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OFF THE RECORD VanquishingViolinist By Fred A. Simpson Although she has been licensed to practice law since 1995, Maryellen Shea formerly was a seasoned and experienced violinist who performed in New York City as a member of the Da Salo String Quartet. She also served with many of New York’s finest chamber orchestras, including Solisti New York and New York Virtuosi. She also performed from “the pit” on Broadway in successful musicals such as My One and Only, Me and My Girl, Gypsy, The Mikado, and, notably, for three years in the Broadway smash hit production of Les Miserables. Maryellen also recorded a number of soundtracks for Broadway shows, television and movies, and for many years she performed in the Radio City Music Hall “Christmas Spectacular” orchestra. As more than adequate foundation for these substantial accomplishments, consider Maryellen’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City, where she studied under renowned violinist, Joseph Fuchs, and was the recipient of the coveted Fritz Kreisler Award and Scholarship. When asked why she chose to be an attorney after her musical success, Maryellen explains that a number of attorneys were already in her family circle, and that the law fascinated her. However, additional family pressures and rational reasons caused her to give serious focus on the law as a vocation. When her children approached school age, Maryellen saw clearly that the nature of a musician’s work week is such that she might almost never see her children, as they would be in school when she was at home, and she would be working on weekends. Accordingly, she looked for the type of day job that would allow her more time with her children. But why then in Houston? This came about because her husband at the time – a Juilliard pianist – accepted a position at the University of Houston, which allowed their children to attend his alma mater, St. John’s in Houston. Accordingly, study at South Texas College of Law filled the bill for Maryellen’s legal training. (It is not surprising, however, that because of Maryellen’s New York background, she is licensed in the New York bar as well as the Texas bar.) But fear not, Maryellen still finds time in her busy schedule to enjoy performing as a violinist, despite the understandably heavy demands on her as senior counsel and a successful civil litigator at Jackson Walker. She is a member of the Houston Doctors Orchestra and regularly plays string quartets for enjoyment with other accomplished musicians such as Dr. Daniel Musher, professor of medicine at Baylor and head of infectious disease at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, and with Carter Crawford, violist and retired engineer. Maryellen also served on the board of the Houston Friends of Music, a 50-year-old society that is devoted to bringing the finest chamber music to Houston, as performed at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. As part of her extensive commitment to the Houston community, Maryellen created and implemented a violin program for first graders at the KIPP Shine Academy, a charter school for under-served children. She also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and the HBA’s “LegalLine” program, and she participates in numerous pro bono publico activities as well. Fred A. Simpson is a partner at Jackson Walker LLP and immediate past editor in chief of The Houston Lawyer.
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