Law
On November 18, EHS will host our sixth annual Alumni Leadership Day. This event gives seniors an opportunity to hear from a variety of alumni regarding their respective careers.
Based on their occupation, each alumni member sits on one of eleven panels. Every senior rotates through two panels in the morning, and the day concludes with a roundtable lunch.
Read about our Law alumni panelists below.
- Alana Kalantzakis Ackels '02
- Katie Barnes '92
- Rick Bennett '93
- Lizz Dye '08
- Lytch Tornow Gutmann '03
- Nathaniel Higgins '03
- Richard Howell '01
- Lauren Glesby Mahan '02
- K. Knox Nunnally '97
Alana Kalantzakis Ackels '02
Partner at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP
SMU - Majors: English & Spanish; Minors: Psychology & Philosophy
SMU - Law degree
My day is spent helping businesses solve problems, usually as they relate to their workforces. That can range anywhere from providing advice and counsel on employee issues (a leave of absence, a tricky termination, layoff, etc.,)to helping clients prevent risk through policy implementation and training, to litigating disputes in court and arbitration when they cannot be resolved amicably. Lawyers in private practice are in the service industry so with email these days I do not think we are ever "off" - if you are the first call a client makes when they (or their business) is in trouble, you take the call. I enjoy that aspect of my practice because I feel like I help businesses navigate uncertainty. That has been more important now than ever during the pandemic.
My advice for someone entering the field is to try and get as much varied experience as possible through work and internships during law school. Law school will teach you great analytical skills, but it will teach you very little about how to practice law and what it will be like. I never really understood how the Rules of Evidence worked until I saw them being used in a courtroom. Try to get experience in litigation, transactional, and criminal practices so you have a sense of what you enjoy doing BEFORE you graduate law school and look for a job. You don't have to have all the answers when you graduate - no one does - but it will help your job search (and overall job satisfaction) if you have a general idea of practice areas you enjoy.
Katie Barnes '92
Director, Right of Way at Texas Central Partners
BS in Political Science from Texas Christian UniversityJD from South Texas College of Law
I am currently serving as the Director of Right of Way for Texas Central Partners. Texas Central is a private, Texas-based company that is developing the high-speed passenger railway and associated facilities between Houston and Dallas. Texans will soon have access to a state-of-the-art, high-speed passenger rail system that will move people between two of our state’s economic powerhouses—North Texas and Houston—in less than 90 minutes. My work day is different every day as I work for a Dallas-based company while living in Houston and have a mobile work experience between Dallas, Houston, and our project offices in Ennis and College Station. I am part of the management team for Texas Central’s real estate program coordinating with attorneys, engineers, outreach, and real estate professionals to acquire the real estate needed for the construction of this innovative project. Points of advice for those entering this area of work or any line of work: Your reputation is all you have so strive to be the best person you can be; no job or task should be beneath your pay grade; and show enthusiasm for your work.
Rick Bennett '93
Assistant United States Attorney - Department of Justice, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Human Rights and Organized Crime Section
B.A. Texas Christian University
J.D. Southern Methodist University
The great thing about being a federal prosecutor is that your days are filled with interesting cases and you never know what might come up next. I typically spend my mornings either preparing for various court hearings, trials, or discussing case strategy with a federal agent from various agencies, including FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, ATF, and others. The types of cases I handle vary from child exploitation, gangs, sex traffickers, immigration fraud, gun and drug offenses. The key to being a successful prosecutor and attorney in general is to learn to be efficient, prioritize, and recognize the issues that need to evaluated. Finally, having worked in several areas in the legal field, being a federal prosecutor and serving and protecting the public has been the most rewarding and satisfying position I have had.
Lizz Dye '08
Associate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
elizabeth.dye@pillsburylaw.com
B.A. Politics, B.A. Spanish/Washington and Lee University
J.D./University of Texas School of Law
My typical day is never the same. One thing that is consistent is that I wake up early and work out as a stress-reliever and then head into the office to arrive by 9 am. Depending on how busy I am, I may not leave until 8 pm or later, but typically leave around 7 pm. I try and organize my day around priority assignments – what needs to get done that day and what can wait. One of the traits that makes someone successful as a lawyer is a willingness to work hard and an interest in learning about different business and industries. I would recommend that anyone who wants to become a lawyer seriously consider the daily time commitment because you bill your time by the hour, meaning that you are incentivized to work long hours. Despite the long hours, it can be a highly rewarding job that requires skill and strategy – it is a particularly good job for those with a competitive spirit! And there are many paths for someone with a law degree that do not necessitate working at a law firm – it is a valuable education.
