AUSTIN, Texas, June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Center for Legal Ethics (TCLE) is proud to announce that Chief Justice Carolyn Wright of the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas will receive the 2017 Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award.

Each year, TCLE presents the Pope Award to a judge or attorney who personifies the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the field of law. The Pope Award is named for former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope, one of TCLE's founders and the first person to receive the award in 2009. Mr. Pope, who spearheaded a judicial ethics code, died in February at age 103.  

Justice Wright, who previously served as a state district court judge, is the first African-American to serve as Chief Justice on any of the 14 intermediate courts of appeal in the state of Texas.  

"Chief Justice Wright has been a shining example of professionalism throughout her long and distinguished career," said Dallas attorney Beverly Godbey, Chair of the Board of Trustees of TCLE. "Not only has she blazed trails and set an example for all who follow in her footsteps, she has done so with elegance, dignity and a firm dedication to the betterment of our profession." 

The Pope Award will be presented to Chief Justice Wright by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht at the Annual Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner on Sept. 8 in Austin.

Founded in 1989 by Chief Justice Pope and two other retired Texas Supreme Court chief justices, TCLE promotes the values contained in the Texas Lawyer's Creed and fulfills its founders' vision to be the leading center of knowledge and resources for ethics and professionalism in Texas. For more information, visit the Texas Center for Legal Ethics website at http://www.legalethicstexas.com.

For more information on Chief Justice Carolyn Wright and the Pope Award, please contact Jonathan Smaby, executive director of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics, at 512-427-1477 or jonathan.smaby@texasbar.com.

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SOURCE Texas Center for Legal Ethics