences that we can enjoy a family life, coach our children’s sports teams, be involved in religious pursuits, engage in political activities, become integral participants in community and charitable organizations and participate in bar activities. Thank you, Searcy, J. S., and Fentress.

Kelly Frels, a retired partner of Bracewell LLP and now of counsel, joined the firm in 1970 and served as its managing partner from 1995–2001. Frels, who served as president of the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas, is a recognized national leader in representing school districts and colleges.

endnotes

1. See Harry Hurt III, The Most Powerful Texans, TEX. MONTHLY, April 1976, https:// www.texasmonthly.com/politics/the-most-powerful-texans/ (“These men, who became known to themselves and to other prominent people as the ‘8F Crowd,’ called the shots on most major business and political developments in Texas during the Thirties,

Forties, Fifties, and much of the Sixties.”). 2. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal is “one of the premier container-handling facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico” and was completed in 1977. Port of Houston, Barbours

Cut Container Terminal, https://porthouston.com/container-terminals/barbours-cutcontainer-terminal/ (last visited Sept. 21, 2020).

David t. searls: an inspiration to Me and others

David Searls was one of the greatest trial lawyers in the nation. In the 1960s, the federal government pursued an aggressive antitrust policy against mergers and acquisitions to limit economic concentration, particularly in the energy industry. Searls defended major government antitrust cases in Albuquerque, Chicago, Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, and New York. His eminence in the profession was recognized when Searls became the first lawyer from Texas to chair the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section.

Searls played a critical leadership role in the development of Vinson & Elkins into a major international firm. He had left Vinson & Elkins to become general counsel of Gulf Oil Corporation. He was persuaded to return, and the firm name was changed to Vinson, Elkins, Weems & Searls.

Judge James A. Elkins had run both Vinson & Elkins and First City National Bank since they were formed. In his last years however, Judge Elkins shifted his attention away from the law firm to concentrate on growing the bank.

The firm had come to a critical crossroads. No new partners had been made in over five years, and the firm did not recruit on a systematic basis at law schools. With Searls’s leadership, the firm made partners again and created an orderly system to make partners on an annual basis. Through contacts at the University of Texas School of Law (“Texas Law”), the firm was –By Harry Reasoner able to recruit a substantial percentage of the top students of the Texas Law Class of 1963. That group was then given leadership roles in recruiting systematically for future classes.

Searls’s leadership instilled values that serve Vinson & Elkins well today. I was fortunate to begin my career working with him. He made clear at the outset that I was to tell him exactly what I thought, not what I thought he wanted to hear. In my first trial with him, we disagreed on how a legal motion should be argued. He did it his way. I said, “You were right and I was wrong.” He said, “No, we did it my way and it worked out. Might not have, or if we had done it your way, it might have worked.”

Searls treated everyone with respect and expected his colleagues to do the same. A law firm that has a culture of treating everyone with respect has a valuable asset.

He also valued the aspirational values of the bar highly. Searls supported hiring diverse attorneys at a time when large law firms across the country were just beginning to do so. He insisted that Vinson & Elkins decline to represent clients who opposed Rice University’s suit to eliminate the provision in its charter that prohibited any non-white students from enrolling. Instead, in 1963, Searls represented Rice in the case to overturn the charter provision.

David Searls was an inspiration to me and many others.

Harry Reasoner is a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP and was the managing partner from 1992 through 2001. He is the chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, a life trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Baker Institute of Rice University.

W. James Kronzer: Changing the Course of the Law –By Benny Agosto, Jr. and Randall O. Sorrels W.James Kronzer, Jr. is a Texas legal legend. His love for the law personal injury and civil litigation and quickly became a success. In addition to his trial work, Jim became a leading appellate lawyer in his firm with a major concentration on trial, legal reand the legal profession was search, briefing, and appellate arguments. He was involved in certain throughout his career. over 400 appeals and had many appellate victories, including His legal history and dedication representing Pennzoil on appeal in Pennzoil v. Texaco, which reto the law earned him many sulted in a judgment of over $8 billion. Jim was considered to be titles, including “first appellate the top appellate lawyer in the United States. As a result of Jim’s guru” in Texas, “Lawyer of the outstanding trial and appellate career and continued success in Century,” and “The “Krown,” the courtroom, he was honored as the “Lawyer of the Century” to name a few. by the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