Lytch Tornow Gutmann '03
Partner at Bracewell LLP
B.A. - Hollins University
J.D. - South Texas College of Law
I am a transactional lawyer, working primarily in the midstream oil and gas space. The kinds of deals I work on are, for example, a company wanting to buy or sell a business or assets, invest in a new company or form a joint venture. A typical day during a transaction would involve drafting the various agreements to evidence the deal and lots of meetings and conference calls with the client and the counterparty to discuss the terms of those agreements. As transactional lawyers, we spend a lot of time on the phone or in meetings with our clients to make sure the words in the documents reflect the parties’ business deal. A typical transaction could involve 3 or 4 long agreements.
Staying organized is really important! I keep lots of lists and have various systems I use to stay organized.
Nathaniel Higgins '03
Attorney at Littler Mendelson, PC
Baylor University
Howard University School of Law
Typically, I start my day by checking and responding to emails and creating list of tasks I need to do for the day. I may not need to finish all the tasks for the day—some items are ongoing projects—but I at least want to make progress on all of the items I write down. Then, I start working my way through my list based on priority. Throughout the day I may get assignments from different partners with different levels of priority/urgency, so I have to manage my time (based on priority) and sometimes juggle multiple tasks—I think this is critical to being not only a successful attorney, but a successful professional. On occasion I’ll have to go to court for hearings and to argue a motion we’ve filed with the court.
Richard Howell '01
Partner (Attorney) - Jackson Walker, LLP
University of Texas at Austin - 2004 - B.A. Government
Baylor Law School - 2008 - J.D. Law
Why Become a Lawyer? Law impacts all aspects of life. If you want to secure the rights of immigrants, protect new technologies, seek justice for crime victims or the accused, or help businesses succeed, then practicing law is a great career to consider. Law is a service industry. While lawyers help achieve a client’s objectives or mitigate risks and owe a fiduciary duty to a client, lawyers also owe independent duties to prevent abuses of the legal system.
How to Become a Lawyer? To become a lawyer, you must graduate college, take the LSAT, attend law school, and pass the bar exam in the state where you want to work.
How to Get Hired? Most law students work during the summers, either in internships with law firms, government agencies, or judges. Top law firms recruit from the top 10-20% of each law school class. Salaries for new lawyers vary widely.
What’s a Typical Day? I litigate disputes between companies. A typical day involves calls and emails with company representatives or other lawyers, writing pleadings to be filed in court, or attending a trial or deposition (testimony before trial). While many TV shows and movies focus on courtroom work, most lawyers never appear in court. Instead, they help individuals and businesses solve problems through various contracts, wills, leases, or permits.
Lauren Glesby Mahan '02
VP of Operations & In-House Counsel, Douglas Elliman Real Estate
George Washington University
Fordham University School of Law
Being an in-house counsel for a for-profit business is a unique position. Being in-house, I'm knowledgeable about and I'm involved in the business in a deeper way that if I was outside counsel. I enjoy the ability to act on the legal and business side, and my employer/client benefits from this unique perspective.
Days are filled with a series of meetings and independent work related to both legal and business matters. In one day, I may participate in a meeting with the top residential sales agents about market trends, draft a listing agreement, handle an employee termination, demo a new software for client management, review outside attorney billing, and negotiate a contract with Channel 2 for a new show co-produced by my company.
Interns are a great asset to any company. I am establishing relationships with Rice and the University of Houston to participate in their internship programs so students can get school credit. I'm also open to hiring interns outside of these programs if I think there is a good fit. All anyone has to do is contact our Human Resources Department to express interest and let us know what departments they would like to work in (e.g. sales, marketing, human resources, IT).
K. Knox Nunnally '97
Partner, Ware Jackson LLP
B.S., Political Science, United States Naval Academy
J.D., University of Texas School of Law
Knox is a partner at the litigation law firm of Ware Jackson LLP. A former U. S. Marine Corps infantry officer and Harris County Prosecutor, Knox has adapted his unique background to aggressively fight for the legal rights of his clients. He holds a wide range of litigation experience in matters involving disputes over oil and gas matters, contracts, warranties, personal injury claims, employment contract claims, and business tort claims. As lead attorney, he has taken 25 jury trials to verdict and relishes any opportunity to advocate in the courtroom. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts and has argued appellate matters before both state and federal appellate courts.
Knox has specific experience in oil and gas disputes dealing with royalty litigation, JOA disputes, title disputes, asset acquisition and divestiture disputes, mineral lien enforcement, intellectual property disputes, and trespass disputes. He has represented operators, mineral interest owners, and service providers. In addition to oil and gas disputes, Knox has represented clients across a variety of industries in contract disputes, business tort litigation, shareholder disputes, property damage litigation, personal injury litigation, non-compete/non-solicitation litigation, and products liability litigation,
Before joining Ware Jackson, Knox handled energy and commercial litigation for Bracewell LLP and McGuireWoods, LLP in Houston. He also prosecuted criminal cases for three years as an assistant district attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas.
Prior to commencing his legal career, Knox served as an infantry officer and light armored reconnaissance officer for the U.S. Marine Corps, before his honorable discharge as a captain. He completed three combat deployments to Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V, a Purple Heart, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Combat Vs.