Dewey J. Gonsoulin celebrates fifty years as a preeminent trial attorney

Dewey J. Gonsoulin has been a member of the law firm of MehaffyWeber since 1956, beginning as an associate and moving to partner, shareholder and now "of counsel" to the firm. While he has taken "senior status," he continues to take on cases, handle appeals, write briefs and meet with clients on a regular basis. Throughout his 50 years in practice, he has achieved a number of significant milestones and been accorded countless accolades.

• He was one of the first lawyers to be certified in labor law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1975; he was later certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board as well in 1989
• As an outstanding trial attorney, he was invited to join the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers in 1985 and has been a Fellow for more than 20 years
• He served as president of the Jefferson County Bar Association and the Texas Association of Defense Counsel; he is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Association, and a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Bar Association, Association of Defense Trial Attorneys and the International Association of Defense Counsel, where he served as a faculty member in the Trial Academy
• He is the recipient of the Blackstone Award presented by the Jefferson County Bar Association and the St. Thomas More Award, which honors the Catholic lawyer that exemplifies the virtues of St. Thomas More
• He is licensed and certified to practice in - and has argued in - The Texas Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U. S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas; and licensed and certified by the U. S. Supreme Court and the State Bar of Texas.

Dewey is actively involved in the Beaumont community and has served as Chairman of the Beaumont Civil Service Commission for more than 15 years, as well as the local Governing Board of Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital for eight years. He has been a director of the Southeast Chapter of the Texas Association of Business and a member of the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce for seven years.

A graduate of Rice University, he received a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree with Honors from the University of Texas School of Law and served on the Board of Editors of the Texas Law Review.