Gardere Partner Richard O. Faulk Elected to Prestigious American Law Institute

Online, January 17, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Richard O. Faulk, chair of the Litigation Department at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, has been elected to the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize and otherwise improve the law.

Membership in the Institute is limited to 3,000 lawyers, judges and law professors, selected on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law. Prospective members must be nominated by another ALI member in a letter that details qualifications, experience, scholarly credentials and community service. The nomination then must be seconded by two other ALI members. Ultimately, only a handful of nominees are selected for membership each year.

"This is an incredible honor," said Mr. Faulk. "ALI is one of the most influential legal organizations in this country and, indeed, the world."

In addition to Mr. Faulk, two other Gardere partners, Randy D. Gordon and Beverly Godbey, are ALI members. Both are partners in the firm's Trial section.

ALI drafts, discusses, revises and publishes Restatements of the Law, model statutes and principles of law that are enormously influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education. ALI members have the opportunity to influence the development of the law in existing and emerging areas, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Faulk, who is ranked as a "Leading Lawyer in Environmental Law" by Chambers USA, is "renowned for his expertise in all types of environmental litigation, and in particular for his experience in toxic tort litigation." He also chairs the firm's Environmental Practice Group and Climate Change Task Force. He is a prolific author who has earned two Burton Awards for excellence in legal writing, and is a frequent speaker on emerging liability, evidentiary and procedural issues, particularly those affected by climate change and environmental concerns. In addition to being selected to ALI, Mr. Faulk was recently admitted to membership in the District of Columbia Bar.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest's largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of government affairs, energy, litigation, corporate, tax, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property and financial services.