Denise Scofield, a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, is the new president of the Houston Bar Association, which is the fifth largest metropolitan bar association in the nation. She succeeded T. Mark Kelly of Vinson & Elkins LLP at the Houston Bar Association's Annual Dinner Meeting at River Oaks Country Club in June.
Other new HBA officers are Brent A. Benoit of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, president-elect; Laura Gibson of Ogden, Gibson, Broocks, Longoria & Hall, L.L.P., first vice president; M. Carter Crow of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., second vice president; Alistair B. Dawson of Beck Redden & Secrest, LLP, secretary; and David A. Chaumette of De la Rosa & Chaumette, treasurer. Mr. Kelly will serve on the board as immediate past president.
Ms. Scofield has served on the HBA board of directors since 2001, holding the offices of president-elect, first vice president, second vice president, secretary, treasurer and three terms as a director. She chaired the HBA's Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, which provides pro bono legal services to low-income Houstonians, and the Dispute Resolution Center, which offers community mediation and other no-cost litigation alternatives. She chaired the Harvest Party, the major fundraising event for the Houston Bar Foundation, and chaired or co-chaired the Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession, Gender Fairness, Speakers Bureau, LegalLine, Judicial Polls and Law Week committees of the HBA.
Ms. Scofield is past president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association and past chair of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation. In 2003 she received the Woodrow B. Seals Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston Award and the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas Award from the Texas Young Lawyers Association. The Texas Jaycees and the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce honored her as one of 2004's Five Outstanding Young Texans and Houstonians, respectively.
She defends industrial clients in environmental and toxic tort lawsuits, conducts internal investigations regarding environmental matters, and provides crisis management counseling.