New Fellows are selected from 1/3 of 1% of the membership of the State Bar of Texas. Selection is based on an outstanding record in the legal profession as well as a commitment to support the community at large. Once nominees are selected, each nominee must be elected by the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. Membership in the Fellows is restricted to attorneys.
Prerequisites of an attorney becoming a member of the Fellows organization include the provision that he or she be:
Following the Foundation Board’s vote, an attorney elected to the Fellows agrees to make a gift of $2,500 to the Foundation. Fellows may take as many as ten years to complete the gift, so long as the Fellow makes a gift each year.
Practically speaking, an attorney usually would have over 5 years in practice before being considered for membership, and the Board has declined to elect nominees who have been disciplined by the Bar for a grievance matter. The Board also declines to elect lawyers whose tax standing is not current.
The Texas Bar Foundation office forwards all names that are suggested to the appropriate local district nominating chair. Individuals may make recommendations via email, and interested attorneys may suggest themselves. Limited by the spaces available, the nominating chair determines the names to propose to the Board of Trustees.
Once the Board of Trustees elects an attorney, he or she will receive a letter confirming the election along with a request for a first gift. After the Foundation receives the first gift, the nominee then becomes a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Upon completion of the gift, a Fellow becomes a permanent part of the Texas Bar Foundation and its work through designation as a Life Fellow. Life Fellows who continue making financial contributions to the work of the Texas Bar Foundation are designated as Sustaining Life Fellows.