New Board Members and Outgoing Members Appreciated
The Supreme Court of Texas appointed Jason Boatright of Dallas, David Iglesias of Tyler and W.C. "Bud" Kirkendall of Seguin to the Board of Disciplinary Appeals on October 12, 2021. All terms began October 12, 2021.
Jason Boatright is 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. Currently, Mr. Boatright is on the council of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section and he is an officer of the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section. He is a graduate of Middlebury College, the University of St Andrews, and the University of Texas School of Law.
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.
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. Mr. Kirkendall was appointed to the Board in 2021.
Outgoing members David Gonzalez of Austin, Mike Mills of McAllen, and Mike Gregory of Denton devoted years of hard work to the attorney grievance system. Words cannot express our sincere appreciation for their dedication.
Kelli Hinson of Dallas will serve the Board as Chair, and Mike Gross of San Antonio will serve at Vice Chair for 2021-2022.