by Dwayne Lewis

As anyone who is lucky enough to call Megan McKennon a friend will tell you, all it takes is a brief interaction for her kindness, passion, and devotion to improving the lives of those around her to become abundantly clear.  It is these characteristics that make Megan a true asset to DAYL and this month’s One to Watch.

Megan obtained a bachelor’s degree, with honors, from the University of Texas in 2013.  After leaving Austin, Megan moved to Dallas to attend SMU Dedman School of Law.  While in law school, Megan served on the SMU Science and Technology Law Journal.  Megan graduated cum laude from SMU in 2016.

After graduating from law school, Megan joined Dallas-based firm Estes, Thorne & Carr, where she practiced commercial, business, and construction litigation until March of 2021, when she joined her current firm, Katten Munchin Rosenman, LLP.  At Katten, Megan represents clients in a variety of industries in complex civil and commercial litigation and business disputes.

Early in her legal career, Megan knew that she wanted to do more than just excel at the practice of law.  Throughout high school, college, and law school, Megan made it a point to devote a significant portion of her time giving back to the community, and she wanted to continue to foster that passion as she developed her legal career.

As many others before her, Megan’s service with DAYL began when she was recruited to become more involved in Pro Bono Partners by former DAYL President, Charlie Gearing.  Over the last several years, Megan has helped lead the Pro Bono Partners program to new heights by making it easier than ever for legal professionals to provide free legal services to those in need.  Most recently, Pro Bono Partners partnered with Baylor University to host the Annual DAYL Pro Bono Challenge, whose goal was for DAYL attorneys to provide 2,500 hours of pro bono legal services each year.  For anyone interested in learning more about the Challenge, feel free to visit the website at https://www.baylor.edu/law/index.php?id=966465.

While committing the majority of her time to Pro Bono Partners, Megan is also constantly in search of other ways to give back to the community, both through DAYL—Women’s Mentoring Circles, Membership Committee, and MVP of the DAYL Kickball team—and other external organizations—Attorneys Serving the Community and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

When not serving clients or the community, Megan enjoys traveling with her fiancé, Mike.  The pair just returned from a trip to Italy and can’t wait to start planning their next big adventure together.

It has been an honor to get to know Megan and to see the positive impact she has had on DAYL and Dallas community as a whole.  We cannot wait to see what extraordinary accomplishments Megan achieves next and are excited to celebrate her as this month’s One to Watch!