The annual Northern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, hosted by the Dallas and Fort Worth chapters of the Federal Bar Association, is an annual educational summit and districtwide reunion. In 2024, the conference welcomed nearly 600 attendees, and we look forward to another memorable conference this year.
On April 11, 2025, the conference returns to the Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. In addition to breakfast, coffee networking breaks, lunch, and a closing reception, the conference will include CLE-accredited programming featuring members of both the bench and the bar from across the Northern District's seven divisions of Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, San Angelo, and Wichita Falls. A total of 6.25 CLE credit hours, including 1.75 hours of ethics, is anticipated. More information on the conference agenda is below.
The evening before the conference, the fourth annual Northern District of Texas Law Clerk Reunion will be held at a location in Downtown Dallas. If you are a former, current, or future clerk to a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, please sign up below to receive an invitation to the reunion.
Conference registration is open! There are four registration options:
The Host Committee's goal is that this year's conference will be meaningful to all attendees from all legal backgrounds (government, private-practice, or nonprofit), practice areas (such as appeals, civil or criminal litigation, or bankruptcy), sides of "the v" (plaintiff or defendant), years of experience, sizes of employer law firms, and locations of practice all across the Northern District.
We hope to see you at the 2025 Northern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference!
• Hon. David C. Godbey | Chief District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Alan Carrillo | Senior Associate, Brown Fox PLLC, and President, Federal Bar Association Dallas Chapter• Joseph F. Cleveland, Jr. | Shareholder, Bracket & Ellis, P.C., and President, Federal Bar Association Fort Worth Chapter
• Hon. David C. Godbey | Chief District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Karen S. Mitchell | Clerk of Court, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Jonathan R. Childers | Partner, Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP• Donna Max | Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas• Jenna Rudoff | Senior Assistant General Counsel - Global Litigation & Investigations, Nike• Ephraim (Fry) Wernick | Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLPModerated by Chelsea L. Hilliard | Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
Hon. Barbara M. G. Lynn | Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Hon. Ada Brown | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Hon. Reed O’Connor | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Hon. Mark T. Pittman | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Hon. Brantley Starr | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of TexasModerated by Savannah Silver | Associate, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
• Hon. Sam A. Lindsay | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Sean Long | Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Branch Chief - Lubbock, Northern District of Texas • Veronica S. Moyé | Partner, King & Spalding LLPModerated by Hon. Erin Nealy Cox | Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and former U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas
• Hon. Brian McKay | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Elizabeth Geary | Partner, Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP• Kasdin M. Mitchell | Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLPModerated by Hon. James Wesley Hendrix | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Hon. Hal R. Ray, Jr. | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Ferdose al-Taie | Shareholder, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz P.C.• Keefe Bernstein | Regional Trial Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission• Jessica B. Magee | Partner, Holland & Knight LLP• Dennis L. Roossien, Jr. | Shareholder and Chief Operating Officer, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.Moderated by London England | Associate, Gray Reed & McGraw LLP
• Stephen Green | Founding Partner, GreenClark PLLC• Brynn Schiess | Assistant Chief of Fraud Section - Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice • Gabriela Vega | Assistant Federal Public Defender, Northern District of TexasModerated by Hon. Renee H. Toliver | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Shonn Evans Brown | General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Heidelberg Materials North America• Aimee P. Fagan | Partner, Sidley Austin LLP• Michael C. Wilson | Chair - Patent Litigation, Munck Wilson Mandala LLPModerated by Hon. Ada Brown | District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Hon. David L. Horan | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Hon. Lee Ann Reno | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Braden Allman | Counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLPModerated by Vince Hess | Counsel, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
• Anne Burns | Shareholder, Cavazos Hendricks Poirot, P.C.• Hon. Harlin DeWayne Hale | Mediator and Arbitrator, JAMS, and former Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas• Hon. Russell F. Nelms | Owner, Russell F. Nelms Fiduciary Services, and former Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas• Laurie Dahl Rea | Partner, Rochelle McCullough LLPModerated by Rachel A. Rickel | Associate, McMahon Surovik Suttle, P.C.
• Jeffrey J. Ansley | Shareholder, Vedder Price P.C.• David Fraser | Associate Director of Fort Worth Regional Office, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission• Scott Hogan | Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas• Hon. Sarah Saldaña | former Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and former U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas• Craig Wolf | Special Agent in Charge - Dallas Field Office, U.S. Secret ServiceModerated by Hon. Rebecca Rutherford | Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• Lauren Elkerson | Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President - People, RGP• Jennifer M. Trulock | Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP• Craig M. Warner | Partner, Duane Morris LLP• Cynthia Uduebor Washington | Special Counsel, Baker Botts LLPModerated by Olivia J. Countryman | Associate, Baker Botts LLP
• Stephen J. Hammer | Associate, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP• Chris Knight | Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP• Benjamin D. Wilson | Of Counsel, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLPModerated by Kyle D. Hawkins | Counselor to the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice
Hon. Leigha Simonton | former U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas
• Hon. Catharina Haynes | Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit• Hon. Irma Carrillo Ramirez | Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit• Hon. Sidney A. Fitzwater | Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas• Meghan McCaig | Senior Associate General Counsel - Litigation, North American Partners in AnesthesiaModerated by Craig Haynes | Founding Partner, Vartabedian Hester & Haynes LLP
Sponsored by the Texas Lawbook
The fourth annual Northern District of Texas Law Clerk Reunion is from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on April 10, 2025 in Downtown Dallas.
If you are a former, current, or future law clerk to a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, please let us know here or in your conference registration to receive an invitation!
The Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
400 West Las Colinas Boulevard
Irving, Texas 75039
For more information on the 2025 Northern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, please contact FBA Dallas Chapter President Alan Carrillo (alan@brownfoxlaw.com).
Conference registration includes an anticipated 6.25 CLE credits (including 1.75 ethics hours), breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and the closing reception
Please note:
Early-Bird Registration (until February 23): $175Regular Registration (February 24 - March 30): $225Late Registration (March 31- April 7): $275
Early-Bird Registration (until February 23): $295Regular Registration (February 24 - March 30): $345Late Registration (March 31 - April 7): $395
To qualify for the FBA Members discounted rate, please join the Federal Bar Association here: https://www.fedbar.org/membership/join/
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