Editor’s note: All photos by Dan Lopez
There were standing ovations and dancing celebrations, boisterous cheers and even many tears at the inaugural 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards on Thursday.
The stories of extraordinary business and legal successes achieved by in-house corporate lawyers at San Antonio’s most prominent businesses — Whataburger, Valero, USAA, BioBridge Global, UT San Antonio, Zachry Group, VisionWorks, Howard Energy and OCI — were toasted and memorialized.
More than 210 of the top business lawyers in San Antonio gathered at the Witte Museum this past week to honor a dozen lawyers who guided their companies through intensely stressful challenges and sometimes even existential threats. The event hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Texas Lawbook will be an annual celebration each fall.
There were multiple stand ovations, including one for ACC San Antonio Chapter executive director Amber Clark, who is retiring after 23 years leading the organization.
“This is an absolute surprise, but I am so honored — and I love this organization and all of its members,” Clark said.
But the biggest cheers, the most tears and the longest standing ovation came when legendary San Antonio lawyer and retired Mission Pharmacal GC C. Lee Cusenbary received the first-ever 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
“Thank you,” Cusenbary said. “This is amazing. Thank you so much. I love ACC. Thank you. I am overwhelmed.”
A second Lifetime Achievement Award went to BioBridge Global GC Richey Wyatt. Working with local business and educational leaders, Wyatt (right) and BioBridge converted one of its mobile blood labs into a Covid-19 testing lab that allowed children and teachers to return to the classrooms in San Antonio much faster.
Wyatt started his remarks with an opening celebration dance that brought the crowd to life.
The Zachry Group and GC Jay Old took top honors with 2025 San Antonio Corporate Legal Depart of the Year by leading the energy company through a highly complex but transformational corporate restructuring.
The San Antonio Business Litigation of the Year Award went to Lisa Hill and Lisa Fields, VSP Vision’s deputy GCs, along with outside counsel Dykema, for winning a precedent-setting constitutional dispute at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
UT San Antonio Chief Legal Officer Hailey Mullican (right) took home top honors for the 2025 San Antonio M&A Transaction of the Year for leading the institution through a historic merger with UT Health.
The San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Pro Bono and Pubic Service went to USAA Associate GC Daniel Andrews. Andrews was unable to attend, but his USAA colleague Michael Danforth, who nominated him, accepted the award on Andrews’ behalf.
Stakeholder Midstream General Counsel Jonathan Ellis took home the honors for San Antonio GC of the Year for a Solo Legal Department.
OCI Enterprise GC Janet Jamieson was awarded the San Antonio General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (2-5 attorneys).
The 2025 San Antonio GC of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department (six-20 lawyers) went to Howard Energy Partners General Counsel T.J. Campbell.
Valero Energy General Counsel Rich Walsh was honored with the San Antonio GC of the Year for a Large Legal Department Award (21-plus lawyers).
The final two presentations at the 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards were the signature awards given by ACC San Antonio. The 2025 C. Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Awards went to Whataburger Chief Legal Officer Elena Kraus and Norton Rose Fulbright partner Steven Jansma.
