Hailing from Fort Worth, Frank E. Stevenson II, a distinguished alumnus of Amherst College and the University of Virginia Law School, commands a prominent presence in the legal sphere. As a Fellow in the American, Texas, and Dallas Bar Foundations, he has left an indelible mark as the former president of the Dallas Bar Association in 2008, State Bar of Texas for 2016-17, and the Western States Bar Conference 2020-21. Frank is of counsel at Locke Lord, and his expertise spans administrative, transportation, real estate, and finance law.
Distinguished by a string of prestigious accolades, from state’s legal-aid providers, civic groups, his alma maters, Frank was recently honored with the 2023 Fellows Justinian Award — the Dallas Bar Foundation’s highest honor symbolizing excellence in legal practice and unwavering dedication to volunteer and professional service.
Join me as I delve into the profound insights of an esteemed practitioner at the top of his game.
Amanda L. Cottrell: With such a distinguished career, how have you managed to balance your professional responsibilities with your commitment to the community?
Frank Stevenson: I don’t think I could have achieved anything meaningful in my legal practice without engaging in the volunteer and charitable activities I have. Because there are only so many hours in the day, we tend to think of “balancing” practice and volunteer demands as if they’re antagonists. They’re anything but. Law is a demanding vocation – and a downright unmanageable one if we are unhappy with ourselves. Service sows satisfaction. And the surest way to help yourself is to help someone else.
Cottrell: I know you describe volunteering for various bar programs as being in the “Believe-in-People Business.” How do you balance professional relationships with genuine personal connections?
Stevenson: Your phrase – “genuine personal connections” – so perfectly captures an immense modern-day longing. The Atlantic recently reported that the percentage of Americans who say they have no close friends had quadrupled since 1990; and more than half of all Americans say that no one knows them well. That’s tragic since we all need someone with whom we can be completely unvarnished, unaffected, and unguarded. In making crucial decisions, someone else’s perspective can be more reliable than our own. I’ve experienced situations in which a close friend knew me better than I knew myself; and sometimes I needed reproof as profoundly as other times I needed encouragement. We’ve come to think of a “friend” as something made on Facebook and numbering in the hundreds, but there’s actually nothing that’s “genuine,” “personal,” or even a “connection” there. One or two authentic friends are both essential and sufficient.
Cottrell: It’s evident that — among your unique set of strengths — is an incredible sense of responsibility and purpose. What qualities or traits do you believe are indispensable to being successful in the legal profession?
Stevenson: The world breaks neatly into two groups – the ones for whom words matter and the ones for whom they don’t. There are no great lawyers in the second group. Whether in a transactional or a litigation practice, a lawyer’s task is to get words to do what the client wants done. Nietzsche’s advice was “write slowly” and described the process as “a goldsmith’s art and connoisseurship of the word…[that] does not so easily get anything done.” So, if a provision can be stated with greater lucidity or efficacy, the lawyer still has work to do. The president of the Oklahoma Bar the year I served the Texas one had done graduate work on Mark Twain. He was fond of Twain’s observation that “the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
Cottrell: Looking at your early career goals and aspirations, how have they evolved over time, and did your achievements align with your initial expectations?
Stevenson: My career does not remotely resemble what I anticipated at its inception 43 years ago. I thought I’d likely leave firm practice for an in-house one; instead, I’ve never left the firm where I clerked as a 2L. And I never expected to become involved in bar activities because that was for litigators and I’m a transactional guy; instead I’ve been deeply engaged in several different bar associations. In sum, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And being a big-firm bar junkie has been a very satisfying course for me. So, I suggest that even if a person questions whether he or she is on the right career path, the absolutely wrong thing to do is be tentative, half-hearted, or under-engaged in its pursuit. That only ensures those questions you harbor will become a self-fulfilling reality – you will be unsuccessful and unhappy. And then you’ll never know if all that prevented a rewarding career was your inadequate commitment to its success.
Cottrell: Are there still moments where you doubt your career path?
Stevenson: Yes! Law practice does not set a cornucopian banquet of richly soul-satisfying work before me every day. But I eventually realized that evaluating my career episodically, instead of taking the long view, was sure to drive me crazy. The question has to be: Where is this heading long-term? And if I’m satisfied with that answer, I am in the right place.
Cottrell: To many, you’re the epitome of success. You’ve held prestigious leadership roles in legal organizations spanning Dallas, Texas, and the Western States. As the chair of the Dallas Bar Foundation, your extensive community and charitable contributions have left a lasting impact on countless lives in North Texas. Reflecting upon your many accomplishments, has your perspective on success and achievement shifted throughout your career?
Stevenson: Over the last several years I’ve ended every day by identifying all of that day’s events for which I’m grateful. All the things that could have gone badly, but didn’t. The generous people in my life and the opportunities I have that are unavailable to others. Most days my reflection revealed it’s a surprisingly long list. For me, gratitude is a muscle that demands near-constant exercise. And doing that has instilled in me a less-admiring self-perception of my own success. Yes, I’ve worked very hard. But whether you call it lucky, fortunate, or blessed, I’ve been that and more.
Amanda L. Cottrell is a litigation partner at Sheppard Mullin in Dallas. She began her legal career at Locke Lord, where she practiced for nearly 10 years.