87R16366 TBO-D
By: Springer S.C.R. No. 39
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The untimely death of noted attorney and admired
civic leader Clyde Moody Siebman on March 4, 2021, at the age of 62,
brought a great loss to his family, his friends, and the legal
community in Texas and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Born in Sherman on November 26, 1958, to Newell and
Carol Siebman, Clyde Siebman grew up in Pottsboro and Plano with the
companionship of his beloved sister, Annette, and numerous dear
cousins; he received a dual bachelor's degree in business
administration and psychology at Southern Methodist University,
and while completing his juris doctor degree at SMU Dedman School of
Law, he met his future wife, Carol Ann Mumm; they became the proud
parents of a daughter, Elizabeth, and they were eventually blessed
with a granddaughter, Kendall; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Siebman began his career as a law clerk for U.S.
District Judge Paul Brown, inaugural judge of the Eastern District
of Texas; in 1991, he became a founding partner of Siebman, Forrest,
Burg, & Smith, known as Siebman & Siebman during the years he
practiced with his wife, before she joined the judiciary; today,
the firm has offices in Sherman and four other cities, and the legal
team includes his daughter, Elizabeth Siebman Forrest, a named
partner, and his niece, Becca Skupin, an associate; and
WHEREAS, A national expert in intellectual property law,
Mr. Siebman began handling such cases even before the Eastern
District became a preferred venue for patent litigation; he was
heavily involved in the New York Intellectual Property Law
Association, the Leahy Institute of Advanced Patent Studies, and
the Sedona Conference; moreover, he was frequently called upon to
moderate judicial panels and appear at legal conferences across the
country; he also visited Chinese universities with a delegation of
attorneys and judges and lectured on U.S. trial practices; among
myriad accolades, he was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America
as 2018 Dallas/Fort Worth Lawyer of the Year for Patent Litigation
and 2020 Dallas/Fort Worth Lawyer of the Year for Copyright
Litigation; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Siebman regularly represented clients in
complex commercial litigation in the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, as well as other venues, and he served his profession in
numerous leadership roles; committed to innovation, he chaired the
advisory board of the Institute for Law and Technology and served as
an ex officio member of the board; he worked tirelessly in behalf of
his colleagues in East Texas, founding the district's bar
association and serving as its president; moreover, he was the
driving force behind the association's Bench-Bar Conference of the
Eastern District of Texas, one of the nation's foremost legal
programs, and served as chair for a quarter century; he made further
contributions as a member of several Eastern District committees
and the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Highly engaged in civic life, Mr. Siebman served as
Republican Party chair in Grayson County and as a member of the
State Republican Executive Committee; he energetically supported
GOP candidates at all levels and was instrumental in the ascendance
of the Republican Party in the county and the state; nevertheless,
he was happy to reach across the aisle in the public interest, and
he received plaudits in the Eastern District for his work with a
prominent local Democrat to fill vacant federal judgeships; in
2000, he was a member of the Presidential Electoral College; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Siebman served on the Red River Boundary
Commission and played a key role in resolving a dispute between
Texas and Oklahoma dating back to the Louisiana Purchase; as
conservator of the Riverbend Water Resource District, he helped
settle a decades-long legal battle over water issues in East Texas
and Southwest Arkansas, and he was appointed in 2017 to the Red
River Interstate Compact Commission; he also served as chair of the
North Texas Regional Airport Board and of the Grayson County
Regional Mobility Authority; and
WHEREAS, Clyde Siebman made a tremendous positive impact
through his professional and civic contributions, earning the high
esteem of all who knew him, but he will be remembered equally for
his warmth, integrity, and kindness; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby pay tribute to the life of Clyde Moody Siebman and extend
sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
Clyde Moody Siebman.