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Alan is an appellate partner and Reed Smith’s global chair of diversity, equity and inclusion. He leads the firm’s industry-recognized DEI program, spearheading the development and implementation of policies and programs aimed at fostering an inclusive culture, recruiting and advancing diverse talent, collaborating with clients, and serving underrepresented communities.

Alan has been involved in appellate law since the inception of his legal career, serving from 1989 to 1990 as briefing attorney to Justice Sam Robertson on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals. Since that time, Alan has maintained an active involvement in appellate bar activities, serving as chair of the Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, and as a council member of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Practice Section. He has also served as a judicial liaison between these bar sections and the judiciary, and has co-authored and co-presented numerous CLE topics with members of the appellate judiciary.

Credentials

  • University of Houston Law Center, 1989, J.D.
  • University of Houston, 1986, B.B.A., summa cum laude

  • Texas

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Northern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court - Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Southern District of Texas
  • All State Courts - Texas

  • State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice and Litigation Sections
  • Houston Bar Association, Appellate Practice and Litigation Sections
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Nominating Committee, 2012-2020

  • Justice Sam Robertson, Fourteenth Court of Appeals, 1 January 1989 to 1 January 1990

Awards & Recognition

  • Twice named to INvolve’s “Outstanding Top 100 LGBT+ Executives Role Model Lists”, 2019, 2022
  • Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Appellate Practice, 2015-2025
  • Named to Thomson Reuters’ “Top 100 Lawyers in Texas”, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Seven-time selection to Thomson Reuters' "Top 100 Lawyers in Houston,” as published in Super Lawyers Magazine and Texas Monthly, 2013-2019
  • Selected for inclusion in the Texas Super Lawyers list for Appellate (2003-2023)
  • Twelve-time selection as one of "Houston's Top Lawyers" by H Texas Magazine, 2005-2007, 2012-2020
  • Selected as one of the "Top Lawyers in Houston" by Houstonia Magazine, 2015
  • AV-Rated "Preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell
  • "Superb" 10-Rating by AVVO.com
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • Ranked in Chambers USA for Texas Litigation: Appellate, 2024

Civic Involvement

  • Lambda Legal, National Leadership Council, Houston Leadership Committee
  • Houston Grand Opera, Underwriter, Board of Trustees, Laureate Society Council