State Bar of Texas announces candidates for 2026-2027 president-elect

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2026
Contact: Rebecca Johnson
Public Affairs Director, State Bar of Texas
512-427-1714, [email protected]

State Bar of Texas announces candidates for 2026-2027 president-elect

FORT WORTH - Today, at its quarterly meeting in Fort Worth, the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors voted to approve Sarah Clower Keathley and Ray Thomas as candidates for 2026-2027 president-elect.

Keathley and Thomas will appear on the ballot in April 2026 along with any certified petition candidates. Presently there are no additional president-elect candidates, although members have until March 2 to submit their nominating petitions to the State Bar for certification.

Keathley and Thomas were recommended to the State Bar Board of Directors by the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee. This year, the subcommittee considered candidates from any county in the state, in compliance with State Bar rules.

Sarah Clower Keathley is the co-founder of Keathley & Keathley, a general community law practice in Corsicana. Her legal career includes service as assistant general counsel at the former General Services Commission; work in private practice; service as city attorney for the cities of Dawson, Rice, and Richland; and service as a municipal judge. Keathley received her law degree from St. Mary's University. She is a credentialed mediator, is trained in collaborative law, and is recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer.

Currently president of the Navarro County Bar Association for a second time, Keathley has held many leadership roles within the State Bar of Texas. She served on its Board of Directors, chairing its Professional Development Subcommittee, and currently serves on the bar's Law Practice Management Committee. In the latter role, she is leading a subcommittee on succession planning. Keathley has also chaired the bar's Continuing Legal Education Committee and served on the council of the Family Law Section. A member of the Texas Bar College and a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, Keathley is a frequent speaker for State Bar CLE programs. She is involved with many civic and charitable organizations and has been recognized for her volunteer legal work by Lone Star Legal Aid and the McLennan County Dispute Resolution Center.

Keathley and her husband and law partner, Steve, have practiced law in Corsicana for nearly three decades. They are the proud parents of Luke, a second-year law student at St. Mary's University School of Law, her alma mater, and Kate, a first-year law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, his alma mater.

Ray Thomas is a board-certified civil trial lawyer and president of Ray Thomas Law Group with offices in McAllen and Seguin. Thomas is an advocate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); a delegate of the ABOTA Foundation; a fellow of both the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers; and a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is AV-rated and recognized by Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms, and Super Lawyers for 20 consecutive years. He received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Thomas currently chairs the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section. His past bar leadership includes service on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, as well as service as president and vice president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, commissioner on the Texas Access to Justice Commission, and presidential appointment to the National Board of ABOTA. Thomas also served on the Supreme Court of Texas' Grievance Oversight Committee and as faculty for ABOTA's National Trial College in Chicago, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association's Trial Advocacy College of Texas, and the State Bar Litigation Section's Trial Academy.

Thomas has been married to Sandra for 37 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. The family owns and their son operates The Lodge at Santos Patronos Ranch in Seguin, a ranch retreat for corporate events and family retreats. They also breed and sell fine Wagyu cattle, genetics, and beef. Thomas serves as a deacon at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Seguin.