ABOUT

Ann Hennis is a partner in the Corpus Christi office of Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, L.L.P. After completing law school in Houston, she returned home to her native Corpus Christi to begin her legal career. As an associate with the law firm of Hunt, Hermansen, McKibben & Barger, L.L.P., she gained first and second chair jury and non-jury trial experience in a number of courts in South Texas, some of which include Nueces, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Cameron, Webb, Duval, and Starr Counties.

During her active practice with Darrell Barger for the past 24 years, she has successfully represented, on both the plaintiff and defense sides, numerous individual and corporate clients in lead and local counsel capacities.

She has been overseeing administrative and personnel matters in the Corpus Christi office since 2002, and is a member of the firm’s Ethics Committee. Ms. Hennis and husband, Mark Carlson, M.D., actively serve the community in various organizations.

CASE EXPERIENCE

• Successfully recovered lost prize winnings and additional monetary damages for two world champion One Design International 14 sailors from London, England, against the owner of a commercial spectator vessel.
  
• Secured dismissal of a trucking company in a case involving serious bodily injuries of multiple plaintiffs, in a South Texas county with a history of million dollar verdicts.
  
• Obtained favorable jury verdicts for insurance companies in defense of worker’s compensation claims, and in a child custody case on behalf of an indigent mother.
  
• Defended numerous pharmaceutical companies in mass tort litigation brought by hundreds of patients who had ingested prescription and over-the-counter medications.
  
• Obtained summary judgment in a personal injury/products liability Hidalgo County lawsuit arising from an alleged tire blowout on a sports utility vehicle resulting in a one vehicle rollover.
  
• Successfully negotiated dismissal of a security company in a South Texas District Court, in a case with a potential for a multi-million dollar verdict.
  
• Handled a variety of Pro Bono cases for Coastal Bend Legal Services, now Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc.
  
• Defended various types of litigation, in State and Federal courts, including motor vehicle accidents, refinery explosions, construction defects, oil field accidents, tortious interference with business relations, contaminated food, equipment failures, strict liability involving automobiles, component parts, and various products.
  

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

State Bar of Texas
American Bar Association
Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow, Fellows Nominating Chair, District 11, 2007-2008
Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, Appointed by the Texas Supreme Court, District 11 Subcommittee Chair, 1995-present, approximately 150 investigations, some resulting in Cease & Desist Agreements and/or Court ordered Injunctions against Respondents
Corpus Christi Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2000-2002, Treasurer 2001
San Antonio Bar Association, Member
Nueces County Administration of Justice Committee, appointed 2005 - present
Texas Women Lawyers
Coastal Bend Women Lawyers, former director and chair, various committees
Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, Member
Phi Alpha Delta, former President, Sam Houston Chapter
Texas Association of Defense Counsel
Defense Research Institute
Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
American Board of Trial Advocates, Associate
The College of the State Board of Texas

NOTEWORTHY

Recipient, CCBA’s Cecil E. Burney Humanitarian Award - Nueces County attorney recognized as most actively devoted to humanitarian causes.
Recipient, YWCA Y Women in Careers Award, 2008.
State Bar of Texas, 1998 Annual Meeting Committee, 5k Run/Walk Chair.
Coastal Bend Women Lawyers, former Spring Luncheon Co-Chair, assisted with raising over $11,000 for Bee County Courthouse Lady Justice Restoration Project.
Women’s Shelter of South Texas, Board of Directors 1993-1999, 1998 Board President. Advisory Council, 2008.
National Council on Family Violence, Member.
United Way of the Coastal Bend, Board of Governors 2002- present, 2006 Campaign Chair.
American Diabetes Association, C.C. Chapter, 2007 Honorary Chair with Dr. Carlson.
Nueces County Medical Society Alliance, 2000 – present, 2006 Doctors’ Day Chair.
YWCA Fund Development Committee, 2007-present.
Gulf Coast Humane Society Auxiliary, Paws & Claws Founding Member since 1997, 2007 President.
Leadership Texas graduate, Class of 2001.
Foundation for Women’s Resources, member.
C.C. Yacht Club Board of Directors, 2000-2002, 2009 Vice Commodore.
Owner/Skipper – Ranger 26 Sailboat, participant in local regattas.