Following graduation from the University of Texas Law School, When not practicing law, Jim was active in the community and Jim joined the law firm of Helm & Jones as an associate. In 1951, enjoyed service. He was president of the Houston Bar Associaafter his departure from Helm & Jones, Jim, along with friends tion, president of the University of Texas Law School Alumnus, Frank Abraham and John Hill, founded the law firm of Hill, Kro- and president of the Houston Legal Foundation. He also shared nzer & Abraham in Houston. The firm, now known as Abraham, his knowledge, experience, and career success with law students, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, specialized in serving as an adjunct professor at three law schools.

As president of the HBA in 1965, Jim was instrumental in ending segregation within the organization. Prior to his presidency, membership was limited to “whites.”1 The moment Jim became president, he made it his top priority to remove the “white-only” clause from the HBA constitution. He thought racism was “ridiculous for professional people” and held an emergency board of directors meeting that lasted all day and went into the night.2 It was during this meeting that the directors agreed to remove “white” from the constitution.3

“Mr. Kronzer’s influence in the bar and in Texas jurisprudence is second to none... He promoted not only outstanding legal work product, but also a commitment to helping the profession and community as a whole,” said Randy Sorrels, the 2005–2006 president of the HBA. Joe Jamail observed that “[Jim] changed the law to be more progressive and kinder toward people who were injured” and the “[p]eople of Texas are much better off because of his changing the course of the law.” Richard “Racehorse” Haynes similarly noted, “In my opinion, no other person has made any more impact on Texas law than Jim Kronzer.”4

“As only the fourth plaintiff attorney to be president of the HBA in its 150year history, I was honored to follow in the footsteps of ‘The Krown,’” said Benny Agosto, Jr., immediate past president of the HBA. Sorrels similarly noted, “I am proud to be part of the law firm Mr. Kronzer started—the only ‘non-big law firm’ that produced three HBA presidents.” Jim will forever be an important element of the HBA’s and Houston’s legal history.

Benny Agosto, Jr is a partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, where he has practiced for more than two decades. He is immediate past president of the Houston Bar Association and former president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Randall O. Sorrels is the immediate past president of the State Bar of Texas and former president of the Houston Bar Association. He is the managing partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

2. 3.

4. row, submitted a proposal to delete the word “white” from Article II, Section I of the HBA Constitution. The By-Laws Committee endorsed the proposal, but when it came to vote, HBA members rejected the proposed change. ERIC L. FREDRICKSON, A COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE: THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSTON BAR ASSOCIATION 106 (1992). Id. Once the directors agreed to remove “white” from the HBA Constitution, a referendum was presented to membership for a vote. Unlike last time however, members voted 1,097 to 321 in support of admitting Black attorneys to the HBA. Id. Observations about Jim Kronzer from these and other famous Texas lawyers can be found in Nick C. Nichols, W. James Kronzer, Jr.: Texas Appellate Hall of Fame (Jan. 2017), which is available on the following website: https://www.ttla. com/index.cfm?pg=TTLAPioneers. This article also lists the numerous awards Kronzer received.

harry Gee, Jr.: Contributions to the bar and beyond –By Ruby L. Powers

Harry Gee, Jr. is an es- liaison work between the association of immigration attorneys, teemed public figure and now known as the American Immigration Lawyers Association a highly experienced (AILA), and the government counterpart, Immigration and Naand respected immigration tionality Service (INS). Gee helped contribute to a decades-old attorney who has made a tre- solution to ease the acknowledgement of attorney representamendous impact in many fac- tion with the process of submitting the document on a blue ets of our community. sheet of paper so that INS, now USCIS, could identify legal repGee began his legal career in resentation more readily. 1963 as an Assistant Attorney In 1979, Gee was one of the first attorneys to become certiGeneral for the State of Texas. fied in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board In 1966, he started his own of Legal Specialization. In 1993, he was elected to the Board of private law firm, which pro- Directors of the State Bar of Texas and chaired the Texas Board vided an opportunity to help the Asian-American community. of Legal Specialization. He recounts using the HBA Houston Referral service to help Gee also was instrumental with the formation of the National kickstart his firm. Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and served

