When G. Thomas Vick Jr. was sworn in as 2017-18 president of the State Bar of Texas on June 23, he cemented an unusual resume he shares with his colleague and peer F. R. “Buck” Files Jr.
Within five years, the two men have each attained the prestigious positions of president of the State Bar of Texas and chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. The similarities don’t stop there. Of course both are juniors, but they are also very proud to both be Austin College graduates.
Vick, a partner in Vick Carney LLP in Weatherford, is a 1977 graduate of Austin College who majored in economics and history. He went on to get his Juris Doctor degree from South Texas College of Law in 1981. Vick served as chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees in 2013-14.
Vick’s fellow ‘Roo alum Files, a shareholder in Bain, Files, Jarrett & Harrison, PC in Tyler, served as State Bar president in 2012-13 and as chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees in 2016-17. Files graduated from Austin College with a bachelor’s in history in 1960 before obtaining his J.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1963. Files also served for 12 years as a member of the Austin College Board of Trustees.
Vick is certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) and has published dozens of works on various aspects of the law. Files is certified in criminal law by the TBLS and in criminal trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Their complete resumes are far too expansive for this blog post.
But besides all of their professional accomplishments, both men are very proud of their liberal arts roots.
“I did not realize the value of my Austin College education until I entered law school,” Files said. “Then, I understood how the rigorous course work and demanding—but caring—faculty had prepared me for that experience. Now, 57 years later, I can look back and reflect on how much that liberal arts education, with its emphasis on critical thinking, has shaped who I am today. Our current graduates are receiving this same education, and have the benefit of advocacy programs, such as mock trials, that prepare them for success in the best of law schools and in life.”