Board Members
Jason Boatright is a Special Counsel at Duane Morris LLP in Dallas. Previously, he was a justice on the Texas 5th District Court of Appeals, director of the Railroad Commission's General Counsel Section, and chair of the Attorney General Opinions Committee. Mr. Boatright is a graduate of Middlebury College, the University of St Andrews, and the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Boatright was appointed to the Board in 2021.
Jennifer Caughey is Chair of the Appellate Practice and a partner at Jackson Walker LLP. In that role, she handles complex appeals on wide-ranging subjects. At the state level, she represents or has successfully represented clients in major matters across Texas, including at the Texas Supreme Court, in various Texas Courts of Appeals, and in trial courts. In federal court, she represents or has successfully represented clients in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits, as well as matters in federal district courts and at the U.S. Supreme Court. Previously, she served as a Justice on the Texas First Court of Appeals, where she handled a broad docket of civil, criminal, family, and probate appeals. Jennifer obtained her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her law degree from Harvard Law School. She then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. In addition to her private practice, she is an appointee to the Texas Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the State judiciary. Ms Caughey was appointed to the Board in 2022.
Arthur C. D’Andrea is a litigator in Austin. Previously, he was a commissioner and chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, assistant general counsel for the Office of the Governor, assistant solicitor general in the Office of the Attorney General, and an associate in the Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation section of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. After law school, he clerked for Judge Garwood and Judge Higginbotham on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. D’Andrea is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Molecular Biology, and the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. D’Andrea was appointed to the Board in 2022.
Scott A. Fredricks is Chair of the Litigation Section and a partner at Cantey Hanger LLP, in Fort Worth. He has represented clients in complex commercial cases including antitrust, copyright, patent, securities, and trademark issues in state and federal court. He also helps civic and religious institutions conduct independent investigations, including investigations of child sexual abuse. He previously served as a member of the Professional Ethics Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Biola University, a Master of Theological Studies in Social Ethics from Emory University, and his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Fredricks was appointed to the board in 2024.
Melissa Goodwin is a Senior Justice, assigned to serve the 3rd Administrative Judicial Region of the State of Texas. Prior to her retirement and appointment as Senior Justice, Ms. Goodwin served two full terms as Justice, for the Texas Third Court of Appeals. She also served as District Court Judge for the 427th Judicial District Court of Travis County, as Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 of Travis County, Texas, and as an attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She has also served as Commissioner for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards an Education, and has been appointed to the Texas Judicial Counsel, the Judicial Ethics Committee and the Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas Standing Committee on the Texas Pattern Jury Charges —Criminal, and has served on the Rules Advisory Committee for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Ms. Goodwin received her law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law and a BA from the University of Texas. Ms. Goodwin was appointed to the Board in 2023.
Andrew D. Graham of Dallas serves as senior counsel and vice president for academic affairs & strategic affairs at Alliance Defending Freedom. He is also a senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, DC; an elected member and trustee of The Philadelphia Society; an elected member of The Mont Pelerin Society; a member of The Federalist Society, where he serves on the executive committee for the Professional Responsibility & Legal Education Practice Group; a member of the board of governors of the John Jay Institute; and a member of the advisory council for the Dallas Forum on Law, Politics, and Culture. Previously, he was a litigation partner at Jackson Walker LLP and was named a “Super Lawyers—Rising Star” multiple times. He earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Hyer Society. He then earned master’s degrees at Oxford University (Oriel College) and the University of Chicago before returning home to Texas to earn his law degree at The University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Graham was appointed to the board in 2022.
Michael C. Gross, Vice Chair is a partner in Gross & Esparza, P.L.L.C. in San Antonio. He graduated from Trinity University in 1984 and received his J.D. from St. Mary’s University in 1987. He served as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps from 1988 to 1992. He is board certified in criminal trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is board certified in criminal law and criminal appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He was named Defender of the Year by the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in 2008 and again in 2009. He served as president of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in 2011. He currently serves as an officer with the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Gross was appointed to the Board in 2018.
Kelli Hinson, Chair, is a partner in the Dallas law firm of Carrington Coleman Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP and serves as the firm’s general counsel. She practices in the areas of commercial litigation and professional liability, representing law firms, hospitals, companies, and the professionals who run them. She received a BBA, summa cum laude, from McMurry University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where she was a member of the SMU Law Review and Order of the Coif. She was a member of the District 6 Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas from 2017 to 2018 and has served as chair of the Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee. Ms. Hinson was appointed to the Board in 2018.
David Iglesias is the principal attorney at Iglesias Law Firm in Tyler, Texas. He is a native East Texan who graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and the Texas Tech University School of Law. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Sam R. Cummings of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Since entering private practice, David has devoted much of his career to defending municipalities and public servants against civil actions. He has tried a number of cases in federal and state courts, and he has represented clients in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has argued before panels of the Fifth Circuit on multiple occasions and has also argued before the Court sitting en banc. David also serves as a Commissioner of the Texas State Library and Archives, and on the boards of trustees of UT Health Tyler and the Tyler ISD Foundation. Mr. Iglesias was appointed to the Board in 2021.
W.C. "Bud" Kirkendall is an attorney and mediator in Seguin, Texas. From 2005 to 2017, he served as a District Court Judge presiding over the 2nd 25th Judicial District Court. He was recognized by the Texas Center for the Judiciary in 2012 with the Exemplary Judicial Faculty Award and in 2015 with the Chair’s Award of Excellence. Prior to his judicial service, he served as the District Attorney for the 25th Judicial District from 1984 to 2004 and was recognized as the Prosecutor of the Year by the State Bar of Texas in 1996 and received the Political Courage Award, John Ben Sheppard Public Leadership Forum in 1993. He also maintained a private law practice where he practiced general litigation, including family law, oil & gas law, and real estate law. He graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1974. Judge Kirkendall was appointed to the Board in 2021.
Courtney Schmitz of McKinney is a Partner at Johnson, Loyd & Schmitz, PLLC. She is double board certified in Family Law and Child Welfare by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She graduated from Texas Wesleyan School of Law, which is now Texas A&M School of Law, in 2010 and received her B.A.. from Southern Methodist University in 2007. Ms. Schmitz has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers since 2020. She is a fellow of the Collin County Bench Far foundation and served as the Co-Chair for the Bench Bar Conference in 2022. Ms. Schmitz was appointed in 2022.
Nancy J. Stone practices complex commercial law in Amarillo. She received a B.S. with honors from the University of Texas, a master of science degree from the University of Houston, and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law, where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi and the South Texas Law Journal, 1982–1983. She is a member of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Amarillo and American Bar Associations, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Ms. Stone was appointed to the Board in 2018.