Attorneys and Staff

Paul J. Ward

Paul J. Ward is Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Southern Methodist University, a position he has held since 2009. The General Counsel of Southern Methodist University serves as the chief legal advisor to the President, Board of Trustees, and University officers and administrators, and is responsible for oversight of all legal matters impacting the University, including those involving institutional governance, intellectual property and licensing, research contracts and compliance, charitable giving, employment matters, student-related issues, real estate, taxation, and government regulations. Mr. Ward also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.  Mr. Ward is a frequent speaker on legal issues and has authored papers and other publications on higher education law.

Prior to SMU, Mr. Ward served as Vice President for University Administration and General Counsel at Arizona State University from 2004 to 2008. He served as General Counsel to ASU from 1991 to 2008. As Vice President for University Administration, his areas of responsibility included human resources, the police department, university audit and advisory services, and the risk management and environmental health and safety department. Mr. Ward also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education at ASU. Prior to his association with ASU, he served the University of South Carolina System as General Counsel from 1979 to 1991. Previously, he was engaged in private practice in the Washington, D.C., office of Casey, Lane & Mittendorf.

Mr. Ward served as president (1996-97) and as a member of the Board of Directors (1988-92 and 1993-98) of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). In 1993, he established NACUA’s electronic discussion list, NACUANET, which has more than 5,000 participating members in the United States and eight foreign countries. In June 2000, he received the prestigious Distinguished Service Award from NACUA. He served as a member of the NCAA General Counsel Advisory Board from 2000-2010. Also, he has served in the American Bar Association House of Delegates. In 2002, Mr. Ward received the Thomas S. Biggs Award at the Stetson University College of Law, National Conference on Law of Higher Education. Mr. Ward is an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated (25 years+), Martindale-Hubbell's highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability. Mr. Ward was the recipient of the 2020 Robert H. Dedman Award for Ethics & Law from the Texas General Counsel Forum. He is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. In 2023, Mr. Ward received the Carol L. McDonald Public Service Award from Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.

Mr. Ward graduated from the Southern Methodist University School of Law (J.D., 1975) and Eastern Illinois University (B.S., 1971; M.A., 1974). He has been admitted to practice law in Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, Indiana, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Phone: 214.768.1551
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: paul.ward@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Diane Rives
Phone: 214.768.1903
Email: drives@smu.edu

Susan M. Howe - Attorney

Susan M. Howe joined SMU as Associate University Counsel in 2007. Prior to joining SMU, Ms. Howe served as in-house counsel for the University of Tulsa in the Office of the General Counsel, first as the Compliance Attorney and EEO/AA Officer, and subsequently as Assistant General Counsel. At the University of Tulsa College of Law, Ms. Howe completed the certificate program in Health Law and was the recipient of the CALI Award for Legal Excellence in Insurance Law.

Howe graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law (J.D.) and the University of Tulsa (B.A.). Ms. Howe is an active member of the Texas, Oklahoma, and Dallas Bar Associations and is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Contact Information

Phone: 214.768.1208
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: showe@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Alyssa Mooney
Phone: 214.768.1205
Email: amooney@smu.edu

Kelly J. Thurman - Attorney

Kelly J. Thurman joined SMU as Associate University Counsel in June 2015.  Prior to joining SMU, Ms. Thurman served as in-house counsel for international law firm Locke Lord LLP, first as Employment Counsel and Director of Benefits and Compensation, and subsequently as Employment Counsel and Director of Compensation.  Before taking on an in-house role, Ms. Thurman was in private practice with Locke Lord from 1998 through 2007 as an Associate, and from 2008 through August 2012 as a Partner.  Ms. Thurman was named to D Magazine’s Best Women Lawyers in Dallas in 2010.  Prior to attending law school, Ms. Thurman worked as a Real Estate Paralegal for Locke Purnell Rain Harrell. 

Ms. Thurman graduated from the Texas Tech University School of Law (J.D., 1998 summa cum laude), and the University of Texas at Arlington (B.A. in Criminal Justice, 1992 cum laude).  At the Texas Tech University School of Law, Ms. Thurman was appointed to the Order of the Coif and served as the President of Women in Law from 1996-1997.  She is a member of the Texas Bar and is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).      

Contact Information

Phone: 214.768.1309
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: kthurman@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Alyssa Mooney
Phone: 214.768.1205
Email: amooney@smu.edu

Donna Morrow - Attorney

Donna Morrow joined SMU’s Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) as Associate University Counsel in 2022. Prior to joining SMU, Donna was corporate counsel for Avon Products, Inc. and Mary Kay Inc.  She was also in-house counsel for the predecessor companies to Morrow Sodali Global. Earlier in her career, Donna worked with law firms in Dallas and New York City, including Thompson & Knight L.P. and Baker McKenzie.

Ms. Morrow graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law (J.D.) and St. Lawrence University (B.A.). She has been a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the New York State Bar. She is currently an active member of the State Bar of Texas and a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Contact Information

Phone: 214.768.1204
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: dmorrow@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Mallory DiLeo
Phone: 214.768.3233
Email: mdileo@smu.edu

Frank George - Attorney

Frank George joined SMU’s Office of Legal Affairs as Associate University Counsel in September 2024. Prior to joining SMU, Frank served as a Senior Associate in the Finance Group at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. where he specialized in representing institutional lenders, private equity firms and multinational corporations in an array of corporate and financial matters. 

Frank has served on the Board of Directors of the Bridge Homeless Recovery Center and as Co-Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Home Project Committee on behalf of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.  

Frank graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (J.D., 2018 cum laude) and the University of Oklahoma (B.A., 2013 cum laude). He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Contact Information

Phone: 214.768.7113
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: fgeorge@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Mallory DiLeo
Phone: 214.768.3233
Email: mdileo@smu.edu

Elizabeth Priest - Attorney

Elizabeth Priest joined SMU as Associate University Counsel and Higher Education Law Fellow in August 2023. Prior to joining SMU’s Office of Legal Affairs, Ms. Priest completed legal internships at First Liberty Institute and Interstate Batteries and a judicial internship with the Honorable Robert J. Conrad, Jr. in the Western District of North Carolina.

Ms. Priest graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law (J.D., 2023) and Texas A&M University (B.A., Psychology & History, 2020). While in law school, Ms. Priest served as a Staff Editor and Articles Editor for the SMU Law Review Association. Her comment, “Working Toward Break Point: Professional Tennis and the Growing Problem with Employee and Independent Contractor Misclassifications,” was published in the SMU Law Review. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association.

Contact Information

Phone: 214.768.1230
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: epriest@smu.edu

Assistant

Name: Mallory DiLeo
Phone: 214.768.3233
Email: mdileo@smu.edu

Administrative Staff

Diane Rives

Executive Assistant to the Vice President

Phone: 214.768.1903
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: drives@smu.edu

Supports:
Paul J. Ward

Alyssa Mooney

Administrative Legal Specialist

Phone: 214.768.1205
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: amooney@smu.edu

Supports:
Susan M. Howe
Kelly J. Thurman

Mallory DiLeo

Legal Assistant

Phone: 214.768.3233
Fax: 214.768.1281
Email: mdileo@smu.edu

Supports:
Donna Morrow
Frank George
Elizabeth Priest