In the 1960s, most immigration attorneys were located in as its second ever president in 1990. NAPABA is the preeminent New York or San Francisco. However, the law changed sub- professional development organization and voice for 50,000 stantially, and attorneys from across the country had an op- Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law portunity to practice immigration law. Immigration law prac- students. During Gee’s term, NAPABA established the Thomas tice was very adversarial early in Gee’s career. Attorneys were Tang Moot Court competition, which has become a most prestinot allowed to go into the government offices, and the lines of gious event at the annual NAPABA conference. communication were strained. Gee explains that this changed Two of the accomplishments Gee is most proud of relate to when Houston-based Leonel Castillo became the Commission- his work in civic organizations. Gee served as the president and er of Immigration for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration chairman of the Friends of the Houston Public Library. During Services in 1977. Around that time, Gee was involved with the his chairmanship, the format of the annual book sale was es-

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Join the hba 100 Club!

The Houston Bar Association 100 Club is a special category of membership that indicates a commitment to the advancement of the legal profession and the betterment of the community. The following law firms, government agencies, law schools and corporate legal departments with five or more attorneys have become members of the 100 Club by enrolling 100 percent of their attorneys as members of the HBA.

Firms of 5-24 attorneys Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels,

Agosto, Aziz & Stogner Ajamie LLP Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC Baker Williams Matthiesen LLP The Bale Law Firm, PLLC Berg & Androphy Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Buck Keenan LLP Bush & Ramirez, PLLC Carter Morris, LLP Cozen O’Connor Crady, Jewett, McCulley & Houren, LLP De Lange Hudspeth McConnell & Tibbets LLP Dentons US LLP Devlin Naylor & Turbyfill PLLC Dobrowski, Larkin & Stafford, L.L.P. Doyle Restrepo Harvin & Robbins LLP Ewing & Jones, PLLC Fisher & Phillips LLP Fizer Beck Webster Bentley & Scroggins Fogler, Brar, O’Neil & Gray LLP Frank, Elmore, Lievens, Chesney & Turet, L.L.P. Funderburk Funderburk Courtois, LLP Galligan & Manning Germer PLLC Givens & Johnston PLLC Gordon Rees Scully & Mansukhani Henke, Williams & Boll, LLP Hirsch & Westheimer, P.C. Holm | Bambace LLP Horne Rota Moos LLP Husch Blackwell LLP Irelan McDaniel, PLLC Jackson Lewis P.C. Jenkins & Kamin PC Johnson DeLuca Kurisky & Gould, P.C. Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne PLLC Kean | Miller LLP Kelly, Sutter & Kendrick, P.C. Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP KoonsFuller, PC Law Feehan Adams LLP Linebarger Goggan Blair &

Sampson, LLP Lorance Thompson, P.C. MacIntyre McCulloch & Stanfield, L.L.P. McGinnis Lochridge McGuireWoods LLP McKool Smith MehaffyWeber PC Morris Lendais Hollrah & Snowden Nathan Sommers Jacobs PC Peckar & Abramson, P.C. Phelps Dunbar LLP Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Pipkin Ferguson PLLC Ramey, Chandler, Quinn & Zito, P.C. Rapp & Krock, PC Reynolds Frizzell LLP Roach & Newton, L.L.P. Ross Banks May Cron & Cavin PC Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams, L.L.P. Rusty Hardin & Associates, P.C. Rymer, Echols, Slay & Nelson-

Archer, P.C. Schiffer Hicks Johnson PLLC Schirrmeister Diaz-Arrastia

Brem LLP Schwartz, Page & Harding, L.L.P. Scott, Clawater & Houston, L.L.P. Shannon Martin Finkelstein Alvarado & Dunne, P.C. Shearman & Sterling LLP Shellist | Lazarz | Slobin LLP Shipley Snell Montgomery LLP Smith Murdaugh Little & Bonham LLP Sponsel Miller Greenberg PLLC Sprott Newsom Quattlebaum & Messenger Strong Pipkin Bissell &

Ledyard LLP Stuart PC Taunton Snyder & Parish Taylor Book Allen & Morris Law Firm Thompson & Horton LLP Tindall England PC Tracey & Fox Law Firm Ware, Jackson, Lee, O’Neill, Smith & Barrow, LLP West Mermis, PLLC Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, PC Williams Hart Boundas Easterby LLP Wilson Cribbs & Goren PC Wright Abshire, Attorneys, PC Wright Close & Barger, LLP Ytterberg Deery Knull LLP Zukowski, Bresenhan & Piazza L.L.P.

