H.R. No. 1376
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The year 2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the
passage of the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Procedures Act, and this milestone presents a welcome opportunity
to recognize one of the bill's coauthors, the Honorable Frank
Evans; and
WHEREAS, In 1978, Texas Supreme Court chief justice Joe
Greenhill tasked Mr. Evans, a justice on the First Court of Appeals
in Houston, with finding a way to reduce congestion in the dockets
of trial and appellate courts in the state; convinced that
alternative dispute resolution was the best answer, Judge Evans
became a leading advocate for this method of limiting the number of
cases resolved through litigation, eventually earning the moniker
the "Father of Texas ADR"; in 1985, he, along with The University of
Texas at Austin law professor Edward F. Sherman and Texas state
senator Cynthia Taylor Krier, drafted legislation to provide a
comprehensive framework for ADR practice in the state, and the bill
was enacted by the Texas Legislature in 1987; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Judge Evans further championed ADR
by helping to create the Houston Bar Association Special Committee
on ADR and the Houston Neighborhood Justice Center, persuading the
Harris County District Attorney's Office to begin referring citizen
complaints to mediation, establishing a juvenile justice system of
peer mediation in Texas elementary and secondary schools, and
serving as founding chair of the ADR Section of the State Bar of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, After nearly two decades as chief justice, Judge
Evans retired from the court in 1990, and he went on to found and
head the South Texas College of Law Center for Legal
Responsibility, which has since been renamed in his honor;
moreover, he was retained in an of-counsel position at the
Houston-based law firm Haynes & Boone and continued to benefit the
First Court of Appeals as a conference judge; today, he and his
wife, Elizabeth, reside in Bastrop; and
WHEREAS, Widely admired in the legal profession, Judge Frank
Evans has made immeasurable contributions to the justice system in
the Lone Star State, and he may take great pride in the part he
played in the ratification of the Texas Alternative Dispute
Resolution Procedures Act; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 30th anniversary of the passage
of the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures Act and
commend the Honorable Frank Evans for his instrumental role in
promoting ADR in the Lone Star State; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Judge Evans as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Davis of Harris
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1376 was adopted by the House on April
27, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House