The Texas Tech University School of Law is proud to announce Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an Am Law 200 firm serving clients in Texas, Colorado and Mexico, is the Premier Diamond Endowed Scholarship Sponsor for the law school's 12th Annual Scholarship Gala.
“Gardere is such a highly regarded firm with many talented Texas Tech law graduates. We are proud to have them as the Premier Diamond Endowed Scholarship Sponsor,” said Darby Dickerson, Texas Tech Law dean and W. Frank Newton Professor of Law. “The firm's generosity will support deserving students who are committed to upholding and advancing the profession.”
The Texas Tech University School of Law Scholarship Gala, which will be held March 5 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center, will honor five distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the bench, bar or community: Sam Boyd ('77), president and owner of Boyd & Associates in Dallas; Sharen Wilson ('80), Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney in Fort Worth; W C Bratcher ('75), managing partner of Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam in Lubbock; Judge Leslie F. Hatch ('88) of the 237th District Court in Lubbock; and Holland N. O'Neil ('87), partner and chair of the Board of Directors at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Dallas.
As the Premier Diamond Endowed Scholarship Sponsor, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP committed $30,000 to fund the new Holland N. O'Neil Endowed Scholarship at the School of Law. O'Neil is one of six women to have an endowed scholarship named in her honor through the Texas Tech Law School Foundation.
O'Neil, designated a “top-notch lawyer” by clients in Chambers USA, was recognized by D Magazine as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas in 2015, by D CEO magazine as one of the 500 most influential business leaders in the Dallas area in 2016, and has been named to The Best Lawyers in America© list for nine consecutive years. As chair of Gardere, she has been instrumental in the firm's expansion strategy, including opening a Denver office and fully integrating the Mexico City office into the firm.
“Holly has that intangible leadership quality that's very difficult to define,” said David Segrest, partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP and 2008 Texas Tech law Distinguished Alumni awardee. “She sets such a high standard for the rest of us.”