Alison D. Kennamer

Partner

Alison D. Kennamer is one of the managing partners of Colvin, Saenz, Rodriguez & Kennamer, L.L.P. in Brownsville, Texas. She is a 1988 graduate with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and a member of the Order of the Coif. After spending five years as an associate at Strasburger & Price, L.L.P. in Dallas, she joined her current firm. She has had a civil trial practice since November of 1988, including products liability, insurance defense, breach of contract, business torts and insurance coverage cases. She is licensed to practice in the State of Texas and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. She has an AV-rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer and one of Texas Top Women Attorneys by Texas Monthly.

She is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and serves as the Committee Chair of the Diversity of Membership Committee and a National Board Representative on the national level, as the Treasurer of TEX-ABOTA, and as the Program Director for the Rio Grande Valley Chapter. She is the firm’s liaison to its membership in NAMWOLF, the National Association of Women and Minority Owned Law Firms and is a member of its Products Liability Practice Area Committee. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, Cameron County Bar Association, Hidalgo County Bar Association, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, International Association of Defense Counsel, and the Litigation Counsel of America.

Her publications and presentations have included: “Indemnity Issues, Additional Insureds Clauses and MCS-90 Endorsements” – Soaking Up Some CLE Seminar, 2024 and TADC Spring Seminar, 2024; “Mastering the Products Liability Causation Defense” (moderator and speaker, panel discussion), NAMWOLF Driving Diversity Leadership Conference March 2023; “ Indemnity Issues” – TexasBarCLE Advanced Personal Injury Law Seminar, 2022; “Hot Button Issues in Evidence” – HCBA Civil Trial Conference, April 2022; “Hot Button Issues in Evidence: Seatbelts, Immigration Status, and Criminal Records,” TexasBarCLE Advanced Evidence & Discovery Seminar, 2019; “Products Liability – Defendants’ Perspective,” HCBA Personal Injury Law Seminar, Spring 2005; “Overview of the Law of Expert Witnesses,” University of Texas School of Law 5th Annual Evidence & Procedure Symposium, April, 2000; “Overview of the Law of Expert Witnesses,” University of Texas School of Law Annual Page Keeton Products Liability Conference, October, 1999’; “Implications of the Application of Non-Mutual Offensive Collateral Estoppel in Texas Products Liability Cases,” 30 Texas Tech Law Review No. 3, p. 1127 (1999). She co-authored seminar materials for “The Floodgates Open: Product Liability Jurisdiction After Ford v. Montana,” NAMWOLF Driving Diversity Leadership Conference, March 2022; “Thoughts on Expert Retention in the Daubert/Robinson Era: Roaming Beyond Your Rolodex,” The Advocate [State Bar of Texas Litigation Section Publication], Fall/Winter 2005 – 2006; “Fifth Circuit Survey: Evidence,” 26 Texas Tech Law Review 625 (1995), Fifth Circuit Symposium issue; “Fifth Circuit Survey: Criminal Law,” Texas Tech Law Review Fifth Circuit Symposium issues, 1993 & 1994, best article award winner 1993; “Principals’ and Indemnitors’ Rights and Obligations,” 3rd Annual Construction Law Conference, University of Texas School of Law 1990.

She works with the National Constitution Center to speak to high school classes about the Constitution. A 1985 Rice University graduate, she is a member of the Rice University Owl Club and has served on the Rice Owls Fan Council and Rice University Alumni Recognition Committee. She is a faithful (some would say fanatic) Rice Owls sports fan, with season tickets to football, basketball, baseball and women’s volleyball, soccer and basketball – though she concentrates on making it to all the home football games (and as many away games as she can), since it would be virtually impossible to make all the games in every sport with Rice University being slightly over five hours away. She has a lifetime goal to see every down of Rice football in what she hopes will turn out to be its “Cinderella” season some year. She enjoys travel, foreign and domestic, festivals, and friends. In her perfect world, she would cross an ocean every year, as well as spending weekends in favorite cities such as New York, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas, and she does her best each year to achieve that goal. She also spends quite a few weekends each year in other Texas cities where she used to live and still has friends, making it to Houston for the Houston Rodeo, Dallas for the State Fair, as well as Austin and San Antonio. She also works out at her local gym and runs, with the 5k being her distance of choice.

