Great Women of Texas 2019: Jessica Morrison

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Jessica Morrison

Partner

Thompson & Knight LLP

When Jessica Morrison was growing up, she was fascinated with the themes of a children’s book series focused on a diverse group of girls who built a small business through hard work, self-confidence and their cherished friendship.

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Those values continue to motivate Morrison as a partner at Thompson & Knight and a wife and mother. With a practice focused on employee benefits, executive compensation and taxation, Morrison’s approach is based on developing relationships with clients and becoming a member team.

Her clients include large and small businesses and public companies across various industries as well as charitable organizations and individuals.

Morrison serves on the law firm’s Lawyer Development Committee and participates in its Women’s Initiative Group. She is also an ally for the firm’s LGBTK affinity group. She also strongly values the firm’s collegial culture and strives to mentor and support fellow attorneys.

Among her many honors, Morrison was recently selected to participate in the Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Fellows program of the American Bar Association.  As one of only 10 young lawyers selected nationwide to participate, she will serve through 2021.

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Morrison also serves as a vice chair of the Tax Section Employee Benefits Committee for the State Bar of Texas and is a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association’s Women Attorneys Section, the SouthWest Benefits Association and the Fort Worth Human Resource Management Association.

She was recently named a Women of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains.

Her commitment to community service includes serving as the president of the board of directors of The Parenting Center and as a Fort Worth City Council appointee to its Community Development Council. She also participated in Steer Fort Worth’s 2018 Keyholder Program and has previously served on the American Heart Association’s Fort Worth Heart Ball Executive Leadership Team and as a member of The WARM Place’s Cool Night event committee.

Morrison is a graduate of  the University of Texas School of Law and Texas A&M University, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in genetics.

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–      Marice Richter

What advice would you give young women rising to a position of prominence?

 

Honor yourself and others.  Honor yourself by recognizing your strengths and leading from them, by identifying exactly what you want and advocating for it, and by knowing and respecting your self-care needs.  Honor others by embracing each interaction as an opportunity to helpfully connect and by celebrating the unique gifts and accomplishments of women and men in your workplace and elsewhere.

You could choose to spend your time many ways; why do you choose to spend it the way you do?

 

Sometimes I joke that the YOLO acronym for “you only live once,” which is usually said to justify some thrill-seeking behavior, ought to instead be articulated as a warning to be careful.  Since I have only this one life, I have tried to thoughtfully build a routine that incorporates everything I value: my career, spending time with my family and friends, expanding my daughters’ horizons through after-school activities, volunteering with organizations that are in a position to make a lasting impact on our community, and taking time for myself (I cannot understate the importance of sleep, exercise, and alone-time in my life).

 

Who is the most significant role model and/or mentor in your life?

 

My mom, Irma.  She is a model of how to balance ambition and professional success with a desire to raise well-rounded, independent children. 

 

What book, movie, TV series or play influenced you growing up?  Why?

 

The Baby-Sitters Club series.  It featured girls with varying personalities and family backgrounds navigating friendships and running their own small business.  The characters loved each other despite their differences and celebrated what made each of them unique.  I continue to be influenced by themes of those books—hard work, self-confidence, and the value of friendship.  And in case you’re wondering, I’m a Kristy.