Convention & Sporting Expo 2015

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A level playing field: From lion hunt
to law firm’s practice
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There are parallels between hunting and the practice of law, according to Gregory
Shamoun, the managing partner of Shamoun & Norman in Dallas. And his lion
hunt in Zimbabwe confirmed it.
As part of a 30-day safari Shamoun took with his 13-year-old son in August of
2013, Shamoun was able to accomplish his goal — hunting a truly wild, fair chase lion on
the Matetsi Unit #5, a more than 1,000,000-acre government-owned territory where there
are only two male lion tags awarded each year.
“I insisted that if I was going to pursue the king of the jungle, it was going to be on a
level playing field,” he said. “It was the real deal and about as primitive of a safari as one
could do. We hunted this lion for six days — I was worn out. He was old, he had been
kicked out of the pride and was out on his own with another male lion.”
Some of the traditional hunting methods didn’t work.
“We tried zebra bait and kudu bait,” Shamoun said, “but we didn’t have any success in
the blind and we had no trail camera pictures of the lion coming to the bait.”
On the sixth day, the group was planning to head to another area, feeling the lion had
moved on.
“We checked baits before moving camps, and lo and behold, while driving about six
miles from our bait site, we saw him at 11:15 a.m. walking up a ridge.”
They stopped and glassed the lion and confirmed it was the old male.
“We moved closer and got within 175 yards,” Shamoun said. “I was able to take him with
my .375 off of the sticks and he didn’t go far.”
When he reached the 560-pound beast, Shamoun was overcome by its size.
“It was shocking to see an animal that massive,” he said. “It was the first time I had
touched a lion. It was mentally challenging to absorb how massive he was. I marveled at the
size of his ankles, his paws, his teeth and his head. He was all scratched up and his mane
stopped at his elbows. I thought about all that old fella had gone through.”
Shamoun heaped praised on his PH and his outfitter.
“My PH, Dean Kendall, probably is the number one cat PH in all of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“And Paul Stones Safaris out of South Africa was the most professional, organized and
diligent outfitter one could hire. The camp was first-class, the food spectacular and the staff
five-star.”
Back at the camp, the celebration began.
“The wives and children of those that work at Matetsi came and were singing and dancing,”
Shamoun said. “I learned that lions and the other cats have been brutalizing livestock,
children and camps for centuries so bringing one in leads to a remarkable celebration.”
Shamoun and his son also bagged a cape buffalo, two kudus, two zebras, two impalas, a
waterbuck, baboon and serval cat on the adventure.
Shamoun relates the hunting of a wild, male lion to being successful in the practice of
law. His firm, Shamoun Norman, handles primarily high-stakes litigation.
“We as a law firm have spent more than 25 years hunting for our clients,” he said. “The
preparation and strategy of hunting a wild, male lion are the same I utilize in hunting for
my clients for justice. An animal doesn’t care what your name is or how much money you
have. You’re in their backyard.
“My firm believes that when we are in the hunt, we want a level playing field and a
proper hunt for justice.”
Shamoun Norman
(214) 987-1745
snlegal.com
Page 8 DALLAS SAFARI CLUB 2015 CONVENTION & SPORTING EXPO Offi cial Day Program