Lynn Bozalis worked in a world of highly successful corporate lawyers and law school deans who sport strong opinions, major egos and are used to getting their way — men and women who led multibillion-dollar M&A deals and conquered opponents in bet-the-company litigation.
Bozalis tamed them all.
“Oh my God — these are general counsel and corporate executives of huge companies who are so intelligent, so thoughtful and so used to never being told no,” Bozalis told me over drinks on the patio at Sevy’s Grill in 2023. “Sometimes they huff and they puff, but in reality, they are sweet pussycats with big hearts who just need to be told when to show up, pointed in the right direction and patted on the butt and told to move along.”
“But you can’t print any of this until after I am gone,” she told me. “And you better never show that video of me dancing at the Elton John concert.”
Late Wednesday night, Texas General Counsel Forum CEO Lynn Switzer Bozalis lost her battle with cancer. She was 60.
“Lynn was such a bright light — such a vivid light now gone,” North Texas Tollway Authority General Counsel Dena Stroh, who is chair of the GC Forum’s board, told The Texas Lawbook. “She brought energy, good humor and drive to succeed to the Texas General Counsel Forum, as we will deeply miss her.”
A 1990 graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law, Bozalis practiced labor and employment law at Haynes Boone and then Baker Botts. Before becoming the CEO of the Texas GC Forum, she was the associate dean for development and alumni affairs at her alma mater, helping the law school raise tens of millions of dollars for scholarships and academic endowments.
FullSpeed Automotive General Counsel Kelvin Sellers said Bozalis “had such an incredible spirit” and is “a big reason for the success of the Forum.”
“Despite her many accomplishments in private practice, academia and in the non-profit space, Lynn remained humble. She was so down to earth,” said Sellers, who chaired the GC Forum in 2023-24. “Her interactions with each of us seemed perfectly curated for the individual. She knew I wanted to lead the Forum; Yet, she also knew that I did not take myself too seriously. She matched that energy. She encouraged, she challenged, she celebrated.”
“Lynn had an unending capacity to be friends with so many people and she brought those people together,” Lennox International Deputy General Counsel Betty Ungerman, who was classmates with Bozalis at SMU Dedman Law School. “She was always a force for good, whether as a litigator at BakerBotts or as a friend. She was intelligent and street smart, strong, positive, witty and full of life — even up until the end. She told you what you needed to hear in a way that made sense and made you want to hear it.”
Ungerman, who has served in various leadership position for the Texas General Counsel Forum, said Bozalis was successful because she “listened” to those around her, “was curious, never prejudged.”
“She focused on what mattered to members: connections, learning, and community. She was humble in her leadership style yet never afraid to take a stand and trust her judgment,” Ungerman said. “She had some terrible, nearly unspeakable, tragedies in her life yet remained positive and lived with a ‘glass half full’ mentality all the 35-plus years I knew her. She loved life and always made the best of it. And, as mentioned before, she had a LOT of friends! I, and so many, will miss her so much.”
Halliburton Chief Legal Officer Van Beckwith was a law school classmate with Bozalis and worked with her at Baker Botts.
“Lynn will always be the consummate leaders’ leader,” Beckwith said. “She brought an extraordinary excellence to every situation. Lynn simply made life better.”
Paul Genender, a partner at Paul Hastings and the general counsel of the Texas GC Forum, said Bozalis “was a natural leader who really loved seeing others succeed.”
“She was a people person of the highest magnitude and she genuinely cared about those she met,” Genender said. “It was a pleasure to see her skillfully operate as a superb CEO, always with a smile.”
In an email Thursday afternoon to GC Forum members, Stroh and the Forum staff stated that Bozalis’ “life was rich with experiences beyond her professional contributions.”
“She found happiness in the everyday: cooking for those she loved, the peacefulness of the lake with her step-mother Jan, the crisp mountain air of Crested Butte, and the simplicity of curling up with a good book on the couch with her cats,” the email to members stated. “A treasure hunt on eBay for vintage jewelry and the friendly competition of Jeopardy with her husband Johnny added to her days. But above all, her greatest joy came from watching her children, Rachel and Thomas, flourish in their artistic endeavors. Their passion and talent were a constant source of inspiration for her and filled her with boundless pride.”
Donations may be made in her honor to the American Cancer Society or the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
John Torres, the recently retired chief legal officer at Lennox, said that Bozalis “was a loyal friend who took the time to invest in personal relationships” and that paid dividends in her work for SMU and the GC Forum.
“Lynn inherited a ‘good’ organization, and made it ‘great’ by perfecting its operations,” Torres said. “She continued to modify the Annual Conference until she got it ‘just right.’ She infused financial discipline. And she was certainly a Hall of Famer at raising money through sponsors and underwriters. Lynn should be remembered as someone who generated an infectious attitude of optimism and positivity.”
SMU Dedman Law School Dean Jason Nance wrote that the SMU law “community is deeply saddened by the passing of Lynn.”
“She was committed to and passionate about Dedman Law,” Nance wrote. “She helped shape the current leaders of the legal community, particularly in Dallas. Her innovative and bold ideas helped Dedman Law become one of the top law schools in the country. She was also a caring friend. She will be missed by many.”