The Heart of Bexar County

G
ESCAMILLA &
PONECK, LLP
Above: Pablo Escamilla.
Right: Douglas Poneck.
Inspired by 1960s activism to improve the
plight of Hispanic students in Edgewood
Independent School District, then the poorest
school district in Texas, Pablo Escamilla delayed
his dream of attending law school and, instead,
ran—and was elected—for the Edgewood
School Board. Pablo’s service on the board lasted
a decade and during that time Pablo and the
school district led the fight for Texas school
finance reform. This resulted in Edgewood v.
Kirby, the landmark Texas Supreme Court
litigation that attempted to remedy the historic
inequity of school funding across the state.
Belatedly, Pablo realized his dream of
attending law school and becoming a lawyer.
After a four-year stint with the school law firm
of Schulman, Walheim, Beck and Heidelberg,
Pablo organized his own law firm.
About this same time, Douglas Poneck had
graduated from college and law school in quick
succession and became a first-year associate
with a venerable and long-established San
Antonio law firm. The economic recession of the
early 1990s led to a downsizing of the law firm
and Doug found himself in dire need of a job.
With little experience, but a lot of hunger, Doug
met with Pablo at a friend’s suggestion to see if
he might be hiring for his new firm. The two
men hit it off immediately.
Pablo and Doug found they had a lot in
common. They had similar backgrounds and
their fathers worked as civil servants at Kelly Air
Force Base. They also shared a strong belief that
serving others was an important part of being a
lawyer. Both also saw that the San Antonio legal
community was not very diverse, though the
boards of governmental entities serving them
were becoming more so. As a philosophical and
business matter, both understood that the San
Antonio legal community was sorely in need of
minority-owned law firms that represented
these more diverse and progressive
governmental entities.
Although they shared a passion for
representing their community, Pablo was in no
position to hire anyone, having just ventured
out on his own, so Doug started his own office
and took on indigent defendant/criminal court
appointments for $100 per assignment. It wasn’t
glamourous work, but it paid the bills. Pablo
was able to refer some cases to Doug, and
impressed at how well he accomplished his
work, Pablo suggested that Doug could save
some money on rent if he moved into his offices.
The relationship grew, and the two lawyers
became partners in November, 1991.
To be sure, Pablo Escamilla and Douglas
Poneck founded Escamilla & Poneck, LLP on
8 8 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R C O U N T Y