Firms of 25-49 attorneys Adams and Reese LLP Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos,

Alavi & Mensing P.C. Andrews Myers, P.C. Beck Redden LLP BoyarMiller Coats | Rose Cokinos | Young Gibbs & Bruns LLP Hogan Lovells US LLP Kane Russell Coleman & Logan PC Liskow & Lewis Littler Mendelson P.C. Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom McDowell & Hetherington LLP Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Yetter Coleman LLP

Firms of 50-100 attorneys BakerHostetler LLP Greenberg Traurig, LLP Haynes and Boone, LLP Jackson Walker L.L.P. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Susman Godfrey LLP Winstead PC

Firms of 100+ attorneys Baker Botts L.L.P. Bracewell LLP Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Locke Lord LLP Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP Porter Hedges LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP

Corporate Legal Departments CenterPoint Energy, Inc. EOG Resources, Inc. MAXXAM, Inc. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Quantlab Financial, LLC Rice University S & B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd.

Law school Faculty South Texas College of Law Houston Thurgood Marshall School of Law University of Houston Law Center

Government agencies Harris County Attorney’s Office Harris County District Attorney’s Office Harris County Domestic Relations Office Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Texas Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, Texas 1st Court of Appeals 14th Court of Appeals

tablished so as to substantially increase sales revenues. Additionally, for four years, Gee served as president of Sister Cities of Houston, Inc., an organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural, educational, and economic interests between Houston and its 18 sister cities throughout the world.

Gee and his wife of 40-plus years have established as many as ten scholarships in the community at local universities, law schools, and civic organizations.

Gee’s expertise and interests outside of the law and community service include playing gin rummy, poker, and mahjong. Additionally, he is part owner of the Houston Texans. His family of three children and eight grandchildren tend to gather at Texans games.

Gee has made an impact not only as a law firm owner for 54that forced the recall of dangerous products. But he was far more than that; he was a man of many interests and facets. Joe had a great command of language and was one the best-read people I have known. Mark Twain was his favorite author, and I think he was a happy inspiration for trial language. Joe never spoke in legalese. He spoke to the juries in clear language, never talking down to them.

His career is vividly, educationally, and entertainingly covered Mickey Herskowitz. I recommend it to you. plus years and a specialist in his field, but also in paving the way for immigration attorneys and the Asian Pacific Bar. His additional contributions to his community are an inspiration for all lawyers to go over and beyond the practice of law and pay it forward for future generations.

Ruby L. Powers is founder of Powers Law Group, P.C., a full-service immigration law firm, and is board certified in Immigration and Nationality Law. She authored AILA’s Build and Manage Your Successful Immigration Law Practice (Without Losing Your Mind) and provides law practice management consulting services to attorneys. She is a former candidate for public office and advocate for immigrants and her community at large. She is a member of

Joseph D. Jamail: a Great Lawyer and Philanthropist –By Harry Reasoner

Joe Jamail was the most I got to know Joe when he asked me to join the appellate team successful plaintiff’s trial in Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc. after Joe and an outstanding team of lawyer in American his- Baker Botts lawyers hit Texaco with a $10.5 billion verdict. In the tory. He obtained billions of years we spent working on the appeal, we became close friends dollars in judgments and got and tried several cases together. critically important judgments I have tried to analyze what seemed to me the critical factors in

in his book, Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations, 1 co-written with The Houston Lawyer editorial board. Joe’s great record of success. First, he had a charismatic personality that people found very attractive (I can’t explain that any more than I can tell you why Meryl Streep is a great actress). He made an effort to be friendly to everyone in the courtroom (with the exception of his adversaries). He also prepared meticulously and developed a vision of the case that a jury could follow and relate to. He was not diverted from it by attacks or arguments that were immaterial to his thesis. Finally, he chose great trial colleagues who were brilliantly able lawyers. Judge George Cire, Gus Kolius, Richard Mithoff, and Janet Evans were the ones I knew. His office operation was highly and tightly organized and directed by his brilliant office manager, Denise Davidson.

