SAN ANTONIO (June 22, 2007) -- Gib Walton, one of the premier trial lawyers in the Southwest and a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP, was sworn in Friday as the 127th president of the State Bar of Texas.

Mr. Walton, who has first-chaired more than 40 jury trials and been lead counsel in more than a thousand lawsuits, arbitrations and appeals, was elected last year to lead the state’s legal profession of more than 80,000 lawyers in 2007-2008.

During his 30 years of practicing law, Mr. Walton has represented plaintiffs and defendants in corporate, securities, commercial, fiduciary, construction, professional liability (architect, engineer, legal, and accounting malpractice), product liability, probate, and oil and gas/energy litigation. He has been certified as a specialist in Civil Trial since 1981, by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

“Gib has long been dedicated to giving back to the profession through service in bar organizations and service to the community," said V&E; Managing Partner Joe Dilg. "He is a great trial lawyer and he will make a significant contribution as President of the State Bar."

D. Gibson Walton was born in Houston in 1950. He went to college at the University of Virginia where he played football and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He attended the University of Texas School of Law, serving as an editor on the Texas Law Review and graduating with honors in 1975. He clerked for the Honorable Malcolm R. Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before joining V&E; in 1976. He became a partner in 1982. Chambers USA has named Mr. Walton as one of America’s Leading Business Lawyers in commercial litigation in 2005-2007. Texas Monthly has listed him as a “Texas Super Lawyer" every year that those rankings have been published. He has been elected by his peers to the International Society of Barristers and the American Board of Trial Advocates.

"The lawyers at Vinson & Elkins have a tradition of serving as leaders of the legal profession, as well as their communities," said Mr. Walton. “My father set a great example for me with a life-long career as a public servant in the law – serving as Harris County District Attorney and as a district judge.

"I want to thank all of my partners at V&E; for their support of my taking this time to serve the bar and our profession,” he said. “During the next year, I hope to lead a statewide public education initiative that will focus on the critical importance of the rule of law and our system of justice to everyone in our society."

More information about Mr. Walton’s service as president of the State Bar of Texas can be found at www.texasbar.com under news releases. In addition, you may contact Gib Walton at (713) 758-2026 or via e-mail at gwalton@velaw.com. Or you may contact Ashley Lyle in V&E; Media Relations at (713) 758-2052 or via e-mail at alyle@velaw.com.

Vinson & Elkins was established in 1917 and is one of the world's largest international law firms. The firm has more than 700 lawyers practicing in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington D.C. Vinson & Elkins offers a wide range of legal services. Clients include public and private companies, financial institutions, municipalities, governments of sovereign nations, entrepreneurs, families and individuals. V&E; is a primary sponsor of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Awards, which recognizes and promotes legal journalism.