About the Board
The Texas Board of Law Examiners is an agency of the Texas Supreme
Court. The Board’s sole purpose is to qualify applicants for
admission to the State Bar of Texas. The Supreme Court is ultimately
responsible for admitting those applicants certified by the Board as
eligible for admission to the State Bar of Texas. In performing its
duties, the Board administers and interprets the Rules Governing
Admission to the Bar of Texas, promulgated by the Supreme Court. The
State Bar of Texas disciplines its members, independent of the
Board’s work.
Nine Texas lawyers serve as members of the Board. They are appointed by
the Supreme Court to serve staggered six-year terms. Each member must be
a U.S. citizen, licensed to practice law in Texas, over the age of 35,
and have been a practicing lawyer or judge of a court of record for a
combined total of at least 10 years.
The Board staff investigates the background of every Bar applicant. The
process begins with investigation of all first-year students in
ABA-approved Texas law schools who intend to apply for admission after
graduation. When Texas law students later apply for admission, the Board
updates its investigation as the final step in certification of their
character and fitness. Applicants for admission from other states and
foreign countries are also investigated before being certified by the
Board as eligible for admission. The investigation focuses on conduct
indicating whether the applicant may have certain character traits or
any currently existing mental or emotional condition likely to cause
injury to a client, obstruct the administration of justice, or violate
the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct if licensed to
practice law.
The Board finally determines whether each applicant for admission has
the good moral character and present fitness to practice law. In some
cases, the Board may conduct a hearing to consider evidence offered by
the Board staff and the applicant that is relevant to an
applicant’s moral character and present fitness. After
consideration of the evidence and argument presented at the hearing, the
Board issues a written order either certifying the applicant for
admission, conditionally certifying, or declining to certify and stating
its findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of that decision.
The Board’s character and fitness investigations, hearings, and
orders are confidential by statute.
In addition to evaluating the character and fitness of Bar applicants,
the Board is responsible for administration of the Texas Bar Exam as
prescribed by the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas. The bar
exam is administered semi-annually over two days during the last weeks
of February and July. Members of the Board are responsible for grading
answers to the written portions of the exam.
On behalf of the Supreme Court, the Board also receives payments for
fees required of non-resident attorneys who seek to appear by permission
before a Texas court. The Board remits all such fee payments to the
Texas Comptroller for use by the Supreme Court in funding programs to
provide basic legal services to indigent persons.
The Board’s business meetings and final decisions in character and
fitness hearings are conducted in open sessions with public notice under
the Texas Open Meetings Act. Board records are subject to the Public
Information Act, except where confidentiality is required by statute,
rule or order of the Supreme Court. At every public meeting of the
Board, time is allotted for interested persons to address the Board on
matters of public interest and concern.
Augustin Rivera, Jr., Chair, Corpus Christi, Texas
Augustin “Augie” Rivera, Jr. was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners in 2011. He was elected as Vice Chair in 2017, and then as Chair in 2019. Augie is a native and lifelong resident of South Texas, graduating from Stanford Law School in 1987. Augie practiced for over 25 years serving as a litigation and insurance defense attorney throughout South Texas. He is currently serving as general counsel for the Del Mar College District.
Teresa Ereon Giltner, Vice Chair, Dallas, Texas
Teresa Ereon Giltner was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners in 2011. Teresa graduated from University of Notre Dame Law School in 1986. At Dykema Cox Smith, Teresa represents clients throughout the state and nation in real estate, banking and corporate finance matters. She advises clients on complicated issues related to real estate acquisitions, leasing, development and finance projects, as well as associated land-use planning issues. Teresa regularly assists bankruptcy and creditors rights’ attorneys on matters involving real estate, personal property and corporate finance. She has been board-certified in commercial real estate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1993. Teresa is active in several professional organizations in the Dallas community.
Harold “Al” Odom, Past Chair, Houston, Texas
Al Odom has been a member of the Board of Law Examiners since his appointment in 2009 by the Supreme Court of Texas. He was elected as Vice Chair in 2014 and Chair in 2017. A founding partner of Schiffer, Odom, Hicks & Johnson PLLC, Al has been a trial lawyer since 1989 after graduating from University of Texas School of Law. Al represents plaintiffs and defendants in business torts, shareholder oppression/breach of fiduciary duty, partnership disputes, executive-level employment disputes and commercial landlord-tenant disputes. In addition to his professional activities, Al commits much of his time to community service and coaching his children’s sports teams.
Anna M. McKim, Lubbock, Texas
Anna McKim was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners on September 1, 2015. Ms. McKim is a shareholder with the law firm of Field, Manning, Stone, Hawthorne & Aycock in Lubbock, Texas and her areas of practice are appellate law, family law, mediations, and general civil litigation. She received her certification in Family Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2007. Ms. McKim is a 2001 honor graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, and she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Howard Payne University in 1998. Ms. McKim is a past president of the Lubbock County Bar Association and the Lubbock County Young Lawyer’s Association. She also serves on the Board of Directors, Guy D. Newman Honors Academy at Howard Payne University.
Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr, San Antonio, Texas
Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners on September 1, 2015. Ms. Orr is a partner at Goldstein, Goldstein and Hilley in San Antonio, where she is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney. She is Board Certified in both Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
A 1979 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. and a 1988 graduate of St. Mary’s University Law School, Ms. Orr began her legal career clerking for Fifth Circuit Judge Emilio Garza when he was on the U.S. District Court bench in San Antonio, Texas. She is a recognized leader in the legal community and was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. She recently served as Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association and has also served as a member of the ABA House of Delegates and on numerous ABA Committees. She has received many honors and acknowledgements for her efforts to improve the criminal justice system and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (2005).
C. Alfred Mackenzie, Waco, Texas
C. Alfred Mackenzie was appointed to the Board of Law Examiners in 2015. Alfred graduated from Baylor University School of Law in 1991. He is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and focuses his practice on civil appeals. Alfred is a past member of the Appellate Section Council of the State Bar of Texas, a founding member of the Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court in Waco, Texas, and a past president of the Waco-McLennan County Young Lawyers Association.
Carlos R. Soltero, Austin, Texas
Carlos R. Soltero was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners effective October 2018. Carlos is a shareholder at Maynard Nexsen and represents clients in commercial litigation including business and employment litigation as well as in wrongful death, personal injury, and other tort cases. Carlos graduated from Yale Law School in 1994.
Alexis Howard Lewis, Houston, Texas
Alexis Howard Lewis was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners in 2025. She recently served as Chief Legal Officer for a financial institution with 2.6B in assets, where she led the Shared Risk Services department, including Legal, Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, and Fraud/BSA. In this role, she played a key part in shaping legal strategy, navigating regulatory landscapes, and aligning risk management with enterprise goals. Prior to that, she built a strong foundation in legal practice and corporate governance through her work in big law. A Colorado native, Alexis earned her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and now lives in Houston with her husband and daughter. She serves on several boards, including WE WILL, the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Alumni Association, and as a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Women’s Partnership.
W. Stephen “Steve” Benesh, Austin, Texas
W. Stephen “Steve” Benesh was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Board of Law Examiners in 2025. Steve is the 2024-25 President of the State Bar of Texas. His prior positions of service to the legal profession include Chair of the Texas Bar Foundation, Chair of the State Bar Annual Meeting, President of the Austin Bar Association, and President of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court. Steve has spent his entire legal career with Bracewell LLP, where he practices commercial litigation in the firm’s Austin office. He obtained both his undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.