Jackson Walker partner Paul Watler was recently named the 2010-2011 Chair of the Public Affairs Committee of the State Bar of Texas.

The Public Affairs Committee’s purpose is to increase public understanding of the Texas legal system and the role of lawyers. The group coordinates the Texas Gavel Awards program to recognize journalistic excellence that fosters public understanding of the legal system, including investigative reporting that leads to improvements in the justice system.

Under Mr. Watler’s leadership as vice chair during 2007-10, the Public Affairs Committee partnered with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas (FOIFT) to enhance visibility of the Texas Gavel Awards program. Mr. Watler has also been instrumental as vice chair in developing an open government seminar in conjunction with the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. In addition to providing CLE to Texas lawyers, the seminar is offered free to members of the media and the public sector.

Mr. Watler has been a trial lawyer for more than 25 years helping clients fight for their rights at the courthouse. He focuses his practice on complex commercial and media litigation. He is a board-certified civil trial lawyer and was named by Texas Lawyer magazine in 2007 as the “Go To” lawyer in Texas for media litigation. Mr. Watler received his B.J. degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1976. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review.