(Houston, TX) Benny Agosto, Jr., Partner at the Houston personal injury law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner took office as President of the Houston Bar Association for the 2019-2020 bar year at the HBA Annual Dinner on May 16, 2019. Mr. Agosto is the first native Spanish speaker and second Latino to serve as HBA President in the association’s 149-year history. At 11,000 members, he will be leading one of nation’s largest metropolitan bar associations.
During his tenure, Mr. Agosto will focus on the three core initiatives of building leaders, celebrating diversity, and serving the community. Working with the sections, committees, and the Houston Young Lawyers Association, the HBA will build new CLE programs to develop professionalism and leadership in the legal profession. This summer, the HBA will host its first Diversity Summit, a CLE program that will educate the legal community on diversity issues. Diversity awards will also be established to recognize firms and individuals who promote diversity and inclusion in the Houston and HBA community. To continue the HBA’s efforts in serving the community, the literacy committee will support a library project, which will raise funds to help rebuild a local school library.
The HBA presidency is the latest chapter in Mr. Agosto’s long history of service to the legal profession and the community as a whole at local, state, and national levels. Mr. Agosto is a former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and is the Founder and President of the Mexican-American Bar Association of Texas Foundation, which raises money for annual scholarships for Hispanic law students in Houston. Over the last 13 years, the Foundation has raised over $300,000 for these scholarships. He is the Founding Editor of the South Texas College of Law Houston Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy, launched just this year. This academic journal will address key issues of the Hispanic Community, including social work, public policy, government, and other important areas. Mr. Agosto also serves on the Board of Directors of Hope Disaster Recovery, a non-profit organization that works with churches, businesses, and organizations to help under-resourced communities recover after natural disasters.
Mr. Agosto is a graduate of Houston Baptist University and South Texas College of Law Houston. Board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Mr. Agosto has been practicing personal injury for close to 25 years. His legal practice at Abraham Watkins focuses on representing individuals and family members who have been harmed by the negligence of others in areas involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, workplace accidents, and product defects. The combination of successful client representation and community leadership/involvement have earned him recognition on both local and national levels. Most recently, he was named to the 2018 Top Latino Lawyers List by Latino Leaders Magazine, received the 2018 Top Latino Leaders Award by the National Diversity Council, and was recognized on the Top 100: Houston Super Lawyers list for the second year in a row and the Texas Super Lawyers list for the 14 th year. He is a former recipient of the Presidents Award from both the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association and the Outstanding Public Service Award from South Texas College of Law Houston.
To contact Benny Agosto, Jr., please email him or call Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at (713) 222-7211.