Joe’s description of the transaction and conduct in the Pennzoil case exemplified these factors of success. He put before the jury a clear story of an agreement and a broken promise. Contrary to Texaco’s publicity campaign, this was never a frivolous case. In an earlier action, filed in a Delaware court by Baker Botts, the court had found a contract existed. It denied injunctive relief because damages would be adequate relief. When Joe was retained, the Delaware action was dismissed in favor of Texas litigation. Texaco could never find a persuasive reason why the parties’ agreement shouldn’t be enforced. There are several books written in whole or in part about the litigation. The saga is well told in Steve Coll’s The Taking of Getty Oil. 2

Joe believed strongly in the aspirational ideals of our profession. He personally represented many clients who could not afford legal representation. He contributed for many years to legal aid for veterans. At his death, a memorial endowment in honor of Joe’s commitment to veterans and access to justice was created

to fund legal aid to veterans; the Texas Access to Justice Commission initiated the fundraising for the endowment, which is held and administered by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.3

Joe and his wife, Lee, contributed millions to the University of Texas at Austin (UT), UT School of Law, UT Austin School of Nursing, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and many charitable causes. They worked hard for diversity at UT, contributing large scholarship endowments to the UT Alumni Association to fund scholarships for underrepresented minorities.

Joe was a great lawyer who did not let financial success turn him from the moral obligations of our profession.

But Treece didn’t just teach the technique of oral argument. He Harry Reasoner is a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP and was the managing partner from 1992 through 2001. He is the chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, a life trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Baker Institute of Rice University.

endnotes

1. JOE JAMAIL & MICKEY HERSKOWITZ, LAWYER: MY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS (2003). 2. STEVE COLL, THE TAKING OF GETTY OIL: PENZOIL, TEXACO, AND THE TAKEOVER

BATTLE THAT MADE HISTORY (2017). 3. See Joe Jamail Endowment for Veteran Legal Services, TEX. ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUND., https://www.teajf.org/donate/JamailEndowment.aspx (last visited Oct. 7, 2020). This website also contains a video tribute by Richard Mithoff, who created the endowment “to honor Ja-

smoke ‘em if You Got ‘em: the Legacy of Coach t. Gerald treece –By Andrew Pearce & Avi Moshenberg

The Houston legal com- ingly, the outcome was winning tournaments—and we won a munity shared in loss this lot—but it was his method and his attitude that mattered. That’s summer over the pass- why we learned even more from Coach when we lost. He would ing of T. Gerald Treece. Coach say just the right thing to help lift your spirits, dust off your Treece wore many hats (but knees, and get you back to work. only one outfit). He was a legal Treece was so much more than just our Coach. He was kind correspondent for the news. He and affable. He was one of the most charming people you’d ever was an accomplished appellate meet. He had an endless number of catchphrases, like, “You’re a lawyer. He was a devout Astros great American” and “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em” and “Key cases, fan. And he was a professor, key concepts” and too many more to list. You always felt imvice president, and associate portant when you were speaking with him. Part of the joy in dean of advocacy at South Texas College of Law Houston for 42 spending time with Coach was that he genuinely wanted to visit years until his passing on July 13, 2020. with you, to learn about you, and to talk about almost anything.

We met Coach through South Texas’s advocacy program. If That’s what made him a wonderful mentor—not just a professor. you were part of the advocacy program, you knew you were for- Maybe Coach’s biggest gift was that he created a community tunate. You knew of Coach, or soon learned of him, before you of advocates. Coach could not (and did not want to) do it all by had the chance to meet him. His reputation loomed large. Lines himself. He recruited former advocates to coach the next crop. of students would try out for his advocacy program, and working We felt a sense of obligation to pay forward what we’d received with him didn’t disappoint. from Coach and those advocates who came before us. Almost

Coach had a knack for explaining complex legal issues in a every advocate returns in some capacity, with many donating way anyone could understand. Part of his brilliance was steering countless hours over several years to shape the next generation. away from a discussion about a cold, sterile appellate record and The result is that every former advocate feels a connection to making arguments come alive. He did it by focusing on themes, one another. asking why the arguments mattered, and showing why our po- We can’t overstate the impact Coach had on the hundreds of sitions were fairer, better reasoned, and produced a better out- advocates who came through his program. We can all take comcome. The way Coach taught his advocates to argue is part of his fort in the fact that his impact lives on, and will do so for generaindelible legacy. In court, it’s always easy to tell which lawyers tions. Today, however, we just miss our friend. learned from Coach’s program. Rest in peace, Coach.

