On May 26, 2020, The Houston Lawyer held a Roundtable Discussion via GoToMeeting to address issues the Houston legal community has faced relating to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as issues that we will continue to face in the coming year. HBA President Bill Kroger, who is a partner at Baker Botts LLP and whose practice focuses on energy law, moderated the discussion. A condensed version of the transcript of the Roundtable Discussion will be printed in the July/August issue of The Houston Lawyer.
Download the full transcript: Word Document | PDF
This roundtable features:
Bill Kroger (moderator) - Bill Kroger is president of the Houston Bar Association during the 2020-2021 bar year. He is a partner and the Energy Practice Group litigation chair for Baker Botts L.L.P. |
Stephen A. Barnes, M.D., J.D. - Dr. Steve Barnes is the founding partner of Barnes & Associates. His practice focuses on health care law and representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits including catastrophic neurological and birth injury cases. He is both a board-certified (and re-certified) general surgeon/surgical oncologist and a licensed attorney practicing in Texas, New Mexico, and Montana. Dr. Barnes has lived in Houston since 1997, when he moved to Houston after completing his surgical residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Zenobia Bivens - Zenobia Harris Bivens is a member at Frost Brown Todd LLP. Her practice focuses on business litigation and all things related to U.S. government contracts, including white collar criminal defense and compliance. Zenobia serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Houston Law Center Trial Advocacy Program and frequently writes and speaks on the procedural issues that arise in parallel proceedings—cases involving both civil and criminal allegations.
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Keri Brown - Keri Brown is a partner at Baker Botts L.L.P., where she specializes in transfer tax controversy and fiduciary litigation. A longtime volunteer and supporter of pro bono, Keri is the firmwide partner-in-charge of Corporate Social Responsibility at Baker Botts, in addition to serving as the Chair-Elect of the board of Houston Volunteer Lawyers.
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Hon. Andrew Edison - Judge Andrew Edison is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Texas – Galveston Division. He earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Prior to taking the bench in 2018, Judge Edison was a highly respected trial lawyer, appearing for the past 25 years in state courts, federal courts and arbitration panels across the country. He lectures frequently at various continuing legal education seminars and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, teaching Remedies and Trial Advocacy.
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Hon. Mike Engelhart - Mike Engelhart has been the Judge of the 151st Civil District Court since January 1, 2009 after being elected county-wide in Harris County in November 2008. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. A 1995 graduate of The University of Houston Law Center, he was an Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review. Before that, he earned a BA in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial law.
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Justine Fanarof - The founding member of Fanarof Law, Justine Fanarof has taught yoga and mindfulness since 2004. She is also a practicing lawyer with a Masters in Public Health. Justine has trained and mentored hundreds of lawyers, paralegals, social workers, teachers, and law enforcement officials. Justine’s experiences as a law student and lawyer brought deep awareness of the tragic reality of the prevalence of drug abuse, depression, and suicide in the legal profession, corporate world, and society at-large. Aligned with the mission and vision of the American Bar Association’s Wellness Pledge, Justine partners with law firms to reduce stress and improve well-being through corporate wellness programs, including her signature, research-based yoga and meditation program Mindful Law Firm™.
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Grace Ho - Grace Ho is Senior Counsel at Chevron where she focuses on employment law and investigations. She earned her BA from Rice University, MA from The University of Chicago, and law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Grace has served on the HBA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, as the Secretary of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and as VP of Membership of the Asian American Bar Association of Houston. She is a Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
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Wayne Kitchens - Wayne Kitchens has been practicing bankruptcy and insolvency law for over 35 years. He has been involved in every phase of commercial workouts, restructurings, liquidations, and reorganizations, representing creditors, debtors, chapter 7 and 11 trustees, and committees. His practice emphasizes asset sales and purchases, preference and fraudulent transfer prosecution and defense, bankruptcy claims litigation, lender representation, and serving entrepreneurs and small to mid-size businesses. He has also served as a bankruptcy examiner and mediator. A 1984 graduate of The University of Houston Law Center, he is also Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Business Bankruptcy Law, and is co-managing partner of the Houston law firm Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP.
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Joshua Pherigo - Josh Pherigo is Director of Data Analytics at the Greater Houston Partnership, where he monitors Houston’s economic and demographic trends with a focus on digital innovation, trade, and employment. He is a regular contributor to the Partnership’s monthly newsletter: Houston: The Economy at a Glance and is a member of the team that prepares the Partnership’s annual employment forecast. Josh is the 2019 recipient of the Partnership’s President’s Impact Award, recognizing an individual “whose innovation and creativity are moving the organization forward in a significant way.” Prior to joining the Partnership, Josh was associate editor of Americas Oil Markets at S&P Global Platts, where he covered fuel oil and bunkering in the Western Hemisphere. He holds a Master of Science degree in Analytics from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas. He and his wife Shaina are originally from the Dallas area. Their 1-year-old daughter Bailey is a native Houstonian.
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Further resources
The following resources were cited by or expand on concepts discussed by the Roundtable panelists or the authors of articles featured in the July/August 2020 issue of The Houston Lawyer.
Click here for Judge Engelhart's presentation on the future of the court system.
COVID-19's Impact on the Houston Economy:
COVID-19 and Lawyer Wellbeing:
Litigation During COVID-19:
Employees Navigating the Pandemic:
Estate Planning During COVID-19: