The Animal Law Section Officers serve one-year terms. Elections are held at the section’s annual meeting in conjunction with the State Bar of Texas annual meeting in June. A nominating committee is formed and nominees are solicited approximately 60 days before the election. Anyone interested in running for office or a council member position may contact the chair of the animal law section.
There are eight council members who serve two-year terms. The council is the governing body of the section.
Officers 2010-2012
Randy Turner, Chair
Fran Ortiz, Vice Chair
Katherine Killingsworth, Secretary
Jill Elsey, Treasurer
Council Members 2010-2012
| Place 1 | Bill Davis Austin |
| Place 2 | Susan Hightower Austin |
| Place 3 | Amy Bures Danna Houston |
| Place 4 | Dena Fisher Houston |
Council Members 2011-2013
| Place 5 | Don Feare Arlington |
| Place 6 | Joel Hailey San Antonio |
| Place 7 | Ann Manes Beaumont |
| Place 8 | Dawn Reveley Austin |
Bios
OFFICERS
RANDY TURNER, Chair of the Section, is a partner at Turner & McKenzie, PC in Fort Worth, Texas. He was a founding member of the section when it was formed in 1996. He is board certified in personal injury trial law and civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a certified civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is the immediate past-president of the Texas Humane Legislation Network and the Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association. Turner regularly represents rescue groups, humane organizations, and animal advocates in civil and criminal litigation. He is a frequent lecturer on animal law. He has worked as a volunteer in orangutan rehabilitation in Indonesia, elephant research in Kenya, and black rhino conservation in Zimbabwe.
FRAN ORTIZ, Vice Chair of the Section, is Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law. She received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She joined South Texas in 1996 and teaches Animal Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Management, Water Law, and Property. She is the faculty sponsor for both the Animal Law Society and the Environmental Law Society at South Texas and co-sponsors the Hispanic Law Students’ Association. Before teaching full-time, Professor Ortiz practiced environmental law with the Austin offices of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue and Baker Botts and worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin teaching Environmental Liabilities. She has previously served as a director on the board of the Texas Humane Legislation Network and as council member on both the Houston Bar Association’s Animal Law Section and its Environmental Law Section.
KATHERINE KILLINGSWORTH, Secretary of the Section, obtained a B.S. in Economics at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2001, and graduated from law school at Southern Methodist University in 2004. She has been with the law firm SettlePou for her entire career, and practices in a variety of areas, including commercial litigation, condemnation, and insurance defense. Katherine openly admits she is a “Crazy Cat Lady,” and it is her love for all things feline that resulted in the recent addition of animal law to these other practice areas. She and her husband have four cats: two mixed-breed flame point Siamese named Dobby and Callie, a Havana Brown named Ellie, and a Singapura named Gumbie. She also enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, and working in her flower, herb, and vegetable gardens.
JILL ELSEY, the Section’s Treasurer, represents horse owners and businesses in equine-related contracts and disputes. She also assists horse businesses with entity formation. Jill, a life-long equestrian, was raised in the horse business and is fortunate to combine her knowledge of the industry with her knowledge of the law. She is committed to assisting clients with horse-related transactions and litigation. Jill has been published in Practical Horseman, Horseback Magazine, Show & Tell Magazine and Houston Lawyer Magazine. She also frequently contributes to her blog at www.elseyequinelaw.com.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
AMY BURES DANNA is licensed in Texas and practices with The Clary Firm, P.C., in the areas of General Civil Litigation, Toxic Tort, Wills & Trusts, and Animal Law. Amy received a B.A. and M.S. in Chemistry and spent thirteen years in analytical laboratory management before going to law school. As a graduate of South Texas College of Law, Amy drew upon her years in the chemical industry to become a civil litigator specializing in manufacturing and chemical company defense. Amy has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center since 2006, lecturing on a range of animal law topics. She has also presented educational seminars to diverse audiences including veterinarians, lawyers, rescuers, vegans, animal control officers, shelter administrators, and pet enthusiasts. She was appointed to the City of Houston/Harris County Task Force on Animal Issues, was an elected officer in the Animal Law Section of the Houston Bar Association, and served two consecutive terms as Chairperson of the State Bar of Texas Animal Law Section. Amy is a licensed private pilot, a certified fitness instructor, and an active volunteer for several non-profit animal-related organizations. For more information, or to contact Ms. Bures Danna, visit www.ClaryFirm.com.
BILL DAVIS practices appellate law at the Office of the Solicitor General of Texas in Austin. He has published commentaries on animal law in The Federal Lawyer and the Lewis and Clark School of Law’s Animal Law Review. Bill has made presentations on animal law at the University of Houston Law Center and the State Bar of Texas Animal Law Section’s Animal Law Institute. Bill graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was a student in the school’s first class on animal law. He is a member of the Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and Farm Sanctuary, and he has volunteered locally at Austin Pets Alive! and the Town Lake Animal Center.
DON FEARE practices civil litigation and criminal defense in Arlington. He regularly handles a large volume of animal law cases, including: an action against a gun club to prevent the sport shooting of pigeons; an in-depth review of the fatal shooting of Jabari, the lowland gorilla at the Dallas Zoo; and a variety of seizure and dog bite related cases. He also served as the trial attorney in the largest animal cruelty seizure in history (27,000 animals). Don is a past member of the board and the legislative committee of the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN). He is also a photographer and field contributor to Nature Photographer magazine, and writes about animal law and waterfowl behavior and diseases. In addition, he speaks to civic and animal groups throughout the country. Don lives at the Wildflight Rescue Foundation, the sanctuary he established in the late 1980’s. Don is also an adjunct professor of animal law at his alma mater Texas Wesleyan School of Law.
DENA FISHER is a criminal defense attorney who offices in Houston, Texas and practices in Houston and surrounding areas. She has spent her life rescuing and learning to care for animals. Dena is on the board of several agencies and organizations that are focused on animal welfare and legislation that affects animals, and she has volunteered with Houston Humane Society, Texas Humane Legislation Network, South Texas College of Law – Student Animal Law Section, Texas Wildlife Rescue Coalition, Fund for Animals, as well as many others. She has written numerous articles relating to the welfare of animals and the laws that protect and/or harm animals, and is a public speaker on many topics, including the laws that affect animals. She is the proud owner of three dogs, two cats, and a multitude of fish. She has fostered “too many dogs to count” over the years, and donates as much money and time as she can spare to helping animals.
JOEL HAILEY has a private practice of probate law in San Antonio where he was born and raised. Hailey received his bachelor’s degree and his Juris Doctor from Baylor University. A longtime leader in the fight to save animals in the San Antonio area and other parts of the state, Hailey has served as Chair and Council Member of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and Vice-Chair of the State Bar Council of Chairs - and he’s been a board member of various organizations such as the Texas Humane Legislation Network, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, and Spay-Neuter Assistance Program. Hailey has been featured in television, radio and newspaper interviews on his efforts as an advocate for animals – and he has helped lead the battle for laws and ordinances to protect animals. He has continued to write articles and make presentations at the Animal Law Section institutes and other seminars.
SUSAN HIGHTOWER is a trademark attorney with a deep interest in animal law. She has taught animal law at UT Law School since 2007. On a volunteer basis, Susan also has submitted a brief to the Texas Attorney General on the legislative history of the state’s ban on breed-specific legislation; written the problem and twice been invited to judge the National Animal Law Moot Court Competition at Harvard Law School; and advocated for laws advancing animal welfare in the Texas Legislature. Susan also volunteers regularly at Austin’s Town Lake Animal Center and is a member of Austin’s Pit Bull Working Group. A former professional journalist, Susan graduated from Stanford Law School in 2000 and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
ANN MANES is an assistant district attorney in Jefferson County, Texas. Assigned to the appellate division, she takes care of most of the animal cases, criminal and civil, that are filed with that office, particularly animal seizures at the JP and County Court level. She sees animals as the third-most vulnerable victims (behind children and the elderly), and the least vocal, and works closely with law enforcement throughout the county to combat animal cruelty and neglect in all the forms it can take, whether in the pit, on the farm, or right in the back yard. She lives with two rescued cats, two rescued bantams (who supply her breakfast), and is about to adopt a half-starved Boston terrier who was rescued hours before she whelped (along with one of her pups).
DAWN REVELEY has practiced law for twenty years and is licensed in Texas and in Michigan. She has twelve years of complex commercial litigation experience. Dawn currently has her own practice, which she opened in October 1996. She practices business law and litigation representing small businesses, most of which are animal care providers. Dawn is one of the founding members of the Animal Law Section and has spoken nationally on animal & equine law issues and on the establishment of state bar animal law sections. She serves on the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and is active in animal-related businesses and hobbies. She has bred, trained and shown horses and golden retrievers for over thirty years.