The Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have announced that Whataburger Restaurants Chief Legal Officer Elena Kraus and Norton Rose Fulbright partner Steven Jansma have been named the 2025 recipients of the prestigious Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life & Leadership Award.
The Lee Cusenbary Award is presented to one in-house lawyer or legal department and one private lawyer or law firm that exemplify exceptional ethical behavior in the practice of law. This award has been a proud chapter tradition since 2008.
A past president of ACC San Antonio and the longtime general counsel of Mission Pharmacal, Cusenbary helped shape the ACC organization in San Antonio and was the creative force behind the group’s popular Ethics Follies program, which he launched in 2006. What began as a creative CLE program grew into a beloved San Antonio tradition that raised nearly $250,000 for local pro bono work through the Community Justice Program (now SALSA).
In a twist, ACC San Antonio and The Lawbook are also honoring Cusenbary this year with the 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Both the Lee Cusenbary Award and the San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards will be held Nov. 6 at the Witte Museum.
Jeff Hagelman, vice president of legal affairs and compliance at Whataburger, nominated Kraus for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Krause has been the CLO at San Antonio-based Whataburger for nearly four years and was previously the general counsel at Walgreens.
Jansma (pictured right) has been a lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright for more than 30 years and currently serves as the global law firm’s U.S. head of litigation and disputes. Norton Rose Fulbright Global Managing Partner Jeff Cody nominated Jansma for the award.
The Texas Lawbook publishes profiles of each of the award recipients.