Andrews Kurth Lawyers Named Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation

HOUSTON – Andrews Kurth lawyers Monica Blacker, Jeff Dodd, Joseph Hoffman and Tim McConn were recently named Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation.

According to a statement from the Foundation, “Fellows are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas.”

“The firm congratulates these lawyers on their recognition by the Foundation,” said Managing Partner Bob Jewell. “We are pleased that the Foundation honors the commitments and achievements of those in our profession.”

Monica Blacker is Bankruptcy Counsel in the firm’s Dallas office. Monica’s practice includes representation of debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, and creditors’ committees in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Recently, Monica has worked on the Chapter 11 cases of Marcal Paper, Solutia, Kitty Hawk Airlines, MBS Management, The Bombay Company, Mirant Corporation and NextWave Personal Communications. Monica’s practice also includes loan workouts, loan assumptions and loan origination for institutional lenders and loan servicers. Monica serves on the board of directors of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter, is President of the Young Leadership Board for Gilda’s Club of North Texas, and a member of the Executive Board for Gilda’s Club.  

Jeff Dodd is a Partner in the Corporate/Securities and Intellectual Property Groups and splits his time between the firm’s Austin and Houston offices. Jeff is experienced in diverse domestic and international corporate and securities transactions and also provides advice to investment advisers, broker-dealers and other regulated entities. He has extensive experience in a variety of domestic and international intellectual property and information transactions. He is co-author of Modern Licensing Law, a treatise comprehensively covering intellectual property licensing, published by Thomson-West. Among many civic and professional affiliations, Jeff serves on the board of directors of the University of Houston Law Foundation and is an advisory board member for the Honors College of the University of Houston. Jeff also is an investor in and active supporter of the Brazos Bookstore in Houston.

Joseph Hoffman is a Corporate/Securities Partner in the firm’s Dallas office. Joe has a broad-based corporate and securities practice with a focus on merger and acquisition transactions, public and private securities offerings and regulation, corporate finance transactions and corporate governance in a variety of industries, including technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, distribution, energy and construction. He represents middle market and emerging growth companies, private equity firms, strategic and financial buyers and sponsor groups, their portfolio companies, and boards of directors and board committees. Joe is active in the State Bar of Texas’s Business Law and Intellectual Property Law sections. He is also counsel to the board of directors of Youth Believing in Change and is active with the Entrepreneur’s Foundation of North Texas.

Tim McConn, a Senior Litigation Associate in the firm’s Houston office, represents firm clients in a wide variety of civil litigation matters in federal and state courts, particularly in large-scale commercial disputes, oil and gas disputes, and product liability matters. Tim recently obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of a firm client who had been sued for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duties in an oil and gas dispute. Tim also handles various appellate matters for firm clients. His most recent success occurred last year when the First Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment in favor of a firm client in a labor and employment dispute in which Tim handled oral argument. The appellate court's opinion established new precedent in Texas and should help the firm's client in a number of related cases. In addition, Tim is active in a variety of civic organizations in Houston, including as co-chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Habitat for Humanity Committee for 2007-2008 and as a member of the St. Thomas High School Alumni Association Board. 

About The Texas Bar Foundation

The Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. Founded in 1965 by lawyers 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 $9 million throughout Texas to assist nonprofit organizations with a wide range of justice-related programs and services. For more information, contact the Texas Bar Foundation at www.txbf.org.

About Andrews Kurth
For more than a century, Andrews Kurth has built its practice on the belief that “straight talk is good business.” Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm’s relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. With more than 400 lawyers and offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, The Woodlands and Washington, DC, Andrews Kurth represents a wide array of clients in all areas of business law. For more information about Andrews Kurth, please visit andrewskurth.com.