May, 20
2010

On the heels of his service as President of the Houston Bar Association (HBA), Gibbs & Bruns partner Barrett Reasoner assumed a role on the State Bar of Texas’s Board of Directors this June.  Barrett serves as Representative of District 4, Place 1 with a term that expires in 2013.  The Board serves as the governing body of the State Bar of Texas and provides direction and guidance on the Bar’s activities, programming, and leadership throughout the year.

Barrett has a lengthy history of service to the Bar throughout his 20-year legal career, including service on the HBA Board of Directors (since 2000) and as the former Chairman of the Board of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.  During his tenure, Barrett received three Houston Bar presidents’ awards for outstanding service and dedication in chairing various bar committees.

As President of the HBA, Barrett’s accomplishments have been many.  Barrett’s platform programs included:

• The HBA formed a partnership with Communities in Schools Houston in providing legal internships for high school students from at-risk schools in the Houston area.  The program won the 2010 Community Partnership Award from the Texas Association of Partners in Education.

• Barrett appointed a Consumer Task Force, which has conducted legal clinics providing advice on issues such as credit and mortgage problems, tax issues, and bankruptcy to those who cannot afford counsel.
• The HBA also continued providing a series of Veteran’s Legal Advice Clinics in Harris County, which has the second largest population of veterans in the nation.  Volunteer attorneys provided counsel and advice on issues ranging from estate planning and family law issues to consumer issues and veterans benefits.

In addition, Barrett worked tirelessly with numerous HBA committees and the HBA section chairs on an amazing number of ongoing programs, projects, and efforts, including, but certainly not limited to: jury service, Habitat for Humanity, elder law issues, mock trial and anti-drug programs for elementary students, family law evening court for the indigent, and pro bono service awards.

T. Mark Kelly took office as President on May 20, 2010 at the HBA’s Annual Dinner Meeting at River Oaks Country Club.  Barrett will continue his service to the HBA as Immediate Past President.

Barrett (far right) is pictured with Phyllis Dent (far left) and the winners of HBAA Charitable Fund’s scholarships: Brent Shultz, UH Law Center; Summer J. Norwood, Thurgood Marshall School of Law; and Lindsey Moorhead, South Texas College of Law.  The $5000 scholarships were presented on April 6, 2010 at the Houston Country Club.