TLIE Celebrates Tom Hanna
TLIE NewsLong-time Board member Thomas “Tom” Hanna passed away on February 6, 2022, during his 37th year of service on the Board of Directors of Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange. TLIE and the Board will miss Tom’s leadership, business and legal acumen, his tireless dedication to TLIE and its policyholders, his generosity, and quick wit.
Tom was involved in the creation of TLIE during his tenure as Executive Director of the State Bar of Texas. Around that time, most legal malpractice insurers had left the state, and lawyers found it difficult to obtain insurance. TLIE was founded so that Texas lawyers would always be able to obtain malpractice insurance – even if other malpractice carriers flee the state because times are tough.
Tom joined the TLIE Board in 1985. In 2009, TLIE’s first and only Board Chair retired, and Tom was elected Chair. Under Tom’s leadership, TLIE selected a new president after TLIE’s long-time president announced his plans to retire.
Despite these changes, Tom kept TLIE on an even keel during his five years as Board Chair before stepping down in 2014. During Tom’s tenure as Board Chair, TLIE made $10.5M in policyholder distributions and its policyholder surplus increased by 38%. Tom remained an active and valued member of the TLIE Board until his death.
Throughout his tenure on the Board, Tom contributed his tireless efforts and his long-term vision for TLIE to provide superior service and protection to the lawyers of the State of Texas, even if other carriers refuse to write coverage in Texas.
Tom’s professional achievements extended well beyond his service on the TLIE Board. Tom was no stranger to the receipt of professional awards, having received the Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award, the Jefferson County Bar Association and Texas Center for Legal Ethics Professionalism Award, and the Blackstone Award, which recognized Tom’s consistent ability, integrity, and courage as a lawyer. These qualities were hallmarks of his personal life as well.
Tom was born in Hall Summit, Louisiana in 1938. When Tom’s father was able to find a good job at Pure Oil, at a time when good jobs were hard to find, Tom and his parents moved to Nederland, Texas. Tom was five at the time. Tom graduated from Nederland High School in 1957. In high school, Tom participated various extracurricular activities including football. His high school football coach was O.A. “Bum” Phillips.
Tom attended Baylor University, graduating in 1964 with a degree in History and Philosophy; he had planned to obtain graduate degrees in history and teach at the college level. But, he had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps’ officer candidate program, which would allow him to defer active duty until after he had obtained his Master’s Degree. Since the Marine Corps needed lawyers, not history teachers, Tom’s college roommate, future law partner, and long-time friend, Jack Smith, convinced him to go to law school.
After graduation from Baylor in May 1964, Tom went to Quantico for 13 weeks, planning to be commissioned, obtain his law degree, and serve four years as an “officer and a gentleman.” That plan was derailed in the 12th week of the 13-week program when the Marines declared an old football shoulder injury to be a “permanent, disqualifying injury.”
So it was that September 1964 found Tom enrolled in the University of Texas School of Law. He had only enrolled in law school due to his military commitment. He hated law school and seriously considered quitting. In his second year, Tom signed up for Legal Professions, taught by Jerre Williams who later served on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tom had taken Constitutional Law from Professor Williams and thought him bright and insightful. On the first day of the Legal Professions class, Professor Williams called on “Mr. Hanna” with a question. Tom, who was not prepared for class, quickly thought: “there are two hundred people in here, he doesn’t know me, and he doesn’t have a seating chart.” So Tom just sat there and didn’t open his mouth. Professor Wright then asked “Mr. Hanna?” one more time before moving on.
Tom left class that day and, in short order, felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a question: “Mr. Hanna, can I talk to you?” Tom turned around and found himself looking up at Professor Williams. Tom went to Professor Williams’ office where he was asked why he did not respond. Tom proceeded to tell him that he had had no intention of attending law school and that he hated it. Professor Williams told him the practice of law is nothing like the study of it, an answer Tom gave the prior year in his constitutional law class showed real insight, and he thought a legal career was a career Tom could take pride in. Tom describes this conversation as life-changing. And, Tom stayed in law school.
Tom’s law school classmates included Wendell Radford, who went on to become a Magistrate Judge in Beaumont. Judge Radford encouraged Tom to pledge Delta Theta Phi because they had a fraternity house and it was fun. Tom became a Delta Theta and met a lot of people who greatly influenced his life. These included Terry Doyle, who became a Port Arthur lawyer and legislator, and Gus Mutscher, who was Speaker of the House in the Texas Legislature. At the Delta Theta house, Tom was exposed to the inner workings of the Legislature, which would come in handy later in his career.
During his third year of law school, Tom had no idea what he was going to do upon graduation. But, then he got a call from Wendell Radford, who told him he should apply for a job with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Radford told Tom that he and Terry Doyle were working there and that they would “have a good time.”
Tom applied, was hired, and went to work as an Assistant District Attorney in Jefferson County after law school graduation in 1964. Tom was always quick to point out that he lost his first trial in J.P. court to a non-lawyer. Soon, Tom was trying misdemeanor and felony cases.
While in the D.A.’s office, Tom’s boss and mentor was W.C. “Dub” Lindsey, who was a role model for integrity in government and making tough, sometimes unpopular, decisions. Tom tried a number of interesting cases including one arising out of a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan, robes and all, inside the police department.
