Benjamin K. Sanchez

Benjamin is an experienced litigator, having represented businesses and individuals as plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of civil disputes.  After starting his career in 1998 as a solo practitioner (spending two years in Houston and another two years in Dallas), Benjamin joined a six-attorney litigation firm in Dallas in 2002 and quickly became its Senior Associate.  Upon returning to Houston in 2004, Benjamin joined an eight-attorney litigation firm, again quickly becoming its Senior Associate.  Benjamin rose the ranks in both firms because of results, not age or experience!

In March 2007, Benjamin re-opened his own practice.  Litigating debt recovery cases for creditors and commercial and public construction cases for various members of the construction industry, Benjamin is known for his common-sense yet aggressive approach in representing clients and his professionalism and integrity in dealing with opposing counsel and the courts.  Benjamin not only is trial-tested but also understands most cases are over before ever reaching trial.  Therefore, Benjamin uses pre-trial maneuvers to maximize each client's position and minimize costs.

Benjamin also is a leader within the legal community and at large.  From holding positions of leadership within bar associations to being appointed by Mayor White to sit on the Houston Automotive Board, Benjamin has been entrusted to lead others.  Benjamin also is a frequent lecturer, author, teacher, and motivational speaker.

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BAR ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas (1998)
• United States District & Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas (1999)
• United States District Court, Northern District of Texas (2001)
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas (2005)
• United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (2004)
• United States Supreme Court (2004)

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LEGAL EMPLOYMENT

• Sanchez Law Firm, Houston, Texas, Owner, 2007-Present
  
  Litigates debt recovery cases in civil and probate courts and commercial and public construction cases on behalf of business clients, while occasionally taking consumer protection cases on behalf of individuals.
   
• Leyh & Payne, LLP, Houston, Texas, Senior Associate, 2004-2007
  
  Litigated commercial, construction, probate, and consumer cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants.  Represented (1) subcontractors, general contractors, and sureties in commercial and public construction cases, (2) commercial lenders, home mortgage companies, and collection firms involved in commercial and consumer litigation, and (3) corporate creditors and lending institutions in probate matters.
   
• John H. Carney & Associates, Dallas, Texas, Senior Associate, 2002-2003
  
  Litigated commercial, insurance bad faith, personal injury, and family law cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants.  Managed all phases of litigation, from initial client meetings and fact investigation to discovery and motion practice and lastly to mediation and trial.
   
• Sanchez Law Firm, Houston & Dallas, Texas, Owner, 1998-2002
  
  Litigated commercial, insurance bad faith, personal injury, consumer protection, and family law cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants.  Advised and represented small businesses as general counsel.

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EDUCATION

• University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas, Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD), December 1997

  Honors
  Judge Criss Cole Award
  Dean's Scholar
  Hispanic Bar Association's Judge James de Anda Scholarship
  Board of Advocates' Advocate of the Year
  Hispanic Law Students Association's Outstanding Member Award
  Best Brief in Legal Writing Section
  Outstanding Achievement Award in Legal Research Section

  Activities
  Member of UHLC Moot Court Team
  Editor-in-Chief of Legalese, UHLC's Official Student Newspaper
  Research Assistant for Associate Dean Richard M. Alderman's Alderman's Texas Consumer and Commercial Laws Annotated, Shephards/McGraw-Hill, 1996
  Pupil Member of A.A. White Inn of American Inns of Court
  Executive Justice of Finance and Membership of UHLC Board of Advocates
  Technical Advisor to Houston Bar Association International Law Section Newsletter
  Student Member of UHLC Legal Information Technology Committee
  Founder/President of UHLC Student Chapter of Texas Trial Lawyers Association
  President of UHLC Computer Law Association
  Treasurer/Parliamentarian of UHLC Hispanic Law Students Association
  Member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity
  Successful participant in mock trial and moot court competitions
   

• University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, Bachelor of Arts in Government (BA), May 1994
  
  Honors
  University of Texas Achievement Award
  University of Texas Presidential Scholarship

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PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS - NATIONAL

• American Bar Association

  Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral & Information Service
  - Appointed by ABA President to serve on Committee for three-year term, 2007-2010

  Section of Litigation
  - Co-Chairman of Pro Bono Subcommittee of Trial Practice & Procedure Committee, 2005-2007

  General Practice & Solo Division
  - Editorial Board Member of GP|Solo Magazine, 2008-Present

• American Inns of Court

  Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court
  - Barrister, 2004-Present

  A.A. White Inn of Court
  - Pupil, 1996-1998
  - Associate, 1998-2001

• Commercial Law League of America
  - Member, 2007-Present

• Hispanic National Bar Association
  - Member, 1998-Present

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS - STATE

• State Bar of Texas

  Hispanic Issues Section
  - Section Council, 2004-2005
  - Chair-Elect, 2005-2006
  - Chair, 2006-2007
  - Immediate Past Chair, 2007-2008

  Law Practice Management Program
  - Law Office Management Institute Graduate, 2001-2002

• Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee
  - Appointed as Member of District 4 Subcommittee, 2005

• Mexican American Bar Association of Texas
  - President-Elect, 2006-2007
  - President, 2007-2008
  - Immediate Past President, 2008-Present

• College of the State Bar of Texas
  - Member, 2002-Present

• Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas
  - Member, 2001-Present

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS - LOCAL

• Houston Bar Association

  Lawyers in Public Schools Committee
  - Member, 2004-Present
  - Chair, 2005-2006

  Speakers Bureau Committee
  - Member, 2005-Present

  Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee
  - Member, 2007-Present

  Editorial Board of The Houston Lawyer Magazine
  - Member, 2005-2008

  Law Practice Management Section
  - Director, 2007-2008

• Houston Lawyer Referral Service Board of Trustees
  - Member, 2006-Present
  - PEC Taskforce, 2006-Present
  - Membership Committee Chair, 2007-Present

• Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston
  - Vice-President, 2005-2006
  - President-Elect, 2006-2007
  - President, 2007-2008
  - Immediate Past President, 2008-Present

• Houston Hispanic Bar Association
  - Member, 1998-Present

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PUBLIC SERVICE

• Houston Automotive Board
  - Member, 2006-Present (appointed by Houston Mayor Bill White)

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SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS WRITTEN BY BENJAMIN

• "Owning Equity in a Client: Business as Usual?", Corporate Counsel Review, South Texas College of Law, November 2007

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ARTICLES WRITTEN BY BENJAMIN

• "Committee Spotlight: Lawyers in Public Schools Still Going Strong", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 43 No. 1, July/August 2005
• "Media Reviews", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 43 No. 2, September/October 2005
• "The Importance of Jury Service: A Special Issue", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 43 No. 1, September/October 2005 (Co-Guest Editor)
• "Local Heroes: Benny Agosto, Jr.", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 43 No. 5, March/April 2006
• "Media Reviews", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 43 No. 5, March/April 2006
• "Committee Spotlight: Welcome to Night Court", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 44 No. 4, January/February 2007

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ARTICLES WRITTEN ABOUT BENJAMIN

• "Local Heroes: Benjamin K. Sanchez", The Houston Lawyer, Vol. 42 No. 6, May/June 2005
• "HBA and Waller ISD Celebrate Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary", Waller County News Citizen, 2004

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