mail’s vision for access to justice for all.” Id. was our Coach in the truest sense. He was always excited to see Andrew Pearce is a shareholder and the litigation group chair you. He gave nicknames to his advocates, and he kidded about at BoyarMiller. He is the Media Reviews Editor for The Houston which undergrad you attended or what town you were from. Yet Lawyer. he also stressed integrity and hard work. If he spotted you down Avi Moshenberg is a senior commercial and employment litigator the hallway, he’d tell you, “Work harder.” You wanted to win for with McDowell Hetherington and serves on the editorial board of Coach, even more than you wanted to win a trophy. Not surpris- The Houston Lawyer.

Thank you, Houston legal community, for your incredible generosity. Because of your support, the 2020 Harvest Campaign raised over $878,000 to fund pro bono legal services through Houston Volunteer Lawyers and serve the civil legal needs of the Greater Houston area.

Thank you to our Charter Peer-to-Peer Giving Program participants: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Baker Botts L.L.P. Beck Redden LLP Blank Rome LLP Gibbs & Bruns LLP Greenberg Traurig LLP King & Spalding LLP These law offices launched our first-ever program to encourage firm-wide donations in any amount, by attorneys and non-attorneys alike, to reach a contribution goal and to encourage support for pro bono legal services.

Thank you to our judicial donors:

Hon. Nancy Atlas Hon. Jane Bland Hon. Christina Bryan Hon. Rabeea Sultan Collier Hon. Julie Countiss Hon. Jason Cox Hon. Jennifer Walker Elrod Hon. Mike Engelhart Hon. Tanya Garrison Hon. Mike Gomez Hon. Kristen Hawkins Hon. James Horwitz Hon. Rebeca Huddle

Hon. David Medina Hon. Beau A. Miller Hon. Margaret Mirabal Hon. Daryl L. Moore Hon. Fredericka Phillips Hon. Ravi K. Sandill Hon. Robert Schaffer Hon. Chuck Silverman Hon. Charles Spain Hon. Barbara Stalder Hon. Clinton Chip Wells Hon. Ken Wise

The Boards of Directors of the Houston Bar Association, Houston Bar

Foundation, HBA Auxiliary and Houston Volunteer Lawyers express their sincerest gratitude for all who contributed to the Harvest Campaign, and for all who volunteer their time and expertise in pro bono legal service to those in need.

$35,000 Baker Botts L.L.P. Bracewell LLP Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP Williams Hart Boundas Easterby LLP $30,000 Locke Lord LLP Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP $25,000 Elizabeth and Bill Kroger $20,000 Dee and Phil Sellers

$15,000 Chevron Corporation $13,000 Baker Hostetler LLP

$10,000 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Chamberlain Hrdlicka Mindy and Joshua Davidson Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP/Michael

P. Darden and Hillary H. Holmes The Weldon Granger Family HBA Litigation Section Hicks Thomas LLP J. Dahr Jamail King & Spalding LLP LyondellBasell Industries Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP $9,000 HBA Bench Bar Conference Committee

$8,000 Yetter Coleman LLP

$7,500 Blank Rome LLP

$5,500 Nikki & Benny Agosto, Jr. $5,000 Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels,

Agosto, Aziz & Stogner Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing Jane and Doug Bland Conoco Phillips Dentons US LLP Michael Donaldson/EOG Resources,

Inc. Eversheds Sutherland US LLP Foley & Lardner LLP Harry and Antje Gee Gibbs & Bruns LLP Haynes and Boone, LLP HBA Alternative Dispute Resolution

Section HBA Oil Gas & Mineral Law Section HBA Real Estate Law Section Kirkland & Ellis LLP McKool Smith LLP Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan/

Karl Stern Service Corporation International Ann Stern Susman Godfrey Thompson & Knight Foundation Weil Gotshal & Manges Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Winston & Strawn LLP

