BEST LAWYERS UNDER 40 IN DALLAS, THE

D Magazine, May 01, 2002 by Rogers, Tim

We rank the top attorneys in town according to a jury of their peers.

No other profession is more maligned than that of an attorney. On one end of the spectrum, you've got your doctors and your rocket scientists. They get a lot of respect. Recently, firefighters have seen the public's appreciation for their work grow - and deservedly so. On the other end of the spectrum, you've got your politicians and journalists. And just beyond them, you'll find lawyers. These people do not dash into burning buildings. It's true. But that doesn't mean they should be scorned or made the butt of bad jokes. Every field, even law, can count among its members honest, hardworking, civic-minded individuals who would be a joy to sit next to on a long car trip.

Which brings us to our list of the "Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas." These are the men and women whom you'd want, if not riding shotgun from here to Salt Lake City, then by your side on your day in court. This list of 119 lawyers is the ne plus ultra of jurisprudence. (They even know some Latin.) Understand that there are more than 3,000 lawyers under the age of 40 in our survey area, meaning that these 119 individuals comprise the top 4 percent.

Which is not to suggest that these folks are above doing a little politicking. When we surveyed 5,000 area attorneys about their peers, it apparently caused quite a hubbub (for more on how we compiled the list, see "How We Did It," p. 102). "I don't know if you all know the effect D Magazine had on the legal community," says one lawyer on the list, who asked to remain nameless. "I mean, it was unbelievable. When those surveys came out, there were e-mails going back and forth. It's the lawyers under 40 who are unfortunately the more gossipy of the group."

And the hubbub didn't subside, even after the voting was over. When one lawyer on the list received a letter of congratulations, informing him that he'd been named one of the "Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas" by a prestigious magazine, he thought his partners were playing a prank on him. He called the D office to make sure the letter was legitimate.

Another lawyer on the list, after receiving his letter, called with a most unusual request. He explained that he was one of the youngest partners at his firm. Furthermore, he said, another partner several years his senior, yet still under 40, had failed to make the list. Fearing the wrath of his elder, he asked that we remove his name from the list. Sorry, he was told, in so many words, but the list is the list.

Finally, an odd coincidence came to light once our crack team of listaticians analyzed the list: there are at least two married couples on it. Kay Lynn Brumbaugh, 34, is an antitrust litigator with Strasburger & Price. She's married to D. Forrest Brumbaugh, 35, a corporate transactional attorney with Winstead Sechrest & Minick. They wed in 1995 and have two children, ages 1 and 2, and, as you might imagine, their lives can get hectic. Like the time when their firstborn was 5 months old and Kay Lynn had a big out-of-town trial and was gone for two months.

"It takes a great spouse and a great nanny," Kay Lynn says. I have to give Forrest a lot of credit." And, she hastens to add, she has wonderful kids and an understanding firm.

All very sweet. But we're talking type-A attorneys here. And even though Kay Lynn pretends it's no big deal, she ranks sixth an our list of 119 best lawyers under 40-while her husband comes in at a lowly 20th. Really, she says, their rankings will not be an issue at home. Kay Lynn says she won't even post the list on the refrigerator and gloat.

"I don't believe her," says 36-year-old Eric Gambrell, who is not only good enough friends with the Brumbaughs that he asked for their blessing to name his 3-month-old son Luke because the Brumbaughs' 2-year-old is named Luke and both Lukes are in the same play group, but he, Eric, is also the topmost lawyer on the list and he's married to Elizabeth Gambrell, 34, who tied for 88th. Clear?

Four lawyers, each under 40. Two couples. Two children per couple. Two Lukes. One play group.

Eric is a civil trial lawyer with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. His wife Elizabeth is an appellate lawyer with Rochelle Elrod Hutcheson. They got married in 1996. And Eric is a little more candid about his ranking. As stated, he came in at number one. This will be used as ammunition in the Gambrell household.

"Elizabeth will continue to remind me that she had close to a 4.0 at UT," Eric says. I will continue to remind her that I edged her out slightly in law school. She will remind me that she edged me out on the bar exam. And I will then counter with the D Magazine list. So, for the moment, the ball's in my court."

Eric is active in the Republican Party and in the Dallas Bar Association, which goes a long way in explaining his top spot. But he also sounds like a good lawyer. When asked how big his ego was, he took a moment and then answered, "Bigger than it should be." A brilliant non-answer answer. Eric is also smart enough to know that he'll get his "fair share of ribbing" for being named the best lawyer under 40.