Webmaster Note:
Thanks to Todd Ogden, who thoughfully let us know of Greg Coleman's passing. If anyone has digital photos of Coleman Choro from his mission days, we'd like to remember him by including them here--please contact the Webmaster via a 'Comments' entry.

Greg's obituary and two articles appear in succession below:

Austin American-Statesman
Obituary
30 Nov 2010
Gregory Scott Coleman

Gregory Scott Coleman, a nationally recognized appellate lawyer and the first Solicitor General of the State of Texas, passed away on November 23 while traveling to his family's annual Thanksgiving gathering in Florida. He was 47. In all that he did, Greg led an extraordinary life where his accomplishments were surpassed only by his personal decency.

Greg was born in San Francisco on October 31, 1963, the son of Harold and Karen Coleman. Growing up in an Army family, Greg lived in a succession of military venues, including Texas, which he came to regard as home. After graduating from high school in Ayer, Massachusetts, Greg attended Texas A&M University and, after completing a two-year church mission in Japan, received a B.S. in Applied Mathematical Sciences magna cum laude in 1987 and a Masters of Business Administration summa cum laude in 1989.

It was during his years at Texas A&M that Greg met his wife Stephanie, whom he married in 1987. Their marriage was blessed with three sons, Chase, Austin, and Reid. In 1989, the Colemans moved to Austin, which they eventually adopted as their hometown and which became the site of many of Greg's accomplishments in his legal career, first as a law student, then as a public servant, and later as a founder of his own law firm, Yetter Coleman LLP.

Greg received his J.D. with high honors from The University of Texas Law School in 1992, where he also served as Managing Editor of the Texas Law Review and was a member of the Chancellors Honor Society, a recognition of academic excellence. Greg then served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Edith Hollan Jones on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then as a law clerk to the Honorable Clarence Thomas on the United States Supreme Court. Both Judge Jones and Justice Thomas became lifelong friends and mentors. Greg's record of academic excellence, his clerkship experiences, along with an innate sense of intellectual curiosity and discipline proved to be the basis of an extraordinarily successful appellate law practice, in both federal and state courts around the country.

First at the Austin office of New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where he headed the firm's national Supreme Court and appellate practice, and then beginning in 2007 at his own firm, Yetter Coleman LLP, Greg handled appeals across a broad legal spectrum, including all types of complex business litigation, undertaken on behalf of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to governmental entities to aggrieved individuals. Greg was especially passionate about his advocacy related to public policy and constitutional issues, many times involving years of litigation and performed on a pro bono basis. As a well-known national appellate advocate, Greg appeared frequently before the United States Supreme Court, where he held the distinction of having argued the most cases of any lawyer in Texas. His cases included back-to-back wins in two closely watched appeals during the Supreme Court's 2009 term. Those decisions-one on behalf of a small Texas governmental entity seeking an exemption from federal oversight of its elections and the other on behalf of Connecticut firefighters denied promotion on account of their race-brought Greg and his team of appellate litigators a wave of national public recognition and accolades, including designation of his law firm on the prestigious Appellate Hot List by the National Law Journal in 2010. Greg again appeared before the Supreme Court last month arguing on behalf of a Texas district attorney sued by a prison inmate. Greg interrupted his career in private practice to serve as Texas's first Solicitor General, a position created by then-Attorney General John Cornyn in 1999. In that capacity, Greg acted as the state's top appellate lawyer, charged with overseeing the state's most important appeals. Among his many appeals for the State, he defended the affirmative action admissions program of The University of Texas System. As the first Solicitor General, Greg served all Texans with great distinction by, among other accomplishments, developing standards of professionalism and excellence for the post that endure to this day.

Greg strongly believed in public service. In addition to serving as Solicitor General and acting as an advocate for those raising constitutional claims, Greg was dedicated to organizations and causes that benefited the public at large and the legal profession in particular. He was an adjunct professor at the South Texas College of Law and at The University of Texas School of Law and frequently lectured on current legal topics, including an annual round-up of the U.S. Supreme Court term given at locations around the country. Greg was a member of the Texas Law Review Association and its President-Elect; former Vice-Chairman and Secretary of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice; a member of the American Law Institute; and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Central Texas. Throughout his legal career, Greg was profoundly interested in the development of young attorneys working around him. His successes as a lawyer were made possible in part by a cadre of former judicial clerks he assembled in his Austin office from around the country, often sharing lunch with them on a daily basis while mentoring them into successes in their own right, and in whom he took great pride. Greg's interest in young attorneys extended to important events in their personal lives. For the newborns of all attorneys at the Yetter Coleman firm, Greg and his wife Stephanie provided a baby blanket embroidered with the infant's full name, ultimately ordering so many blankets for his growing firm that the Colemans' Austin linen shop speculated that Greg was an obstetrician. All attorneys, regardless of age, received greetings from the Colemans on their birthdays. Befitting his record of accomplishments and public service, Greg earned many of the highest superlatives the legal profession can bestow: National Appellate Litigation Star and Texas Litigation Star by the Benchmark Litigation Guide; Top 10 Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly; and Best Lawyers in America by Corporate Counsel . In 2007, Greg was named one of the "Fab Fifty," a list of the top fifty young litigators in the United States by the legal-industry publication American Lawyer .