$3,000 HBA Corporate Counsel Section Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom,

L.L.P. $2,500 Arnold & Porter LLP Baker & McKenzie LLP Baker Wotring LLP Berg & Androphy Susan Bickley and Bob Scott Bissinger, Oshman & Williams LLP The Buck Family Fund Burford Perry, LLP Cokinos I Young Hon. Rabeea Sultan Collier Wendy and Alistair Dawson Dobrowski Larkin & Stafford Emma Doineau Energy Transfer, L.P. Fogler, Brar, O'Neil and Gray LLP Polly and Stephen Fohn Frost Bank Germer PLLC Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro Gray Reed & McGraw LLP Hagans Montgomery Hagans David and Tammie Harrell Jim S. Hart HBA Federal Practice Section HBA Juvenile Law Section Hogan Lovells US LLP Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Inc. Jackson Walker Jenkins & Kamin, LLP Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC Daniella D. Landers Latham & Watkins LLP Massey Law Firm PLLC Mayer Brown LLP Audrey Momanaee and Jeffrey Levett Greg and Jennifer Moore Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. Nathan Sommers Jacobs, A Professional

Corporation Jeff Paine and Brandon Holcomb/

Goldman Sachs Chris and Annsley Popov Porter Hedges LLP Reynolds Frizzell LLP Jason M. and Megan Ryan Shearman & Sterling Shipley Snell Montgomery LLP Shook Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Sidley Austin LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

LLP South Texas College of Law Houston Tindall England PC Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Winstead PC Travis Wofford and Dr. Lisa Wofford Wright Close & Barger, LLP $1,600 HBA Mergers & Acquisitions Section $1,500 Bill Book Stewart and Lynn Gagnon Diana and Hon. Mike Gomez Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP HBAA Charitable Fund, Inc. Jim Hurd and Cisselon Nichols Hurd Neil and Dana Kelly Hon. David and Pamela Medina W. Michael and Laurie D. Moreland Hon. Frank Rynd Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Smyser, Kaplan & Veselka, L.L.P. Taylor, Book, Allen & Morris, LLP Hilary Tyson Sandy and Greg Ulmer $1,200 Dudley and Judy Oldham Tesha Peeples $1,100 Hughes Ellzey, LLP Shannon, Martin, Finkelstein, Alvarado & Dunn, P.C. Ware, Jackson, Lee, O'Neill, Smith &

Barrow, LLP West Mermis

$1,000 Barry Abrams Allegiance Bank Anonymous Donor Scott and Hon. Nancy Atlas Brent and Christy Benoit Keri Brown Hon. Christina Bryan and Mr. Trey

Peacock Byman & Associates, PLLC Anne Chandler Collin J. Cox Cozen O'Connor Amy Catherine Dinn John and Annette Eldridge The Fealy Law Firm, PC George and Reagan Fibbe Kerry Anne Galvin Roland Garcia Craig and Penny Glidden John Goodgame Gregor Wynne Arney, PLLC HBA Appellate Practice Section HBA Bankruptcy Section HBA Commercial & Consumer Law

Section HBA Construction Law Section HBA Criminal Law and Procedure

Section HBA Labor and Employment Law

Section HBA Taxation Section Judge Joseph "Tad" Halbach Lauren and Warren Harris Jennifer A. and Gregory M. Hasley Hon. Kristen Hawkins Lindsey and Greg Heath Linda and Tracy Hester Hicks Davis Wynn, P.C. Yvonne Y. Ho and Allen S. Rice The Hoerster Mediation Firm Jennifer and Richard Hogan Houston Young Lawyers Association Monica Hwang Kevin and Francyne Jacobs Johnson DeLuca Kurisky & Gould PC The Christine and Rob Johnson Family

Fund Jones Day Frank G. Jones Hugh Rice Kelly Kirby, Mathews & Walrath, PLLC KoonsFuller Houston Christine and Craig LaFollette Chanler Langham James Lewis Leader Jose R. Lopez II Peter Lowy & Gabriela Boersner Gina Lucero and Terry G. Fry Hon. Erin Lunceford and Mike

