Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer, co-founders of the Dallas-based litigation boutique Bailey Brauer PLLC, have been selected for recognition in the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Bailey is being recognized for his appellate work, and Brauer is included among the leading commercial litigation attorneys in the country. Bailey Brauer and its lawyers have earned multiple honors from BTI Consulting Group, the National Law Journal, Texas Super Lawyers and D Magazine in addition to The Best Lawyers in America.

“As a firm, we have always focused on providing clients with comprehensive legal solutions,” said Brauer. “Earning recognition for both our appellate and litigation expertise is a sign that we have been successful at representing clients in all phases of trial work and appeals.”

Bailey, one of The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Texas Civil Plaintiff Lawyers, has trial and appellate experience in complex tort and other commercial cases in federal and state appeals courts. In 2017, he was the only Texas-based lawyer selected to the National Law Journal’s Elite Boutique Trailblazers honoring legal innovators who are changing the boutique law landscape.

Brauer, recognized as a leading commercial litigator by various publications, represents companies and high net worth individuals involved in high-stakes business litigation. His practice spans various industries and he has successfully represented clients in both state and federal courts across the country.

The profession’s oldest U.S. peer-review guide, The Best Lawyers in America is also among the most respected. Selection is based on confidential evaluations by attorneys in the same practice area and from the same geographic region. For the full listing, visit https://www.bestlawyers.com/.

Eleven attorneys from the Dallas, Nashville and Austin offices of the business and entertainment law firm Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, have been selected to the 2019 listing of The Best Lawyers in America.

“The strength of this firm is evidenced through the selection of these lawyers,” said founding partner John Shackelford. “Not only are our attorneys among the very best, but they also represent clients across a broad legal spectrum.”

The recognized attorneys represent a range of practices, including commercial litigation, family law, appellate, banking and finance, health care law, corporate law, construction law and litigation, project finance, and bankruptcy and reorganization.

The firm’s growing family law practice was particularly well represented, with three partners – Kathryn Pruitt, Josh Northam and Keeli Rule – earning recognition in that category.

Pruitt recently joined the firm’s Dallas office. Her family law practice focuses on representing clients in amicable and high-conflict divorce as well as custody litigation matters. She has been Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2009.

Also selected to the 2019 listing of The Best Lawyers in America are Shackelford partners:

· Jay Bowen, Nashville – Commercial Litigation

· Talmage Boston, Dallas – Appellate, Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance

· David Elrod, Dallas – Corporate Law

· Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, Dallas – Commercial Litigation

· Bill Hopkins, Austin – Health Care Law

· Mark McQuality, Dallas – Construction Law and Construction Litigation

· Keith Mullen, Dallas – Project Finance Law

· Frances Smith, Dallas – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

The oldest and one of the most respected guides to the U.S. legal profession, The Best Lawyers in America listing of the nation’s top lawyers is based on confidential peer-review surveys submitted by attorneys who practice in the same legal fields and within the same geographic regions.

Amy M. Stewart, founding partner of Stewart Bradbury PLLC, was recently appointed as 2018-19 Division V. Director for the ABA’s Section of Litigation.

In her new role, she will oversee the work of the substantive litigation subcommittees, including Business Torts and Unfair Competition, Commercial Litigation, Employment and Labor Law, Products Liability, Mass Torts, bankruptcy, Securities Litigation.

Additionally, Stewart is the Co-Chair of the 2018 ABA Section of Litigation’s Professional Success Summit set for Houston Nov. 14-16, 2018. The Professional Success Summit is focused on providing successful litigation, trial, and business development strategies for racially diverse minority litigators.

Estes Thorne & Carr PLLC is celebrating its 10th year as one of the largest women-owned law firms in North Texas. The Dallas Business Journal has ranked the firm among North Texas’ 100 largest women-owned businesses. And for six consecutive years, the firm has made the list of Best Law Firms by U.S. News – Best Lawyers in America.

Name partners are  Dawn Estes, Jessica Thorne and Lori Carr.

In a release, the firm said its partners bring decades of big firm experience to the litigation boutique. Their varied practice includes commercial litigation, labor and employment matters, family law, construction, energy litigation, ERISA litigation, professional liability, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm also often serves as Texas local counsel.

“We seized an opportunity 10 years ago to create a firm that allowed us to unite our strengths, and we’ve never looked back,” said Estes, who was selected a Top 100 commercial litigator in Texas in 2017 by Super Lawyers. “We said we always wanted to swim in the deep end. By creating the right environment for us and our clients, we’ve never been out of our depth.”

Read the firm’s release.

AZA is ranked among the nation’s top mid-sized law firms and among the top 10 for quality of work and top 15 for hiring selectivity by Vault rankings.

Vault, which recently released its 20th law firm ranking guide to help law students and lawyers, included AZA in its “Top 150 Under 150.” This is a listing that uses employee surveys to identify the best law firms to work for across the country.

AZA, or Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., was one of only 26 Texas firms included on the list. The only other mid-sized Texas-based firm on the list with AZA for top quality of work and selectivity in hiring is Susman Godfrey LLP.

AZA’s  top quality of work ranking can be seen here.

“It’s no surprise that AZA would rank at the very top among law boutiques. We are trial lawyers, and we get our newest attorneys into court immediately so that they are comfortable before a judge and jury. Plus, we represent Fortune 500 companies in complex commercial cases so the work is always interesting,” said firm founding partner John Zavitsanos.

AZA’s Fortune 500 clients include: Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:APC), Apache Corp. (NYSE:APA), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE:EPD), Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI), Halliburton Corp. (NYSE:HAL), Huntsman (NYSE: HUN), Liberty Mutual, National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE:NOV), Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) and NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG).

AZA’s top hiring selectivity rankings can be seen here.

“We also pick our new lawyers carefully from the best law schools and take laterals from some of the best firms in the country,” Zavitsanos said.

The International Association of Defense Counsel announced that Craig A. Thompson, a partner at Venable LLP, has been elected president of the IADC for the 2018-2019 term.

Thompson was officially installed at the IADC’s Annual Meeting in July in Lisbon, Portugal.

A member of the Products Liability and Mass Torts practice at Venable, Thompson has more than two decades of experience handling civil cases in federal and state courts, the firm said in a release. He represents clients in the areas of commercial litigation, product liability, premises liability, and personal injury. Thompson also is active in leading law firm inclusion and diversity initiatives, and served for five years as chair of Venable’s Diversity Committee.

In 2013, Thompson was a faculty member for the IADC’s Annual Trial Academy, which is one of the oldest and most respected programs for developing defense trial advocacy skills. In addition, he has lectured or taught at numerous law schools and currently is a featured columnist for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association publication.

Thomson has been recommended or highly ranked by top legal industry and attorney referral guides including Martindale Hubbell, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and Legal 500. He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland.

Also at its Annual Meeting, the Chicago-based IADC elected Amy Sherry Fischer, a shareholder at Foliart Huff Ottaway & Bottom in Oklahoma City, Okla., as president-elect. The IADC’s immediate past president is Andrew Kopon Jr., a founding member of Kopon Airdo, LLC in Chicago.

The IADC’s other newly elected board members for the current term are:

– Frank A. Lattal, senior vice president, Claims, for Chubb Group in Hamilton, Bermuda, as the IADC’s vice president of insurance.

– Mark R. Beebe, partner at Adams and Reese LLP in New Orleans.

– Stephanie M. Rippee, member at Watkins & Eager PLLC in Jackson, Miss.

– Thomas Rouhette, partner at Hogan Lovells LLP in Paris, France.

Langley & Banack, Inc. announced that Emerson “Buddy” Banack Jr. and Natalie Friend Wilson have been recognized by Texas Lawyer for their contributions to the legal profession. Banack, co-founder and shareholder of Langley & Banack, was awarded Lifetime Achievement, and Wilson, a bankruptcy attorney, was awarded On the Rise for attorneys 40 years of age and younger.

