John G. Browning, a partner in Spencer Fane in Plano and a visiting associate professor of law at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, received the Luther (Luke) H. Soules III Award for Outstanding Service to the Practice Award. The award by the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section recognizes an attorney “who embodies excellence in the practice of law and exemplary service to the State Bar.”
Browning has spent 32 years as a litigator and served as an appellate justice on the 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas. He is a noted legal author and bar leader and volunteer. Nominators pointed to Browning’s work in honoring the legacies of members of underrepresented communities. In 2020, his efforts led to the posthumous bar admission of J.H. Williams, a Black man who was denied a law license in 1882 on racial grounds. Browning has been involved in similar campaigns around the country.
As part of the award, a $1,500 stipend is provided to a charity of the recipient’s choice. Browning has chosen the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.