Lunceford Diana E. Marshall Guy and Carolyn Matthews Ginnie and Tim McConn Cassie McGarvey McKinney Taylor P.C. Hon. Margaret Garner Mirabal Ginni and Richard Mithoff Hon. Daryl L. Moore William D. Morris Michael Neel Michele N. O'Brien Robert Painter Charlie Parker Judge Fredericka Phillips Colin and Sangita Pogge Carol and John Porter Mitch and Shannon Reid Barbara K. Runge Judith Sadler Beuna and James B. Sales Travis and Sandy Sales Hon. Ravi K. Sandill Alyssa Schindler Lionel M. Schooler Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein,

LLP Denise and John Scofield Seyfarth Sheehy, Ware & Pappas, P.C. Shortt & Nguyen, P.C. Judge Chuck Silverman Nicole and David Singer Sponsel Miller Greenberg PLLC/Roger

Greenberg Squire Patton Boggs Stacy & Baker, P.C. John and Pam Strasburger Travis Torrence and Heath LaPray University of Houston Law Center Roy and Dominique Varner Willie and Ingrid Wood Ytterberg Deery Knull, LLP Janie and Daniel Zilkha

Additional Donors John Adkins Shaheryar Ahmed Amaro Law Firm Anonymous Donors Bolivar C. Andrews Anna M. Archer Michael Bell Levi J. Benton In honor of Blank Rome LLP Terri Boles Kristen Bollinger Bragg Law PC Kate and Mike Brem Dean Joan R. M. Bullock Nicole Soussan Caplan Christie Cardon Brian Q. Carmichael Angeles Garcia Cassin Seth J. Chandler Alison Chen Grant Cohen Hon. Julie Countiss Ronnye and Chip Cowell Hon. Jason Cox Scott Douglas Cunningham Stephen D. Davis/Akin Gump Rachel Delgado Bonnie and Otway B. Denny, Jr. Hon. Grant Dorfman Jennifer Walker Elrod Eva and Judge Mike Engelhart Brian Faulkner and Jacqueline Macha Patrick M. Flynn, P.C. Charles C. Foster Lisa Garrett Hon. Tanya Garrison The Christian A. and Janet G. Garza

Family Bradley D. Gray Liza A. Greene David T. Harvin HBA Animal Law Section HBA Environmental Law Section HBA Health Law Section HBA Law Practice Management Section HBA Probate, Trusts & Estate Section HBA Probate, Trusts & Estate Section in honor of Stephanie Donaho HBA Taxation Section HBA Social Security Section Lisa Hearn Richard Heaton Anthony E. Hilbert Judge James Horwitz Catherine North Hounfodji Justice Rebeca Huddle Kate Huggins Ruth A. Hughes-Deaton Patrick Hurley Veronica F. Jacobs Camille C. Jenman Penny Johnson Bill Lamb Tiffany C. Larsen Louie and Maggie Layrisson James R. Leahy Elizabeth and Russell Lewis Ronald C. Lewis David T. Lopez Maria Lowry Cynthia Mabry Melissa and Thomas McCaffrey MacIntyre, McCulloch & Stanfield LLP Tara and William McElhiney Meghan Dawson McElvy Kathlyn Hendrix Mickan Allison Standish Miller Hon. Beau A. Miller Steven L. Miller, Jr. Paul Monsour Amber Morrison Donna Moye E. Munoz Liam O'Rourke and Alexandra Caritis Nick Petree Michael Phillips Thomas R. Phillips Beth and Tommy Proctor Elizabeth Ray Susan and Barrett Reasoner Emery Gullickson Richards/Blank

Rome LLP Jennifer Richardson Roger Rider and Nancy Huston Nikki Roberts and Krisa Benskin Anna Robshaw/Greenberg Traurig LLP Abrey & Lisa Rubinsky Christian Ryholt Judge Robert Schaffer Kevin Schott Julie Seifert Hon. Susan S. Soussan Hon. Charles Spain and John Adcock Kendall Valenti Speer Hon. Barbara Stalder Jocelyn Tau Roxanne Tizravesh Jennifer Tomsen Cara Vasquez Tony L. Visage Hon. Dale Wainwright Hon. Clinton Chip Wells Richard F. Whiteley Hon. Ken Wise Nikki Wise Margaret Wittenmyer Russell Taft Wong Gary L. Wood Wyly & Cook, PLLC Paul Yale Andrew Yeh Krisina Zuniga