Banack, a distinguished trial lawyer, graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1965. He has represented governmental entities, corporations, businesses, individuals, physicians, lawyers, engineers and architects in malpractice cases, products liability cases, negligence cases and business litigation. He has been named a Best Lawyer in America since 1983, a Texas Super Lawyer since 2003, and has received the San Antonio Business Journal’s Outstanding Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wilson is a bankruptcy attorney with Langley & Banack who began her legal practice in 2007 after graduating from the University of Hawai’i, William S. Richardson School of Law, J.D., cum laude. She has represented debtors, creditors, and bankruptcy trustees. Wilson is active in the Military Spouse JD Network, a bar association for lawyers married to members of the armed forces. Wilson has been a 40 Under 40 recipient by the San Antonio Business Journal and a Bexar County Women’s Bar Association Belva Lockwood Award winner.

Profiles of the honorees will be published in the September issue of Texas Lawyer Magazine. An awards ceremony in their honor will be held on Sept. 19 at the Belo Mansion in Dallas.

Winning recognition in such listings as The Best Lawyers in America presents a prime marketing opportunity that can go far beyond what many lawyers realize, writes Bruce Vincent for Muse Communications.

In his article, Vincent goes into detail about the six steps lawyers can use to amplify and prolong the good news.

Those steps are: First-level marketing, notify your clients, alert industry publications, issue a press release, get social, and everything else.

Read the article.

Dallas trial lawyer and Sayles Werbner co-founder Richard A. “Dick” Sayles was chosen by the Dallas Bar Association as the 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year based on his achievements in the courtroom.

Sayles, a native of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is profiled in the July issue of the Dallas Bar Association’s Headnotes in the article, “Dick Sayles: 2018 DBA Trial Lawyer of the Year.” The story highlights Sayles’ motivation for becoming a lawyer, provides a history of how he became a courtroom master, and explains how Sayles Werbner maintains its status among the most respected law firms in the nation.

“To me, there is no greater honor than to be recognized by your peers,” says Sayles. “It’s also a testament to the dedication and commitment of my colleagues at Sayles Werbner. I am very proud of what our firm has become.”

Sayles credits his firm’s strong relationship with large, national firms as a key factor in Sayles Werbner’s success. “We are often asked by major, out-of-state firms to serve as co-counsel in high profile, high stakes cases.”

In a release, the firm said Sayles has made a career of representing clients in big cases involving commercial litigation, personal injury and patent litigation. His list of accomplishments includes significant defense wins, 150 cases tried to verdict, and more than a dozen multimillion-dollar jury verdicts, the firm said.

This year Chambers USA, the legal guide, honored Sayles for the sixth time as a top litigator in Texas. Texas Lawbook named Sayles to the Lions of the Texas Bar, an exclusive list of the state’s most respected and influential lawyers. The Best Lawyers in America recognized him as the 2018 Dallas-Fort Worth Lawyer of the Year for bet-the-company litigation. He also received recognition in the 2018 edition of Benchmark Litigation and has been named seven times to the list of Top 10 attorneys in the state in the annual Texas Super Lawyers guide.

Global Investigations Review (GIR) honored Sidley Austin’s Washington, D.C. partner Karen A. Popp with its inaugural “Award for Services to Diversity.”

Popp was lauded for her “great commitment to improving women’s positions in the workplace,” both within Sidley and in the wider white collar defense and investigations world. GIR commended Popp for her leadership in developing Sidley’s firmwide women’s program, forming the D.C. office’s Diversity Committee for racial, ethnic and LGBT communities, and serving as the first Chair of Sidley’s D.C. Women’s Committee.

She was also cited for serving on Sidley’s task forces on Diversity and Women, formed by the Executive Committee. Popp was praised for co-founding the Women in White Collar Defense Association, which she launched along with Beth Wilkinson in 1999 shortly after leaving government and noticing the distinct lack of female practitioners on panels or among the attendees at the American Bar Institute’s Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime.

GIR credited Popp’s vision and “impressive leadership and interpersonal skills” with the “extraordinary growth” of the organization which has grown to 30 chapters with more than 1,400 members across the world in less than 20 years.

At Sidley, Popp is the global co-leader of the firm’s White Collar: Government Litigation & Investigations group. She has a practice representing companies and individuals in high-profile matters with legal, political and public relations components, such as corporate criminal defense, internal investigations, SEC Enforcement, Congressional investigations, OIG and State Attorney General actions, corporate compliance, and litigation.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, has been recognized as one of the top patent litigation firms in Texas by London-based intellectual property magazine Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) for the fourth year.

