Locke Lord Partner David Harrell Named 2024 Houston Bar Association President and Akilah Craig Receives President’s Award for Outstanding Service

Houston Partner David Harrell, FCIArb, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Litigation Department and Chair of the Firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group, was sworn in as the 2024-2025 President of the Houston Bar Association (HBA), and Houston’s Akilah Craig was selected as a recipient of a 2024 President’s Award for Outstanding Service at the HBA Annual Dinner on May 14.

As HBA President, Harrell will focus on building community among Houston lawyers, educating HBA members about important legal developments and expanding opportunities for members to serve their community. An active HBA member, he has served on its Board of Directors for the past seven years. Harrell has also served as Board Chair of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Harris County and the surrounding areas, and is the immediate Past Chair of the SBOT ADR Section and past Chair of the Dispute Resolution Center. He is a member of the Houston International Arbitration Club Incorporated and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center. Harrell has extensive first and second-chair trial and arbitration experience in the areas of energy litigation, commercial litigation and land use/permitting litigation. His energy litigation experience includes representations of operators, producers, transporters, marketers and royalty owners.

Craig was recognized for her leadership as a 2023-2024 HBA Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair and service to the HBA’s initiative to increase lactation facilities in the Harris County Court Complex, including the Civil Courthouse, Juvenile Courthouse, Family Law Center and Jury Assembly building. She is active in the legal community and serves as a Trustee and Fellow of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and serves as a Fellow on the Texas Bar Foundation. Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Craig has represented employers in and before federal and state courts and administrative agencies on a wide variety of issues, including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and failure to accommodate, wage and hour disputes as well as defense and enforcement of covenants non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.