David T. López of Houston has been selected as one of five recipients of the 2022 Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. The award recognizes attorneys whose practice has spanned 50 years or more and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and service to the public.

David T. López is an international and domestic arbitrator and mediator in Houston. Born and raised in Laredo, he received a journalism degree from The University of Texas and was a newspaper reporter before attending South Texas College of Law Houston while working full-time as a labor union representative.

He graduated first in his class and established a solo litigation practice, which grew to 13 lawyers and two branch offices. He has tried more than 450 cases in state and federal courts in Texas and other states. In 2007, he received from the Texas Bar Foundation the Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award. At The University of Texas, he served as the first Latino managing editor of The Daily Texan, and in 1971, he was the first Latino elected to the Board of the Houston Independent School District, winning without a runoff in a race with more than a dozen candidates.

Lopez was a reporter and interim city editor and managing editor of the Laredo Times, the first Latino reporter of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, correspondent with the Long News Service covering Texas government for newspapers, radio and TV statewide.  He served as associate general secretary for the North America branch of the world-wide federation of labor unions, with responsibility for external relations and internal publications in Spanish, English and Portuguese.He also sat on the Board of the Houston Community College, and he has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University and as Hearst Lecturer at The University of Texas Moody College of Communication. His wife of 56 years, Romelia, manages his law firm, and their daughter, Vianei Lopez Braun, is a shareholder at the Decker Jones law firm in Fort Worth and sits on the Board of First Financial Bank, which has 78 locations throughout the State.

The Bar Foundation commissioned an oral history to recognize and preserve the accomplishments of Mr. López’s legal career. Additionally, he will be publicly recognized at the Texas Bar Foundation Annual Dinner held on June 10, 2022 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston.

Founded in 1965 by attorneys determined to assist the public and improve the profession, the Texas Bar Foundation has become the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. The Texas Bar Foundation relies on the contributions of its Fellows to improve the lives of Texans. To date, through the generosity of the Fellows, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $23 million in grants to numerous organizations across the state.

Election to the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of the State Bar of Texas, representing one-third of one percent of Texas attorneys. Selection is based on an outstanding record in the legal profession as well as proven commitment to support the community at large.