“Litigation thoroughbred Ahmad Zavitsanos Anaipakos has successfully resolved disputes across virtually all technologies, industry sectors and forums; its lawyers’ gift for constructing tightly woven and compelling narratives works in any setting,” the magazine wrote.

According to an AZA release, IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2018 is a global guide to patent firms and lawyers. It praised AZA partners Demetrios Anaipakos and Amir Alavi as leading patent litigation lawyers, calling them “two hugely respected and unflappable advocates that you can greenlight for a billion-dollar case with 100% confidence.”

It noted that these two AZA lawyers are among the few patent lawyers to be board certified in civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The magazine polls in-house counsel and other patent attorneys to develop its rankings.

“These partners can shoulder an incredible load without it being burdensome and have built a highly sophisticated group around them; the team does not stand on ceremony and everyone is happy to muck in, so clients are never left wanting,” the magazine stated.

McKool Smith has racked up some new recognition, including being named again in The National Law Journal‘s “Top 100 Verdicts” list.

The NLJ recognition represents the 18th time the firm had a top 100 verdict, more than any other law firm since the rankings began.

In a release, the firm said: “In 2002, The National Law Journal published its first annual listing of the nation’s ‘Top 100 Verdicts.’ Since that time, no law firm in the country has won more Top 100 Verdicts than McKool Smith.”

Other recent recognition includes being named Trial Group of the Year by Law360, and receiving Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA for Texas commercial litigation and Texas intellectual property.

Law360 also presented the firm its Insurance Practice Group of the Year honor.

Inn 2017, Texas Lawyer presented the firm its Litigation Department of the Year award, and Managing Intellectual Property named the firm Patent Plaintiff Firm of the Year.

McKool Smith, based in Dallas, also has offices in Houston, Austin, Marshall, Silicon Valley, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles.

Dykema announced that Nicholas Wittner was inducted as a Life Member of the American Law Institute (ALI). He is of counsel to the firm and is located in its Bloomfield Hills office.

ALI bestows the honor on members who have devoted 25 years of service, contributing to ALI’s pivotal projects that have shaped the law.

Wittner received the honor at the May ALI Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G Roberts, Jr. awarded Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg the Henry J. Friendly medal. Associate Justice Elena Kagan and former Solicitor General Paul Clement were also featured as speakers at the Members Reception.

In a release, the firm said ALI is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. According to the ALI website, “Membership in The American Law Institute is a distinct professional honor,” and the number of members that may be elected is limited to 3,000. The elected membership consists of eminent judges, lawyers, and law professors from all areas of the United States and from many foreign countries, selected on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law.

Wittner, who is also Professor of Law in Residence at the Michigan State University’s Law College, was elected an ALI member in 1993. At that time, he was serving as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Product Liability Committee, which was working with ALI leadership on its Restatement, Third: Product Liability project.

After joining the ALI, Wittner worked on some of the most prominent Restatement projects, and especially the seven-year long new Restatement of Product Liability project. He has also been selected as a Restatement project Adviser, recognizing particular knowledge, experience, and perspective. In total, he worked on more than 10 projects, as well as serving as a webinar Chair and speaker on emerging legal issues.

According to ALI, “1993 WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR” – “Each of the [then-admitted members] is distinguished, as evidenced by their election to this prestigious institution. Their achievements are many, diverse, and remarkable.”

Wittner earned a J.D., cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School, where he was a Senior Associate Editor of the Law Review and recipient of a Silver Scholarship Medal, and a B.S., with high honor, from Michigan State University.

International law firm Brown Rudnick announced that it has named the first-ever 1L Social Mobility Diversity Fellow, W. Lydell Benson Jr.

In a release, the firm said the Fellowship is aimed at first-year law students who are also the first members of their family to graduate from college. The Fellowship provides the recipient with an opportunity for substantive work and professional development experience, as well as a significant scholarship.

Benson is a first-year law student at George Washington University Law School and will be working in Brown Rudnick’s New York office as a summer associate.

