Hawthorn & Hawthorn P.C. Attorneys at Law

Profiles

Joseph C. “Lum” Hawthorn
In a recent survey of Jefferson County lawyers concerning the area’s best criminal defense lawyer, Texas Lawyer newspaper stated:

“No contest, hands down, Beaumont solo Joseph C. “Lum” Hawthorn, is the go-to guy. He’s known for his low-key smooth negotiation skills. ‘He’s a fixer’, one lawyer says. ‘He’d be the Shapiro, as opposed to Cochran.”

In a profile of Hawthorn in the Beaumont Enterprise, District Judge Larry Gist stated, "He is one of the lawyers in the area I have a great admiration for. His background skills are very well defined. He's a credit to our profession." The newspaper further quoted Judge Gist as stating that when one of his relatives was recently in need of a lawyer he pointed him in Hawthorn's direction. "That's how confident I am. I think he's an excellent lawyer," Gist said.

The newspaper stated that District Judge, Leonard Giblin, echoed Gist's opinion of Hawthorn. "If I ever got in trouble, I'd want him to be my attorney. That's how much I respect him," Judge Giblin said. Giblin described Hawthorn as "deliberate" and "an excellent student of the law."

"A lot of lawyers go into court by the seat of their pants but Hawthorn doesn't. He's ready for anything that may go on," Judge Giblin stated.

Hawthorn was born and raised in Beaumont. He attended local schools and is a 1963 graduate of Lamar University. He went on to the University of Texas Law School where he was graduated in 1966. After law school, Hawthorn was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent in Philadelphia and Chicago.

In 1969, Hawthorn returned to Beaumont where he worked as a prosecutor for the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office for two years. He then joined the United States Attorney's Office in Beaumont and was a prosecutor there for two years.

In 1971, Hawthorn left the United States Attorney's Office and entered private practice. Hawthorn specializes in the area of criminal defense although he handles select personal injury and family law matters.

Hawthorn is board certified by the State Bar of Texas in Criminal law. He also holds an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in Best Lawyer's in America since 1989. He is currently the only criminal defense lawyer so listed between Houston and Lafayette. He has also been named a "Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly magazine each year since 2003. "Super Lawyers" are selected by their peers and represent the top 5% of the legal profession.

Although Mr. Hawthorn practices mainly in Southeast Texas, he has handled cases as far away as Fresno, California, Lansing, Michigan, Boston and Miami.

Hawthorn is a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association (President, 1985-1986), the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association (Director, 1986-1989), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Jefferson County Defense Lawyers' Association and the Texas Bar Foundation and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was awarded the Professionalism Award in 2006 by the Texas Center for Legal Ethics Professionalism and the Jefferson County Bar Association. He has been certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1976. His clients have ranged from the indigent to doctors, lawyers, judges, law enforcement offices and even an active district attorney.

Zack Hawthorn
Zack graduated from the University of Texas Law School where he was awarded the highest achievement award in the study of Evidence in the Spring of 2000. Zack also earned a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas with honors. He moved to Beaumont and began practicing with Lum Hawthorn in 2001. Zack has worked with five attorneys listed in Best Lawyers in America. He has handled numerous criminal matters in Austin (Travis County) Texas and practices both state and Federal criminal law in Jefferson and surrounding counties. In addition, Zack practices family, civil, and class action litigation.

His lectures include Federal Court Criminal Practice, Federal Court CLE, Jefferson County Bar Association, 2007; Guideline Practice Tips Including Post-Booker Sentencing Analysis, Southeast Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers' Association, 2006; The Booker Report: The Past, The Present and Future Ramifications, Southeast Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers' Association, 2005; Effective Plea Bargaining, Criminal Justice Graduate Course at Lamar University, 2004; How to Work With the "Big Bar," State Bar of Texas Annual Conference, 2005.

He is also a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association, Southeast Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association, and Jefferson County Young Lawyer's Association (Board Member 2003-Present, Secretary 2004-2005, Treasurer 2005-2006, Vice-President 2006-2007, President-Elect 2007-Present).