Fulbright's Jim Sales Receives National Conference of Bar Presidents' Fellows Award in Miami.

HOUSTON -- Jim Sales has dedicated his career to the legal profession and making sure those who share his love of the law work alongside him to see to it that justice truly is accessible to all.

Sales' nearly 50-year career at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. has resulted in numerous accolades, awards and a sterling reputation that received yet another distinction this month when he was presented with the National Conference of Bar Presidents' Fellows Award.

"Jim Sales truly is a legal legend who has set an example from which every young lawyer can learn," said Steven R. Sorenson, President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, which honored Sales during its bi-annual meeting in Miami on Feb. 9. "Jim has worked tirelessly to improve our profession by leading the way when it comes to developing and implementing initiatives to expand access and improve the quality of justice for those who are less fortunate."

This is the second year The National Conference of Bar Presidents has given its Fellows Award to a bar association past president whose work benefiting the legal profession has gone well beyond the attorney's presidential year. Sales served as president of the Houston Bar Association in 1980 and 1981, and as the president of the State Bar of Texas in 1988.

"We have a moral, ethical, and in my view, even a legal responsibility to do this work," said Sales, who led Fulbright's litigation department for 20 years and continues in an of counsel role at Fulbright. "It is the responsibility of the legal profession to take a lead role in making sure that all people, regardless of income, have equal access to legal services."

During his time as the president of the Houston Bar Association, Sales established the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. The program serves more than 3,000 pro bono clients each year, providing legal advice, counseling and referrals.

Sales later helped establish the Houston Bar Foundation, which supports the volunteer lawyers program, community and educational programs through its $7 million endowment.

He currently serves as chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, which sets out to identify, assess and reduce barriers to justice for low-income Texans. As a result of Sales' leadership, the commission has established a successful fund-raising campaign, which has raised more than $1 million for legal services for the poor, and developed a communications campaign and Web site to assist four million low-income Texans in obtaining legal information and representation.

Additionally, Sales has worked to recruit corporations, law students and legal organizations to assist with making sure the basic needs of low-income Texans are met.

"Jim Sales has worked alongside countless other Fulbright attorneys to keep the legacy of Leon Jaworski alive through a commitment to pro bono work and serving those who are less fortunate," said Mike Conlon, who is the head of Fulbright's Houston office. "Pro bono work and serving those who are less fortunate is a cornerstone of our firm. Fulbright is committed to leading the way in the level of pro bono contributions we make and programs we support that provide legal services to those who cannot afford such representation."

Sales has devoted his practice at Fulbright to defense of a variety of complex products liability and general commercial liability cases in both the state and federal courts. He is recognized as a skilled litigator, legal scholar and experienced bar leader. Sales was elected as a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 1977 and the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1978. Less than 1 percent of lawyers are selected as fellows of either organization.

The National Conference of Bar Presidents was founded in 1950 and sets out to provide training to state and local bar association leaders. Among the areas the bar presidents discuss and work to improve are: continuing education, access to justice, community outreach and diversity and finance. In recent years, the group has additionally addressed: terrorism and civil liberties and law school debt forgiveness.

Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

Founded in 1919, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. is a leading full-service international law firm, with nearly 1,000 lawyers in 16 locations in Houston, New York, Washington, D.C., Austin, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, St. Louis, Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Munich and Riyadh. Fulbright provides a full range of legal services to both domestic and foreign clients worldwide.

The 2007 BTI survey of FORTUNE 1000 general counsel chose Fulbright as "The BTI Client Service 30" A-Team and Corporate Board Member magazine named Fulbright among the top 20 corporate law firms in the U.S. in their survey of board members of public companies. For more information, please visit: www.fulbright.com.