A plaque is awarded to an author of an outstanding CLE article presented during the year. All articles must be submitted no later than December 1 of each year in order to be considered for the Best CLE Article Award. The award is named in honor of Franklin Jones, Jr. of Marshall, Texas, a co-founding father of the College.
2017 Recipients – Hon. Mike Engelhart and Sarah Kathryn Foster
For 2017, the award goes to Hon. Mike Engelhart and Sarah Kathryn Foster for their article, Procedure for Enforcing Foreign State, Federal and Foreign Country Judgments in Texas.
Mike Engelhart has been the Judge of the 151st Civil District Court since January 1, 2009, after being elected county-wide in Harris County in November 2008. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. A 1995 graduate of The University of Houston Law Center, Mike was an Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review. Before that, he earned a BA in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial law and speaks Spanish fluently.
Mike is on the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (TACTAS), and is on the Board of Directors of Greater Houston Kosher Chili Cookoff, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) organization). He is also a member of the Texas Bar College and a Certified Mediator. Mike is also a member of the Advisory Board of New Leaders Council of Houston. In 2016 he received the University of Houston Law Center Alumni Association “Public Sector Achievement Award” and the “Trial Judge of the Year” Award from the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists. He is the newly elected Civil Administrative Judge for all 24 of Harris County’s Civil District Courts for 2018.
He lives in Bellaire with his wife of 22 years, Eva, who is an attorney and a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee. They have two boys, Joey, 18, and Zachary, 15.
Sarah Foster is a recent alumni of South Texas College of Law Houston where she graduated summa cum laude in December of 2017. During her time in law school, she was a member of the South Texas Law Review. Sarah also spent time volunteering with Unbound, an anti-human trafficking organization in the Bay area that educates teens about the risks of human trafficking and how to notice the warning signs. Prior to law school Sarah earned a BA in international studies from Texas A&M University.
Sarah will be starting her career as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Navy. Her initial service commitment to the Navy is a four year term. During the first two years she will be participating in the first tour judge advocate program where she will receive training in the four major concentration areas of law in the U.S. Navy: command services, legal assistance, prosecution and defense. Additionally, she will attend Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island followed by a 10 week course in Naval Justice School.
Sarah is supported by her husband Phillip Foster, an engineer at CenterPoint Energy, who will be moving with her once she receives orders to her first post. Sarah and her husband are excited for the opportunity to embrace Navy culture and welcome both the challenges and adventures that lie ahead.
Past Recipients
2016
Shelly L. Skeen, Dallas
State of Rights Post – Obergefell
2015
Justice Jane Bland of Houston and Laura Prather of Austin
Bullies Beware: Bullies Beware: Safeguarding Constitutional Rights through Anti-SLAPP in Texas
2014
Clyde J. “Jay” Jackson, III, Houston
“Texas Supreme Court Update” presented at TexasBarCLE’s 30th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course.
2013
Richard R. Orsinger, San Antonio
“170 Years of Texas Contract Law” (Written for the TexasBarCLE’s The History of Texas Supreme Court Jurisprudence 2013).
2012
Award is shared by Lawrence M. Doss, Jeremy C. Martin, Chris Nickelson, Georganna L. Simpson, Rebecca Tillery, and Jimmy Vaught
“Appellate Practice From Every Angle,” presented at TexasBarCLE’s 38th Annual Advanced Family Law Course.
2011
John G. Browning, Dallas Texas
“Social Media in the Jury Box” (Written for the TexasBarCLE 34th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course 2011.)
2010
Pamela Stanton Barron, Austin Texas
“Supreme Court Docket Analysis” (Written for the TexasBarCLE 24th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Law Course 2010.)
2009
Richard R. Orsinger, San Antonio
“Practicing Family Law In a Depressed Economy Part I: Your Law Practice” and “Your Clients – Part II: The Economy” (Written for the TexasBarCLE Advanced Family Law Course 2009)
2008
Byron F. Egan, Dallas
“Director Duties: Process and Proof”(Written for the TexasBarCLE Webcast: Corporate Minutes/Director Duties)
2007
Hon. Patrick J. Garza, San Antonio
“Police Interaction with Juveniles” (Written for the Juvenile Law Institute’s 20th Annual Juvenile Law Conference in Houston)
2006
James N. Hidgon, San Antonio and Stehanie J. Bandoske, San Antonio
“War and Peace-Military Benefit Issues in War Time”
2004
Thomas M. Featherston, Jr., Waco
“What a Spouse Can Do To Unilaterally Protect That Spouse’s ‘Estate” From the Other Spouse and the Other Spouse’s Creditors and Heirs”
2003
David B. Young, Austin
“Selected Consumer Bankruptcy Issues”
2002
Steve Akers, Dallas
“Trustee Selection; Retaining Strings Without Getting Strung-Up“
2001
Thomas P. Goranson, Dallas
“What Every Family Lawyer Should Know About the Civil Practices & Remedies Code, Property Code, and Business & Commerce Code”
2000
James E. Brill, Houston
“Dealing With The Death Of A Solo Practitioner”
1999
- Paula Sweeney, Dallas
- Valerie Mosman, Dallas
- Hon. John M. Marshall, Dallas
1998
Eric E. Sigsbey, Midland
1997
David H. Pace, Dallas
1996
David B. Young, Austin
1995
Kathryn Hinkel, Dallas
1994
Scott Rothenberg
1993
Walter P. Wolfram, Amarillo
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