Harriet Miers to Receive Texas Appleseed Good Apple Award, Honors Locke Lord Partner for Lifetime Commitment to Her Profession, Public Service, and Accessible Justice

August 8, 2017 – Harriet Miers, former Managing Partner of a Locke Lord predecessor firm and former Counsel to the President of the United States, has been chosen as the recipient of the Texas Appleseed 2017 J. Chrys Dougherty Good Apple Award. Texas Appleseed, a public interest justice center, presents its highest recognition to leading legal minds and trailblazers who have helped shape the Texas legal field for the better.

“Texas Appleseed’s choice of Harriet to receive its highest honor comes as no surprise,” said Jerry Clements, Chair of Locke Lord. “She has led a distinguished career serving as a champion for women in the legal profession, demonstrating a deep commitment to pro bono service and working tirelessly for many years as an advocate for access to justice. Harriet has acted as a personal mentor to so many, including myself, and has had an immeasurable impact on the Texas legal community. We could not be more proud to see her recognized with this accolade.”

Miers was the first woman hired at the Dallas firm of Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely in 1972 and became the first woman to lead the Firm, then known as Locke Purnell Rain Harrell, in 1996. In 1999, when Locke Purnell merged with Houston-based Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill & LaBoon, she became Co-Managing Partner. She held that position until she left to serve in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001-2007 as Staff Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Counsel to the President. After her service in the White House, she returned to Locke Lord as a Partner in 2007. She is a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Public Policy Sections.

“We are delighted to recognize one of Locke Lord’s own at this year’s Good Apple Dinner,” said Elizabeth Mack, Chair of Texas Appleseed’s Board of Directors and Chair of Locke Lord’s Finance, Banking and Real Estate Department and Firmwide Environmental Section. “Harriet is a luminary in the legal profession and the perfect honoree because of her lifelong commitment as a trailblazer for women in the law and, of course, ‎for all of her devotion to public service.”

Throughout her distinguished career and continuing today, Miers has served in many professional and community volunteer positions. Her current participation in efforts to preserve and expand access for the poor in our Nation to our justice system is another example of what is important to her. A graduate of Southern Methodist University and of SMU Dedman School of Law, she was the first woman president of the Dallas Bar Association as well as the State Bar of Texas. She also served as an At-Large Member of the Dallas City Council (elected citywide).

This honor follows Miers’ selection in February as a Texas Legal Legend by the State Bar of Texas, the highest award given by the organization, and her selection in 2015 by Texas Lawbook as one of 50 “Lions of the Texas Bar.” Among her many recognitions and awards: in 2005, Miers received the Sandra Day O'Connor Award from the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism and the Robert G. Storey Award for Distinguished Achievement from the SMU Dedman School of Law. She also has received Distinguished Alumni Awards from both SMU and the SMU Dedman School of Law, and she holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Pepperdine University.

For her work as Counsel to the President, she received the Department of Justice Edmund J. Randolph Award in January 2007 for her “dedicated service to justice, the President, and the United States of America.” She also received the Agency Seal Medal from the Central Intelligence Agency, an award given to people outside of the Agency who have made significant contributions to its work.

Miers will be honored at the annual Good Apple Dinner on Nov. 16. She will join the company of past recipients, including Texas Supreme Court Chief ‎Justice Wallace Jefferson, HEB Grocery Stores Chair Charles E. Butt, former Justice Harriet O’Neill, and ‎former Exxon General Counsel Charles Matthews.

Texas Appleseed partners with the legal community to pursue justice by advocating for changes to laws and policies that act as unfair barriers to opportunity, which keep Texans from reaching their full potential. Locke Lord lawyers have long been supporters of the mission of Texas Appleseed. In 2013, the Firm received the 2013 Pro Bono Leadership Award for the work of a team of nearly 40 Locke Lord lawyers who collected information from district attorneys' offices across Texas that helped spark reforms of the statewide criminal discovery process. This research played a major role in the passage of the Michael Morton Act, a state law requiring prosecutors to turn over all evidence to defense attorneys in criminal cases.

For additional information about the event and this year’s honorees, visit the Good Apple Dinner information page.

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