Recognizing a legal mind
Tarrant litigator Bill Bogle '56 receives county bar association award.
by Jessie Milligan
Bill Bogle '56, a Tarrant County civil litigator, was recognized by the county bar association this spring for his legal abilities, integrity and courage.
Bill Bogle '56, a civil litigator for more than a half century, has advice for students considering a career in law.
They can succeed if they understand the profession requires more than the knowledge of the law, says Bogle.
“They must make sure they have the temperament for working long hours under pressure,” he says.”
He should know. Bogle was named the 2009 Blackstone Award winner by the Tarrant County Bar Association this spring. The award, the most prestigious honor given by the association, goes to a senior lawyer who has displayed consistent “abilities, integrity and courage” over the years.
Law was an early interest. Bogle recalls leaving class at TCU and racing off to find a tiny black-and-white television to watch U.S. Sen. Joe McCarthy grill suspected Communists.
The pre-law program allowed him to attend TCU for three years and then get credit for his TCU degree after his first year of law school at the University of Texas, Austin.
He went on to start a practice based in Fort Worth and to serve as a defense attorney in civil and corporate cases. Clients included Eddie Chiles, a developer of offshore drilling rigs who bought and sold the Texas Rangers with the help of Bogle.
The field through his 51-years of practice has, of course, been in constant flux as laws and regulations change. The technology, of course, has changed radically from the days his staff made carbon copies on manual typewriters. In the 1970s, they switched to a Magcard, an electric typewriter that saved documents to a magnetic card. The devices cost $12,000 each.
Bogle also has seen a change from small law firms to large law firms and to what he says is an “oversaturation” of lawyers in the market.
Yet some things haven’t changed over the years. Temperament counts, and the need for these qualities holds true: Abilities. Integrity. Courage. Bill Bogle serves as a reminder.