Shackelford, McKinley & Norton founding partner Martha Hardwick Hofmeister has been selected to receive the 2024 Earl W. Kintner Award for Distinguished Service from the Federal Bar Association.
The selection honors her “exceptional contributions to the legal profession” along with her “outstanding achievements, distinguished leadership, and long-term dedication” to the FBA and its mission. The award will be presented during the FBA Annual Meeting & Convention in Kansas City at the Presidential Installation Luncheon on September 7th. Ms. Hofmeister commented “Receiving this award, the highest one bestowed by Federal Bar Association upon a member, is a highlight of my professional career.”
Ms. Hofmeister has practiced in federal courts since 1984 and has been a local and national FBA leader for nearly 30 years. A former president and executive committee member of the Dallas Chapter of the FBA, she earned the Elaine R. ‘Boots’ Fisher Award in 1999, chaired the National Convention Committee for Dallas in 2001-02, and received the President’s Award in 2003. She has also served on national committees including Budget and Finance, Chapter Activity Fund and Government Relations.
She played a critical role in the creation of the FBA’s prestigious Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award, recognizing attorneys who promotes the advancement of civil and human rights. The award honors former U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Sarah T. Hughes, a pioneer in the fight for civil rights, due process, equal protection, and the rights of women.
Ms. Hofmeister represents both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts. Her clients include a variety of corporations and business owners in a wide range of industries. Her practice has earned professional recognition from The Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers and Lawdragon. She has been named to the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers. She is one of three American members of the Commercial Law Group, a network of commercial law firms located throughout Europe, South Africa, Mexico, and Malaysia and is also a member of the prestigious American Law Institute.
Active in numerous professional and community organizations, Ms. Hofmeister has served as the director of the Bar None fundraiser for the Dallas Bar Foundation since its inception in 1986, raising millions of dollars for minority scholarships at three North Texas law schools. She also has served on the local, district, and international levels as an officer, director, and committee chair for Altrusa International, Inc. and has been the Altrusa International Foundation’s legal advisor for more than 20 years. She was presented with the 2021 Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award, Altrusa’s most prestigious honor.