“This Fellowship program really resonated with me and demonstrated a true commitment to diversity and providing opportunities to people of all backgrounds,” Benson said. “When I was searching for opportunities, this Fellowship caught my eye not just because it was a great opportunity to get hands-on work experience with a prominent law firm, but also because it was the first time I had come across a law-firm diversity program targeting those who are the first in their family to graduate from college. I take a lot of pride in being the first in my family to graduate from college. My family and the people in my community are really proud of me, too.”

The firm said the 1L Social Mobility Diversity Fellowship is a holistic program to support students during their time as a summer associate at Brown Rudnick and throughout the academic year. Benson will work on a wide variety of matters as an integral member of client teams. He is also eligible to receive a scholarship of up to $22,500, in addition to his summer associate compensation.

Once Benson returns to school in the fall, he will continue to have regular check-ins with Ari Joseph and his recruitment champion, partner Jeff Jonas. Brown Rudnick will arrange for Benson to attend firm events, holiday parties, networking events and professional development training throughout the year. The firm will also provide financial support for academic groups Benson is involved in at George Washington University Law School.

“As I am also the first in my family to graduate from college, I am particularly passionate about this Fellowship program,” said Ari Joseph, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity at Brown Rudnick. “The challenges that such an individual must overcome can be overwhelming, and are often overlooked or underestimated. This unique Fellowship is focused on the problem of social mobility and economic inequality, as well as diversity. It is truly a one-of-a-kind program and Lydell is the perfect choice for our first Fellow.”

Benson will work alongside 10 other Brown Rudnick summer associates who come from law schools across the country: Richard Darst, Meghan McCafferty, Maureen Sweeney, Samuel Toomey, Korey Wilson, Yarelyn Mena, Ijeoma Ozoma, Erio Vignali, Matthew Lambros and Mona Goodarzi. Brown Rudnick’s 2018 summer associate class begins May 21.

First-year law students can find more information about the 1L Social Mobility Diversity Fellowship here. Questions should be referred to Brown Rudnick’s Legal Recruitment Department  at recruiting@brownrudnick.com.

Dallas attorney, ADR authority, and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson has been selected to D Magazine’s listing of the Best Lawyers in Dallas for appellate law.

Hankinson is the founder of Hankinson LLP.

In 2016, Hankinson was selected to The National Law Journal’s inaugural ADR Champions list, recognizing trailblazers from across the nation. She serves on the board of directors of the American Arbitration Association. She is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

In addition to earning D Magazine honors, Hankinson has received recognition from The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Texas Super Lawyers, Benchmark Appellate, Texas Lawyer, Dallas Business Journal, Martindale-Hubbell and Lawdragon. She also was honored as a Texas Trial Legend by the Dallas Bar Association.

The Best Lawyers in Dallas listing is based on a thorough review of peer nominations by D Magazine editors and an anonymous panel of the city’s most respected attorneys.

Corporate law attorney Brian Lidji of Lidji Dorey & Hooper has again been named to D Magazine’s list of the Best Lawyers in Dallas.

The annual recognition of the most respected lawyers in North Texas will be featured in the May 2018 edition of the magazine. Lidji earned his place on the 2018 list based on his exceptional work in mergers and acquisitions, the firm said in a release.

This marks the 13th time that Lidji has been named to the D Magazine list of Best Lawyers in Dallas.

“I’m humbled and honored to be recognized by my peers again this year,” said Lidji. “Being selected to D Magazine’s Best Lawyers list never gets old.”

Lidji has more than 30 years of experience in M&A and general corporate matters. His clients range from energy independents to consumer and technology companies. He has a portfolio of work in mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities law, business law, contract negotiations and a wide variety of other business transactions, the firm said.

His work also has earned recognition from The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2006 and Texas Super Lawyers each year since the inaugural 2003 listing. He also serves on the executive board of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, his alma mater.

The full listing of Dallas’ top attorneys appears on the D Magazine website.

D Magazine has selected Frank L. Branson, Debbie Branson and Chip Brooker of The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson to the 2018 Best Lawyers in Dallas list. All three attorneys have been singled out for their work in tort cases involving personal injury plaintiffs.