Areas of Practice

• Products Liability Defense
• Personal Injury Defense
• Insurance Law
• Trial Practice

Bar Admissions

• Texas, 1988
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1988
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1990
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1991
• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1992
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1996

Education

• The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
  • J.D. – 1988
  • Honors: Order of the Coif
  • Honors: With Honors
• Rice University, Houston, Texas
  • B.A. cum laude – 1985

Published Works

• Thoughts on Expert Retention in the Daubert/Robinson Era: Roaming Beyond Your Rolodex, (Co-Author), The Advocate State Bar Litigation Section Report, Vol 33, p.7, 2005
• Issues Raised by the Potential Application of Non-Mutual Offensive Collateral Estoppel in Texas Products Liability Cases, 30 Texas Tech Law Review 1127, Issue No. 3, 1999
• Fifth Circuit Survey: Evidence (Co-Author), 26 Texas Tech Law Review 625, Fifth Circuit Symposium Issue, 1995
• Fifth Circuit Survey: Criminal Law (Co-Author), 25 Texas Tech Law Review 601, Fifth Circuit Symposium Issues, 1994
• Fifth Circuit Survey: Criminal Law (Co-Author), 24 Texas Tech Law Review 533, Fifth Circuit Symposium Issues, (Best Article Award Winner), 1993
• Principals’ and Indemnitors’ Rights and Obligations (Co-Author), 3rd Annual Construction Law Conference, University of Texas School of Law, 1990

Classes/Seminars

• “Hot Button Issues in Evidence” – HCBA Civil Trial Conference , April 2022
• “Hot Button Issues in Evidence: Seatbelts, Immigration Status, and Criminal Records,” TexasBarCLE 32nd Annual Advanced Evidence & Discovery Seminar, 2019
• Overview of the Law of Expert Witnesses, University of Texas Annual Evidence Symposium, 2000
• Overview of the Law of Expert Witnesses, University of Texas Annual Page Keeton Products Liability Conference, 1999

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• ABOTA
• Membership Committee 2017 – 2022, Co-Chair, 2020 – 2022,
• Civics Education Committee, 2017 – 2022,
• Appointed National Board Representative 2022,
• TEX-ABOTA Treasurer 2021 – 2023,
• Rio Grande Valley Chapter Vice President 2014 – 2016,
• Rio Grande Valley Chapter President 2017- 2018,
• Rio Grande Valley Chapter Immediate Past President 2019 -2020,
• Rio Grande Valley Chapter National Board Representative, 2019-2021,
• Rio Grande Valley Chapter Program Chair 2022
• Hidalgo County Bar Association
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
  • Texas Bar Journal Board, 2004 – 2010
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Administration of Justice Committee, 1993
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Anti-Illiteracy, Anti-Dropout Committee, 1991
• Defense Research Institute
  • Defense Research Institute, Product Liability Committee
  • Defense Research Institute, Fire and Casualty Subcommittee
• Litigation Counsel of America;
• NAMWOLF
• Products Liability Practice Area Committee 2022;
• American Bar Association
• Cameron County Bar Association, Local Rules Committee, Chair, 2005 – 2012
• International Association of Defense Counsel
• State Bar of Texas
• Cameron County Young Lawyers Association, 1993 – 1998
• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, 1988 – 1993
• Dallas County Bar Association, 1988 – 1993
• Dallas County Bar Association, Social Committee, 1988 – 1993
• Dallas County Bar Association, High School Involvement Committee & Chairperson, 1992
• Texas Young Lawyers Association, 1988 – 1998

Past Employment Positions

• Strasburger & Price, LLP, Associate Attorney, 1988 – 1993

Pro Bono Activities

• North Texas Legal Services Pro Bono Project, 1989 – 1993

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