Karen Cox Appointed Managing Director and Chair of the Firm’s Board of Directors

Kane Russell Coleman Logan has announced major changes to the law firm’s management structure, including the firm’s first woman appointed as Managing Director and Chair of the Board of Directors.

KRCL has appointed Karen A. Cox to serve as Chair of the firm’s Board of Directors. This marks a major transition in the management structure of the firm, which has previously been led by its founding Directors.

“Karen joined KRCL more than 25 years ago and she has been a driving force in creating the firm’s culture, serving in many firm management roles throughout the years. She’s the perfect fit to lead the firm through these dynamic changes,” said Joe Coleman, a founder of the firm and current Managing Director.

Coleman continued, “All of our founders plan to stay fully engaged with their practice and the firm for the next 10 years or so. By getting an early start on our legacy planning, we have been able to involve more of the “up-and-comers” in the process early, giving us time to fully execute our methodical succession plan and achieve our vision for the future of the firm. This is the right time to shift to a C-Suite model that allows the firm to run like an established business with talented management professionals at the helm.”

“The decision to appoint a woman as Managing Director and Chair of the Board demonstrates the firm’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion and I’m honored to be chosen for this important role in the firm’s progression to a new management team,” said Karen Cox, a Director in the KRCL Real Estate group. “The firm’s founders have done a tremendous job of building a successful firm with a great reputation, and I’m excited to lead this new phase that I believe will take us to the next level.”

Effective January 1, 2020, Cox will become Managing Director and Chair of the Board, tasked with setting strategic direction for the firm. Cox joined the firm in 1993, less than a year after the firm was founded. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, and she was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers for 2019 by the National Diversity Council.

In addition to appointing Karen Cox as the firm’s first woman Chair of the Board of Directors, KRCL has appointed Jeff Novel to Managing Director of Administration. Novel will work closely with the firm’s business professionals to implement strategic initiatives set forth by the Board, and serve as an advisor on the firm’s day-to-day operations. Novel is a litigation attorney and a Director of the firm. He has been with KRCL for over 15 years.

The firm’s team of professional business managers will be led by Mike Demarest as Chief Executive Officer Business Operations. Demarest served as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer for the past 14 years and will now step into the role of CEO Business Operations.

The professional management team will also include Nathan Benson as Chief Financial Officer. Benson joined the firm two years ago as Director of Accounting and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Association of Legal Administrators, Dallas Chapter. Christine Harris will serve as Chief Marketing Officer. Harris is a highly experienced legal marketer and was recently elected to the International Board of Directors for the Legal Marketing Association. Pamela Worthington will become the firm’s Chief Talent Officer. Worthington has more than 25 years of experience in law firm talent management. Greg Amme will round out the executive team in the role of Chief Information Officer. Amme has managed the firm’s information technology for nearly 20 years.