A pair of Texas Law alumni have received top honors recognizing excellence in trial and appellate advocacy from the Texas Bar Foundation.
Fred Hagans ’72 received the 2026 Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award, and Jane Webre ’89 received the Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award. The awards were presented June 12 at the Texas Bar Foundation’s annual dinner in Houston. The foundation supports programs that enhance the rule of law and improve the justice system in Texas, including legal services for deserving communities, the administration of justice, ethics in the legal profession, legal research, and public education about the judicial system.
Both Hagans and Webre are double Longhorns, having also earned undergraduate degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in psychology and Plan II Honors, respectively.
“I’m never surprised, but always delighted, to see our alumni recognized for their excellence,” said Dean Bobby Chesney. “And I can’t think of any two more deserving honorees than Fred and Jane. It was truly wonderful to see them celebrated by their peers.”
Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award
Hagans won the Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award, established by Beck Redden LLP in honor of founding partner Ronald D. Secrest, to recognize a trial lawyer who demonstrates exceptional professional conduct and the highest ethical standards.
Hagans is the founder of Hagans law firm in Houston, where he has built a reputation for managing complex, high-value disputes. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Hagans has tried more than 100 cases to verdict or judgment and has represented individuals, families, small businesses, and Fortune 100 companies in trials, arbitrations, and appeals.
He frequently speaks on ethics, professionalism, and trial preparation and served as co-chair of the Texas Supreme Court Professionalism Committee that authored the “Texas Lawyer’s Creed.”
Hagans is also actively involved with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)—which supports Type 1 diabetes research—having served as president, board member, and advisory board member.
Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award
Webre won the Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, established by Yetter Coleman LLP in 2011 in memory of former partner Gregory S. Coleman—the first solicitor general of Texas—to honor an attorney with an outstanding appellate practice and a strong commitment to supporting underserved communities. Coleman graduated from Texas Law in 1992.
Before entering private practice, Webre clerked for Judge Reynaldo G. Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Webre is now a partner at Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP in Austin, where she focuses on civil appellate law and handles most of the firm’s appeals. She also litigates complex matters in trial courts, including cases involving oil and gas and land use.
She has argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, the Supreme Court of Texas, and courts of appeal across the state. Webre is also a frequent speaker on appellate procedure and Texas Supreme Court decisions.
Webre’s honors include the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association Outstanding Achievement Award for 2025 and recognition as Lawyer of the Year in appellate law for Austin by The Best Lawyers in America publication, which uses a peer-review process to highlight the nation’s top legal talent.