State Bar of Texas Executive Director Michelle Hunter Announces Retirement

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30 -- The State Bar of Texas issued the following news release:

State Bar of Texas Executive Director Michelle Hunter announced she will retire January 26, 2018, after nearly 20 years of dedicated service to the 100,000-member organization.

"Serving as executive director of the State Bar and leading our dedicated staff is a tremendous honor," Hunter said. "I am proud of the work we have accomplished in cooperation with tireless volunteer leaders on behalf of the public and the attorneys of Texas, but it is time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life."

The State Bar will conduct a search for her successor.

"The State Bar of Texas is widely recognized as innovative, fiscally sound, efficient, and member-centric--a national leader among state bars," State Bar President Frank Stevenson said. "None of that could have been achieved without Michelle's leadership, and all of that is the harvest of her distinguished service."

As executive director since October 2008, Hunter is responsible for the day-to-day management of the State Bar and its operations, professional services to members of the State Bar, services to the public, long-range strategic planning, and assistance to the courts regarding the administration of justice.

Under Hunter's sound fiscal management, the State Bar has created and expanded beneficial programs for attorneys and the public without raising member dues. Her accomplishments include:

* Adding and improving member benefits such as the Texas Bar Private Insurance Exchange and free legal research through Fastcase and Casemaker;

* Positioning the State Bar of Texas as a national leader in efforts to promote pro bono legal services to military veterans and the general public;

* Ensuring that State Bar financial and technical systems are sound;

* Addressing substance abuse and mental health issues in the legal profession through the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program and through support of the Sheeran-Crowley Memorial Trust;

* Ensuring that the State Bar's Client Security Fund is sufficiently funded and available to clients whose lawyers have stolen money from them;

* Modernizing the Texas Law Center and expanding usable space to efficiently and effectively serve staff and State Bar members; and

* Developing a strong management structure that encouraged cooperation and creativity, with opportunity for advancement within the staff.

Hunter previously served the State Bar as deputy executive director, interim executive director, interim chief disciplinary counsel, finance division director, and corporate counsel.

Before joining the State Bar staff, she worked as a hearings examiner for the Public Utility Commission, as legal counsel to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, as an assistant attorney general, and as a lawyer in private practice.

Hunter received her undergraduate degree with special honors in history from the University of Texas at Austin, law degree from the University of Houston School of Law, and MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business with concentrations in finance and information management. She is a former director of the Austin Young Lawyers Association.

She is married to Tom Hunter, also a lawyer, and they have two sons, Alec and Holden.

[Category: Law/Legal]

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