Alex L. Yarbrough with Underwood Law Firm has been selected to serve as a 2022-2023 Texas Bar Foundation Nominating Chair for District 13.  Nominating Chairs for each of the 17 State Bar of Texas districts identify nominees to join the Foundation as Fellows. Nominating Chairs of the Foundation are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the Texas Bar Foundation.  Selection is a mark of distinction and recognition of Mr. Yarbrough’s contributions to the legal profession. 

Mr. Yarbrough has devoted a significant portion of his practice to defending cities, counties, and law enforcement in all manners of disputes. Mr. Yarbrough’s practice focuses on all aspects of civil litigation, from pre-lawsuit resolution through the appeal of a judgment rendered by a trial court. Mr. Yarbrough handles a variety of real estate litigation, trucking and automobile litigation, commercial litigation, and premises liability. Mr. Yarbrough has experience handling complex matters of wrongful death, Federal Employers Liability Act, and railroad grade crossing accidents involving catastrophic injuries.

Selection as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation is restricted to members of the State Bar of Texas.  Each year one-third of one percent of Texas attorneys are invited to become Fellows.  Once nominees are selected, they must be elected by the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.  Membership has grown from an initial 255 Charter Members in 1965 to more than 10,000 Fellows throughout Texas today.  If you are a Fellow and have a recommendation for a new member, please contact your District Nominating Chair.

Founded by attorneys determined to assist the public and improve the profession of law, the Texas Bar Foundation has maintained its mission of using the financial contributions of its membership to enhance the rule of law and the system of justice in Texas.  To date, the Texas Bar Foundation has distributed more than $24 million throughout Texas to assist nonprofit organizations with a wide range of justice-related programs and services.  More than $1.5 million is projected to be distributed for grants this fiscal year.  For more information, please visit www.txbf.org.

On August 8, 2022, at the Advanced Family Law Course, Underwood shareholder Chris Wrampelmeier presented a paper entitled “New Discovery Frontiers: Rule Changes and Impacts from Both Sides of the Bench” with the Hon. Emily Miskell, Presiding Judge of the 470^th District Court.  

Two days later, the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists presented Mr. Wrampelmeier with the Sam Emison Award. Each year, the Sam Emison Award is bestowed upon one exceptionally distinguished family law practitioner or judge who has demonstrated a significant commitment and made significant contributions to the practice of family law in the State of Texas. The Sam Emison Award is one of the most coveted awards in Texas family law.

Underwood attorney Slater C. Elza spoke to the Lubbock County Bar Association this August on “Ethics Jeopardy”. Slater presented with his fellow State Bar Litigation Council Board Members J. Paul Manning and Cade Browning to address a number of potential ethical issues for Texas lawyers. The State Bar Litigation Section is comprised of nearly nine thousand members from all parts of the State and all sides of the Bar. They are a neutral organization comprised of plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, mediators/arbitrators, pro bono attorneys and law students who are dedicated to improving our justice system and the quality of legal services delivered to Texans. 

Jennie C. Knapp served as co-chair of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel Summer Meeting in Big Sky, Montana July 13-17. The TADC is a professional organization of civil trial attorneys dedicated to promoting excellence in its members, fairness in our judicial system, and preserving the right to jury trial for all citizens.

Underwood attorney Slater C. Elza’s article “Understanding the Fifth Amendment in the Context of Civil Litigation” was recently selected for publication in the Texas State Bar Litigation Section’s Summer 2022 edition of The Advocate. 

The Litigation Section is comprised of almost 9000 members from all parts of the state. It is a neutral organization consisting of plaintiff’s attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, arbitrators, mediators and law students. Slater is currently serving his second term as an elected member of the Litigation Council and also serves as the Chair of the Council’s Legislative Committee. Special thanks goes to Underwood Shareholder Brad Timms for his help in researching and drafting the article.

James Wester, Of Counsel to Underwood Law Firm, P.C., has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation.  Mr. Wester took office June 1, 2022. 

In an Of Counsel role, Mr. Wester continues to assist various Underwood attorneys in Underwood’s Renewable Energy Group in an effort to bring value to clients in the growing wind, solar and renewable energy industries in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains regions.  Economic development incentives are an important factor for renewable energy projects, a portion of his practice included tax abatement agreements for counties, hospital districts, and regional water districts and tax limitation agreements for school districts.  Mr. Wester also continues to actively transition his business and real estate practice.

Founded in 1965 by attorneys determined to assist the public and improve the profession of law, the Texas Bar Foundation has maintained its mission of using the financial contributions of its membership to build a strong justice system for all Texans.  To date, the Texas Bar Foundation has distributed more than $24 million throughout Texas to assist nonprofit organizations with a wide range of justice-related programs and services.  More than $1.5 million is expected to be distributed for grants this fiscal year.  For more information, please visit www.txbf.org.

Underwood attorney Slater C. Elza recently spoke on “Current Trends in Municipal Charter Elections” at the Texas City Attorneys Association’s Annual Meeting in Galveston, Texas.  TCAA is an affiliate of the Texas Municipal League that was formed to promote, encourage and advance the professional development of municipal attorneys throughout Texas. TCAA currently has over 400 members who are actively engaged in the practice of municipal law. Underwood has an experienced Municipal Law Section that represents cities throughout the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. Slater is the elected Second Vice-President for TCAA while serving his seventh term on the State Board of Directors.

Chris Wrampelmeier has been made a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), the premier national organization of family law attorneys. He is one of 129 AAML fellows in Texas and the only one in private practice in the Texas Panhandle.

In February, Chris served on the faculty of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists seminar in New Orleans. The two-day seminar addressed property and child-related issues through demonstrations and discussion. Some faculty played members of the Addams Family, with Chris appearing as Pugsley Addams, the son of the divorcing Gomez and Morticia Addams. He appears in the photo in the striped shirt with Pugsley’s pet alligator. (Photo courtesy of Douglas Fejer and used with permission.)

Underwood attorney Slater C. Elza recently presented the topic “Municipal Liability: Understanding the Texas Tort Claims Act” at the Texas City Attorneys Association’s 2022 Riley Fletcher Basic Municipal Law Seminar in Austin, Texas.  Slater serves as Second Vice-President of the TCAA, which is an affiliate of the Texas Municipal League that was formed to promote, encourage, and advance the professional development of municipal attorneys throughout Texas. TCAA currently has a membership of over 400 attorneys with a continued focus on meeting the needs, concerns, and problems of its members through educational and other opportunities.

Slater Elza’s practice focuses on representing businesses and governmental entities in litigation matters. As a litigator, Slater has tried over 125 matters through verdict in state courts, federal courts and arbitrations. Over the past few years he has handled significant litigation in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia and Pennsylvania for clients.

Underwood Shareholder, Roger Cox has been reappointed by Governor Greg Abbott as Canadian River Compact Commissioner. 

Roger Cox is counsel to the region’s leading financial institutions and businesses. He is Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate Law, Farm & Ranch Real Estate Law, and Business Bankruptcy Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

To view the Governor’s announcement, visit here.