Outside the law, Greg's interests were as wide-ranging as his talents. All combined his love for his family, his country, and the outdoors. He was a voracious reader, a lifelong student of American history, an avid golfer, and an accomplished sportsman. One of his greatest pleasures was fishing with his sons on his boat out of Port O'Connor. To those who knew him, it was clear that the most important part of his life was spending time with his family. Greg was a devoted member and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A deep and abiding faith in his Savior directed Greg throughout all aspects of his life, both personal and professional. Greg was a rarity in the world of accomplished people-an individual who never forgot that his ultimate measure was in the dignity and respect with which he treated others. This sense of fundamental decency was apparent in every aspect of his life, to his professional colleagues, his friends, and his family. He was admired and respected for his accomplishments, but it was his inner nature that inspired confidence, loyalty, and love in those who knew him. Greg is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Stephanie; their three sons, Chase, Austin, and Reid; his parents, Harold and Karen Coleman; and his sister, Sherie Olcott.

Hill Country News
Prominent Cedar Park Attorney Dies in Plane Crash
From Staff Reports
24 Nov 2010

DESTIN, FLA. - A Cedar Park attorney who served as the first Texas solicitor general and once clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas died Tuesday night along with two other relatives after his small plane crashed in Florida.

Greg Coleman, 47, of YetterColeman LLP, was reportedly flying the single engine Piper Malibu scheduled to land at Destin Airport Tuesday evening when the aircraft fell into Joe's Bayou during a landing attempt in heavy fog.

Coleman's wife, who was waiting for her husband at the airport when the crash occurred, told sheriff's deputies that Coleman had flown to Texas to get her mother and her uncle for an annual family holiday gathering in Florida. The two passengers were tentatively identified as 63-year-old Charlene Black Miller of College Station and 58-year-old James Patrick Black.

Charlene Miller was assistant vice president for the Texas A&M's Division of Research and Graduate Studies, who had worked for the university for more than 30 years.

University officials said she was an exemplary member of the Aggie community and an outstanding employee and leader.

Florida investigators told Northwest Florida News that Coleman's aircraft disappeared off the radar just prior to landing. They are not commenting on possible causes of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board will publish a preliminary report within the next five to ten days.

Coleman has represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals, and numerous state supreme courts and intermediate courts of appeals. He previously served as solicitor general for the state of Texas, where he was lead appellate counsel for the state, according to information on his firm's website.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who appointed Coleman the state's first solictor general when Cornyn was attorney general of Texas, said he was deeply saddened by the news of Coleman's death.

"He was a dear friend, a first-rate lawyer, and an even better human being," Cornyn said in a release. "This is a tragic loss for his wife, family, friends and the state of Texas. Our prayers are with Stephanie and their family during this difficult and sad time."

Coleman's law firm released the following statement:

It is with a very heavy heart that the Yetter Coleman LLP family announces the death of our friend and partner, Greg Coleman. Greg died in a plane crash in Florida, where he and his family were attending their annual Thanksgiving holiday. In all that he did, Greg exemplified the highest values of our profession - an abiding sense of decency and fair play, a strong belief in public service, and a tireless dedication to his clients and professional colleagues. These values were manifest throughout Greg's career, including as the first Solicitor General of Texas, a Supreme Court clerk, and a brilliant advocate. More than this, Greg was a devoted husband and father, and a man of deep and sincere religious faith. He inspired deep loyalty in each of us, and we will remember forever his graciousness, humility, and charity. Our prayers are especially with Greg's family.

Christian J. Ward
Partner

BIOGRAPHY

Coleman has been recognized as one of the best lawyers in the country and the state of Texas.

He received his J.D. with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was managing editor of the law review and a member of the Chancellors honor society. He has also taught at South Texas College of Law and at the University of Texas School of Law. Coleman has handled a variety of appeals, from class action to bankruptcy to accounting malpractice and governmental representation. He previously served as solicitor general for the state of Texas, where he lead appellate counsel for the state.

He had a loving wife and three sons.

Some very sad news. Gregory Coleman, a former Texas solicitor general and prominent litigator for conservative causes, died Tuesday when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Florida, the industry publication Texas Lawyer reported.

Mr. Coleman, a partner in the Austin, Texas, law firm Yetter Coleman, was 47 years old. Two passengers also died in the crash, authorities said.

After clerking for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Mr. Coleman was hired by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, now a U.S. senator, as solicitor general, the state’s top litigator.

In private practice, Mr. Coleman’s best known case came last year, when he represented a Texas utility district challenging provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. At the Supreme Court, Mr. Coleman argued that provisions requiring state and local governments that once discriminated against minorities to clear voting changes with the Justice Department were unconstitutional.

In what was widely viewed as a compromise outcome among the court’s conservative and liberal wings, the justices read the Voting Rights Act in a novel way that exempted Mr. Coleman’s client from the preclearance requirement.

The justices voted 8-1 to leave the statute otherwise intact, for now. But they suggested that it might not survive a future challenge unless Congress significantly revised its provisions.

Mr. Coleman was back at the Supreme Court earlier this year, representing a Texas prosecutor who sought to withhold DNA evidence from a death-row inmate who claimed it could exonerate him.

“In all that he did, Greg exemplified the highest values of our profession - an abiding sense of decency and fair play, a strong belief in public service, and a tireless dedication to his clients and professional colleagues,” his law firm wrote on its website.

“More than this, Greg was a devoted husband and father…..He inspired deep loyalty in each of us, and we will remember forever his graciousness, humility and charity. Our prayers are especially with Greg’s family during this difficult time.”