Class Notes

Clyde Wesley (Wes) Clements passed away Dec. 9, 1941. A member of the Texas Bar Association, Clements practiced criminal law in Houston until 2022.

Irwin Steinhorn has joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in the firm’s Oklahoma City office. Steinhorn has decades of experience assisting clients with corporate compliance, corporate governance and ethics, mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and compliance, capital market transactions, securities offerings, shareholder activism, and environmental law.

Thomas Terrell passed away on Jan. 19, 2024. At Texas Law, Terrell was a member of the Order of the Coif and Texas Law Review, in addition to serving as a quizmaster. A U.S. Army veteran, he started his legal career in Austin before establishing a practice in Kerrville, Texas.

Irwin H. Steinhorn has joined the Oklahoma City office at the firm of Steptoe & Johnson as Of Counsel. Steinhorn’s background includes serving as vice president and general counsel for two New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed companies. He also served as an adjunct professor of law for 28 years at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Ken Glaser passed away on Feb. 23, 2024. Glaser was a dedicated attorney, establishing his own patent and trademark law firm and in 2001 joining Gardere until his retirement in 2021.

Mike Hatchell has been appointed as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Hatchell serves at Haynes Boone where he focuses on appeals in all state and federal courts with emphasis on the Supreme Court of Texas.

Stephen J. Smith of Houston passed away Dec. 8, 2022. Smith was a leader in the Houston legal community, as well as in numerous charitable organizations.

Joseph Colbert passed away on Sept. 9, 2023. Colbert served in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to attending Texas Law, later opening a practice specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation.

Judge J. Blair Cherry Jr. passed away August 18, 2023. After serving one term as a district attorney, he opened a private law practice and managed his family’s oil and gas business. Cherry went on to serve as District Judge of Lubbock and Crosby counties, then Senior District Judge.

Prentis Otis Hibler passed away on April 20, 2023. Hibler opened his own civil litigation practice and spent 50 years representing a range of clients. He also served as Mayor of Hill Country Village, a city near San Antonio, Texas.

The Honorable Robert Dale Jones passed away on Jan. 7, 2023. Jones, a double Longhorn, led a successful judicial career that included serving as a judge advocate general in the Marine Reserves and a senior district judge.

Guy Edward Matthews passed away Nov. 23, 2022. Matthews was a double Longhorn who came to the Forty Acres on a football scholarship. After starting his career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Matthews worked at Pravel, Wilson and Matthews before starting his own firm that focused on the litigation of intellectual property matters in 1972.

Robert “Bob” Craft passed away on Oct. 16, 2022. Following graduation from Texas Law, Craft served in the U.S. Marines as a JAG lawyer, then as an anti-trust attorney for the next 30 years until retirement.

Irwin H. Steinhorn was named by 405 Magazine as one of the top lawyers in Oklahoma City and as one of the Best Lawyers in America for his work in corporate law and securities/capital market law. He is an attorney with Conner and Winters LLP.

F. Walter Conrad Jr. passed away on Sept. 24, 2022. Before beginning his legal career, Conrad served as first lieutenant of an artillery battery at Fort Lewis, receiving the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Conrad worked at Baker Botts as a trial attorney, specializing in environmental litigation.

Thomas Hanna passed away on Feb. 6, 2022. Hanna worked as Assistant District Attorney and District Attorney for Jefferson County. Hanna served as the Chairman for the Legislative Committee, the Executive Director of the State Bar of Texas in Austin, and on the Board of Texas Lawyers Insurance Exchange. He was recognized by the State Bar of Texas for Fifty Years of Outstanding Service in 2016, received the Blackstone Award, and was bestowed a lifetime achievement honor by the Jefferson County Bar Association.

James “Jim” Larkin passed away on August 25, 2021.  He served in the US Army  1957 – 1960, primarily stationed in Berlin. Larkin served as Harris County DA for 28 years until his retirement in 1993. During his career, he performed Administrative duties and served as Chairman of the Hiring Committee for 19 years where he watched hundreds of young lawyers advance through the DA’s office. After retiring as DA, Larkin became a visiting judge for the Harris County for 17 years.

Bruce Dixie Smith passed away peacefully in Houston, Texas on Feb. 21, 2021. Smith was a double Longhorn, having earned his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Texas in Austin. He joined the firm of Fulbright and Jaworski out of law school and was made partner in 1975. He was proud to be the first Fulbright attorney to win a case in front of the United States Supreme Court in 1974. Smith retired from the firm in 1997. Donations in Dixie’s memory may be made to any animal or homeless shelter, Meals on Wheels, Houston Food Bank or the charity of your choice.

Lynn Rogers Coleman died November 13th, 2020 at the age of 81. He was a prominent lawyer in Washington, D.C., recognized as an energy policy expert in and outside of the federal government. He was general counsel and deputy secretary of the Department of Energy. Chris Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, describes Lynn as someone who “had a deep and passionate interest in the issues of energy, the environment and practical solutions to climate change.”

A life brilliantly lived, Houston famed trial attorney and renowned author, Lawrence Duncan Thompson, “Larry”, died leaving a legacy of greatness for his loved ones to embrace. He and his cousin Tom formed the law firm Lorance and Thompson in Houston in 1970, where Thompson practiced for over 55 years. He led the firm through good times and hard times with a firm hand, compassionate heart and enthusiasm for the law. He finished the Boston marathon twice as well as numerous other marathons across the country. Most of all he was full of enthusiasm for life, compassion for all and grace in all endeavors.

Robert Parker passed away at 82 on August 27, 2020, surrounded by his family. Parker is a double longhorn, receiving a BBA in 1961 and graduating from Texas Law in 1964. After law school, Parker started his illustrious career as a trial lawyer and judge, serving as Chief Judge the Eastern District of Texas and eventually being appointed by President Bill Clinton as Circuit Judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He received numerous accolades in his lifetime, particularly meaningful among these were the Judge Robert M. Parker Endowed Presidential Scholarship and the Judge Robert M. Parker Endowed Chair in Law at the University of Texas Law School, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas School of Law Alumni Association.

Mike Hatchell has joined Haynes and Boone, LLP as counsel in the firm’s highly regarded Appellate Practice. He will be based in Haynes and Boone’s Austin office. Chambers USA 2017 (Chambers & Partners) recently described Hatchell as the “dean of Texas appellate practice.” He has been lead counsel in more than 400 appeals, handling cases in all 14 courts of appeals in Texas and in federal courts across the country.

Irwin Steinhorn is included on the Best Lawyers in America recognition list.