04/05/2023
TEXAS BAR FOUNDATION GIVES AL ELLIS STATEWIDE RECOGNITION
Al Ellis of Dallas has been selected as one of six recipients of the 2023 Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. The award recognizes attorneys whose practice has spanned 50 years or more and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and service to the public.
Al was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in Dallas where he met his first mentors: Major Joe M. Hill, Commandant of the South Oak Cliff ROTC and John Barnes, a Kroger store manager. From them he learned the values of leadership, hard work and customer service.
Al attended Arlington State College 1961-65 (UTA), became involved in ROTC and led both the Corps and the Sam Houston Rifles drill team. Upon graduation he began his Army career with the 82nd Airborne Division jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. He decided military service was not the career he anticipated so, after serving in Viet Nam, he was honorably discharged.
Following in the footsteps of fictional heroes, Perry Mason and Atticus Finch, Al attended SMU law school. He wanted to be a trial lawyer. Graduating in 1971, he sought employment at all ten Dallas personal injury law firms, received one response, and was hired at Woodruff Kendall & Smith in 1972.
Robert P. Woodruff was Al’s first trial lawyer mentor, from whom he learned perseverance, trial tactics and strategy. Russell B. Smith, a Dallas City Councilman, taught him the value of community service.
Al has been a leader in the profession and the community ever since. His first participation in the Dallas Bar Association was with Law in A Changing Society committee. This committee developed curriculum to train DISD social studies teachers to teach the Constitution/Rule of Law. This program ultimately gave birth to the SBOT Law Related Education Department, which he chaired for several years. His first major community service role began as the Tournament Director for the Dallas Golden Gloves Tournament. He performed that job for 20 years.
Al has served as President of several professional and community organizations, but his proudest moment was President of the DBA (1990). His love for community service carried over into the DBA when it began an annual home building partnership with Dallas Habitat for Humanity. Since then, the DBA has funded and built a Habitat home every year.
Al’s strong belief in diversity resulted in the second highlight of his DBA presidency when the DBA made the Presidents of the Minority Bar Associations voting members of the Board and developed a Five-Year Plan For Inclusion to mold the DBA into a welcoming organization for lawyers of all colors, sexes and creeds.
Al has been blessed with more than his share of awards. Most recently, he received special recognition from the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association. In 2019, the DBA established the “Al Ellis Community Involvement Award” to annually recognize a DBA member’s community service. Also in 2019, the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association recognized him as a “Legal Legend.”
Al and his wife Sandy have been married for 34 years and have a blended family of 3 children, and he is the overindulgent “Grandpoppy” to 3 wonderful grandchildren.
The Bar Foundation commissioned an oral history to recognize and preserve the accomplishments of Mr. Ellis’ legal career. Additionally, he will be publicly recognized at the Texas Bar Foundation Annual Dinner held on June 23, 2023 at the JW Marriott Austin.
Founded in 1965 by attorneys determined to assist the public and improve the profession, the Texas Bar Foundation has become the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. The Texas Bar Foundation relies on the contributions of its Fellows to improve the lives of Texans. To date, through the generosity of the Fellows, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $24 million in grants to numerous organizations across the state.
Election to the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of the State Bar of Texas, representing one-third of one percent of Texas attorneys. Selection is based on an outstanding record in the legal profession as well as proven commitment to support the community at large. For more information about the Texas Bar Foundation, please visit www.txbf.org.
