OFF THE RECORD

Battling on the Ice and in the Courtroom
– Jackie Benson and Dan Downey Play Competitive Ice Hockey

By Ann Zeigler

Jackie Benson practices securities and business litigation with Howrey, LLP’s Houston office. Dan Downey, former judge of the 295th Harris County District Court, litigates between his offices in Houston and Austin and teaches as an adjunct professor of law at South Texas College of Law.
In addition to practicing law, Jackie and Dan ice skate frequently. Even, occasionally, together. No, they are not ice dancers; they are hockey players. They play lots of hockey. When schedules permit, Jackie skates three to four times per week, covering various positions, including goalie, winger and defense. Dan plays defense one evening a week here in Houston and plays pick-up games in Austin.
Jackie, a Colorado native, moved to Houston for law school at the University of Houston. Contrary to one’s suspicions or assumptions, she never skated growing up in the mountains. Jackie began skating only about three and a half years ago, after a friend’s invitation to watch an adult amateur hockey game.
“It looked like way too much fun, and they still wanted me to join after I told them I didn’t know how to skate,” she said.
Now, Jackie owns two complete sets of equipment (goalie and regular), including skates, sticks, helmets, and padding of all sorts, which makes vehicle cargo size an issue. She barely manages to stow it all in her hatchback, which is just the right size for all the gear (plus, occasionally, the mountain bike—that’s another story).
When Jackie is covering one of the various non-goalie positions, she skates under jersey number 21, in honor of legendary hockey player Peter Forsberg. When tending the goal, Jackie dons number 33 for former Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy.
Dan, on the other hand, grew up playing hockey in Detroit. He cannot recollect ever not playing hockey. He does recollect, however, “falling in love” as a first-grader with a girl who lived down the street, because she was a great hockey player. Currently, Dan plays in a league with a name that is best kept on the Web site and not in a published article (but you can get the details on Dan’s Web site, www.dandowney.com). The league consists of players over the age of 40, and Dan plays strictly defense, but enforces the “no rough contact” rule. He feels that hockey provides a good way to channel a litigator’s highly-trained aggressiveness into a team sport that values self-discipline, as well as group discipline and skill development.
“And, of course, it’s a lot of fun,” Jackie adds.

Ann Zeigler practices in the bankruptcy section of HughesWattersAskanase in Houston, and she is a member of the editorial board of The Houston Lawyer.

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