In a release, the firm said Branson has earned numerous record verdicts and settlements, along with some of the legal profession’s highest honors. He has been honored by D Magazine every year since the inception of its Best Lawyers edition in 2001. In addition, Branson has been honored by Texas Lawbook as one of its “Lions of the Texas Bar;” included on Super Lawyers’ list of the Top 10 lawyers in Texas for 11 straight years and The Best Lawyers in America guide since 1987.

Debbie Branson has earned placement on D Magazine’s Best Lawyers list for seven years. She is also continuously honored in The Best Lawyers in America and Texas Super Lawyers listings for her accomplishments in the courtroom. For her work with the community, she received the Linz Award in 2016.

For the second time, Chip Brooker has joined his colleagues on the D Magazine list. His work representing the firm’s clients in wrongful death and personal injury cases involving defective products, workplace and oilfield accidents, and trucking/transportation accidents has led to his recognition by The Best Lawyers in America, as well as Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Rising Stars.

Chambers USA, a guide to leading lawyers, has once again honored Dallas law firm Sayles Werbner and its commercial litigation work in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Firm co-founders Richard A. “Dick” Sayles and Mark S. Werbner are also included among the top litigators in Texas for 2018, marking the sixth time the two trial lawyers have been listed by Chambers and Partners.

“It’s an honor to be continuously included in this listing,” said Sayles. “We certainly appreciate the recognition from our peers and clients.”

In a release, the firm said London’s Chambers and Partners publishes the exclusive listing annually. Law firms and lawyers who demonstrate the top technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by clients are identified through thousands of attorney and client interviews.

Chamber’s researchers noted that Werbner is known for having built a “very successful” practice representing plaintiffs and defendants and has “a fine Dallas reputation” in commercial litigation, according to the release.

Both attorneys are often recognized for their work, including placement in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and listings as Lawyers of the Year in their practice areas, selection to the 2018 edition of Benchmark Litigation and placement in the 2017 Texas Super Lawyers list.

Since 2010, the firm has made the US News & World Report list of Best Law Firms. The firm’s successes include the top patent infringement award ever issued by a U.S. jury; the nation’s first civil liability verdict against a foreign bank for providing material financial support to terrorists; and one of the top business fraud verdicts ever awarded in Dallas County.

Hillary Frommer of New York City has recently been appointed co-chair of the New York County Lawyers Association’s Estates, Trusts and Surrogate’s Court Practice Committee. Her three-year term begins on July 1, 2018.

Frommer is counsel with the firm’s Trusts and Estates department. She focuses her practice in litigation, and handles all types of matters in the New York Surrogate’s Court, and matters in the New York Supreme Court involving estates. Hillary earned her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, with honors, and her B.A. from Cornell University.

In a release, the firm said the New York County Lawyers Association is one of the largest, most influential bar associations in the country. It has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and public policy.

Construction attorney Cathy Altman, a partner in the Dallas office of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP, has been elected to the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Construction Law.

She is one of four new members elected to the 12-member Governing Committee during the Forum on Construction Law’s annual meeting April 11-13 in New Orleans. Each member serves a three-year term, representing the group’s estimated 6,000 members and associates.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected for a leadership role in an organization that is committed to building the best construction lawyers in the country,” said Ms. Altman, chair of Carrington Coleman’s construction group. “I look forward to working with this dedicated group of lawyers in supporting professionalism and knowledge in construction law.”

Focused on education and professional development, the Forum on Construction law is the largest organization of construction lawyers in the world. Its members represent all segments of the construction industry, including owners, developers, design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, construction managers, lenders, insurers and sureties.

“Cathy is a proven leader within our firm and the business community,” said Carrington Coleman Managing Partner Bruce Collins. “It is not surprising to any of us who have worked with her that she has been selected by her peers to serve on the Governing Committee.”

Before joining the governing board, Ms. Altman served as chair of the Forum’s Construction Owners & Project Finance division and as chair of the Forum’s Trial Academy. In addition, she serves on the Construction Industry specialty panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) National Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators. She also is the 2018 Chair of the Midlothian Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the North Texas Commission.