In Memoriam: James E. Brill
Long-time member of TLIE’s Board of Directors, James E. “Jimmy” Brill died on Thursday, May 27, 2021, just two days shy of his 88th birthday.
Jimmy’s Texas roots ran deep. His great grandfather was twice elected as Houston mayor in the 1880s. He was raised in Houston by his mother and her parents. Jimmy is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, two sons, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Jimmy received his BBA and LLB degrees from the University of Texas where he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma and a Silver Spur at UT. Jimmy was sworn in as a lawyer on the 17th of December 1957, and practiced law, primarily as a solo, for over 60 years until his retirement in 2019. He was active in the State Bar of Texas, served as principal author, editor, and project director of the Texas Probate System from 1971 until his retirement, chaired the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association, and was inducted into the first class and elected as an initial trustee of the College of Law Practice Management. He organized and for over 20 years led monthly meetings of a group of Houston lawyers known as Solos Supporting Solos.
The State Bar of Texas awarded Jimmy the Presidents’ Award as “the outstanding lawyer in Texas,” a presidential citation for developing a resource for lawyers starting their practice, and the Gene Cavin Award for excellence in continuing legal education of his fellow lawyers. Jimmy also received two lifetime achievement awards from the American Bar Association for law practice management and service to solo and small firm lawyers. He was named as an outstanding 50-year lawyer by the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Jimmy served as a director of TLIE from 1999 until 2013.
