For Immediate Release
December 18, 2008

Travis County District Attorney-Elect Rosemary Lehmberg announced today that Austin lawyer John Neal will join her staff on February 1, 2009, as First Assistant District Attorney.

The position of First Assistant District Attorney is directly responsible for the day to day management of the District Attorney’s office.

John Neal is a native of Graham, Texas, where he maintained a private practice from 1980 to 1986. In 1986 he became District Attorney for the 90th Judicial District, which includes Young and Stephens Counties. He served as the elected District Attorney for 10 years.

During his service as District Attorney in Graham, Neal founded the third Children’s Advocacy Center in Texas, following the establishment of Centers in Dallas and Austin. He developed expertise in child abuse prosecutions and was sought as a trainer and lecturer in this area by legal associations across the state.

In 1996 Neal became the division chief of the Texas Attorney General’s statewide prosecution division. While leading this criminal law enforcement division, Neal personally tried many felony cases, including capital murders, sexual assaults and public corruption cases. He also managed attorneys in the division who prosecuted capital murders, cyber crimes including child pornography cases, and a variety of white collar crimes.

John Neal is currently serving as Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State Bar of Texas, a position he has held since 2005. His 85 person staff, including 30 attorneys, prosecutes grievances against lawyers statewide.

Neal, 62, earned his undergraduate degree in English from Georgia State University in 1976. He received the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1980. He is certified as a specialist in criminal law.

In announcing Neal’s appointment as First Assistant, Lehmberg said, “John combines a wide range of experience with high ethical standards. Our office and our community are fortunate to have such an outstanding person in this position.”

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