Donald E. Godwin Delivers University of Memphis Commencement Address and Receives Honorary Doctorate

DALLAS – Donald E. Godwin, Chairman & CEO of Dallas-based law firm, Godwin Bowman PC, recently delivered the Fall commencement address to the graduating class of the University of Memphis. The event, which took place at Memphis’ FedEx Forum, was held in two sessions, with Mr. Godwin delivering the commencement address for each. The ceremonies honored more than 2,000 graduates who had earned Doctorate, Masters, Law, Bachelors, and Nursing degrees, representing each of the University’s schools, with more than 30,000 guests attending. Highlighting the ceremonies was the award of an Honorary Doctorate degree to Mr. Godwin, who graduated from the University’s Fogelman College of Business & Economics in 1970, with a Master’s Degree in Accounting.

Referencing historic heroes such as President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Mr. Godwin’s addresses electrified both crowds. Reaction on social media was immediate and evoked high praise, with comments including such superlatives as, “Don Godwin gives a spectacular commencement speech-good life lessons all around”, ” I have never witnessed a commencement address receive so much applause” and “(Mr. Godwin)…is speaking a mighty word!”

Dr. M. David Rudd, President of the University of Memphis, presented Mr. Godwin with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters at the second commencement ceremony with Mr. Godwin’s wife, Carmen, daughter and son-in-law, Natalie and Matt Perry, and grandchildren Mason and Judd looking on.

Earlier this year, Mr. Godwin was named the Outstanding Alumnus of 2016 by the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis. Further recognizing his exceptional legal and business career and the outstanding accomplishments that have resulted, he was also inducted into the Fogelman College of Business & Economics Hall of Fame.

One of the most widely respected and highly honored attorneys in the United States, Mr. Godwin is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He received a J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1973, an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Memphis in 1970 and a B.S. from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington in 1969. Reflecting the standard of long-term excellence established in his legal practice, he has been named one of the “50 Lions of the Texas Bar” by Texas Lawbook, honoring 50 of the most influential senior attorneys in Texas; recognized since 2014 by Chambers USA in the area of General Commercial Litigation, honored by selection on the list of The Best Lawyers in America since 2012 in the area of Commercial Litigation, acknowledged regularly as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas by Thomson Reuters and has recently been named for the second consecutive year to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

Godwin Bowman PC PC is a trial and appellate law firm based in Dallas, Texas. The firm focuses on a wide array of legal matters including commercial litigation, appellate law, employment law, energy, zoning and condemnation, accountants and lawyers professional liability defense, family law, bankruptcy, trust and estate litigation and more. The firm’s attorneys represent Fortune 500 companies, middle-market leaders and individuals in some of the nation’s most public and high-stakes trials, and have done so for more than 35 years.

For more information on Mr. Godwin and the Firm, please contact Ed Sothcott at 214-939-8626 or ESothcott@GodwinLaw.com