After several years in the D.A.’s office, Tom decided to hang out a shingle in Port Arthur, which he did from 1967 to 1971. He shared offices with a number of lawyers, who served as his mentors.
By 1970, District Attorney Lindsey had decided to retire. A number of people encouraged Tom to run for the position. Tom ran and won, becoming Jefferson County Criminal District Attorney in 1971 at the ripe-old age of thirty-three.
While serving as D.A., Tom hired or retained a great staff that included many lawyers who later became judges: Leonard Giblin, Larry Gist, Gary Sanderson, Tom Mulvaney, Larry Thorne, Bob Wortham, Tom Maness, John Paul Davis, and Bo Horka. Francie Patterson became General Counsel for the University of Texas. And Richard Hughes, who became an excellent domestic relations lawyer and also became a great friend, serving together at church for many years and traveling the world with their spouses.
When Tom had been D.A. for a couple of months, he was contacted by his law school classmate, Terry Doyle, who was now in the Legislature. Terry stated that the Legislature was rewriting the Texas Penal Code with input from the State Bar. Terry asked Tom to attend a meeting in Kerrville on the subject. As a result of attending that meeting, Tom was named Chair of the Texas District and County Attorneys Penal Code Committee that was to draft a new Penal Code to be introduced at the 1973 legislative session. After lots of work by many people from across the state, the Committee prepared a total revision the Penal Code. The Committee’s work was endorsed by the State Bar and ultimately passed by the Legislature in 1973. The passage of the Revised Penal Code was a major accomplishment. In many respects, the Penal Code today is the same as the one that was passed in 1973.
When Tom was running unopposed for a third term as D.A., Terry Doyle asked him to meet with Preston Johnson, the State Bar Director from Liberty; Terry wanted him to consider the possibility of serving as Executive Director of the State Bar of Texas. Tom reluctantly agreed. During their meeting, Tom learned the Bar had two big problems: funding issues related to the construction of the State Bar office building in downtown Austin and the Bar’s first Sunset Review. They discussed ways the Bar might handle Sunset.
Tom finally agreed to meet with the State Bar board of directors in Corpus Christi to discuss how to deal with Sunset and the passage of a new State Bar Act. Before he could get on the plane home, he was offered the position as Executive Director for the State Bar. His experience in working with the Texas Legislature on the Revised Penal Code was part of the reason he was offered the job.
In 1979, Tom moved his family to Dripping Springs and began his work as Executive Director of the State Bar of Texas. Tom’s biggest challenge was the State Bar’s first Sunset Review. The Bar survived Sunset and achieved a number of significant objectives, including the goal of maintaining the local grievance committee system rather than a separate disciplinary board. There were many achievements during Tom’s tenure as Executive Director. Of these achievements, Tom was particularly proud of the creation of Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange and the Legal Assistants Division (now Paralegal Division) of the State Bar.
By 1981, Tom felt that he had accomplished the tasks he had gone to Austin to accomplish and was thinking about leaving the Bar. He was contacted by O.J. Weber, a member of the Bar’s Board of Directors and one of the founding partners at MehaffyWeber in Beaumont, Texas. Tom became a partner at MehaffyWeber in 1981 and remained at the firm for sixteen years.
Tom’s practice at MehaffyWeber was varied. When he had been at MehaffyWeber just a few weeks, Tom was in London taking depositions in a commercial case for a local businessman. From there, Tom handled other cases that required him to take depositions abroad, mostly in London, sometimes for weeks at a time. He handled most of the firm’s federal criminal cases. He successfully represented a local political figure in a state court criminal case, which was an unpopular and difficult case for Tom. He began representing the Jefferson County Appraisal District, becoming an expert in that area of the law.
By 1996, Tom decided he wanted to be a solo practitioner again. He hung out his shingle in Nederland at his late mother’s home, which Tom and his wife Liz had remodeled to serve as a home and an office. With Liz as his office manager/legal assistant, Tom continued to represent clients, including the Jefferson County Appraisal District, until his death. In fact, he participated in a large contested hearing, just days before his death.
In addition to his service to the legal profession, Tom was also a faithful Christian. He served as a Deacon at Calder Baptist Church for many years. One of Tom’s closest friends was that church’s long-time pastor, Jim Fuller. Tom also was an excellent Sunday School teacher, who taught Sunday School for over fifty years.
Tom’s family was his pride and joy. Tom was married to Elizabeth “Liz” Shifflette Hanna for over fifty years. When he accepted the Blackstone Award, Tom expressed his thanks to Liz saying: “But for the love and support of Liz who has been my companion, encourager, consoler, nurse, anger management counselor, strength, secretary, office manager, and lover for most of this journey, I surely would not be standing here.” Tom and Liz remained actively involved in the lives of their children and their families. Tom is survived by his children, Rebecca Authement, Thomas L. Hanna, Jr., and Tommy’s wife, Julie, and by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. One granddaughter predeceased him.
When Tom received the Blackstone Award, he quoted the 13th century Persian Sufi poet Hefez who penned these words: “The small man builds cages for everyone he knows. While the Sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low, keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners.” Tom thanked God “for all the sages who have dropped keys for this, if not beautiful, certainly rowdy prisoner.” Tom added that he hoped that at the time of final reckoning, someone would be able to say of him that “he dropped a key for me.”
I can truly say, as can many, many others, Tom “dropped a key for me.”
