An Aggie lawyer marries a Longhorn lawyer. Sounds like a recipe for spontaneous combustion at the dinner table, especially around Thanksgiving. But in the case of Tara and Jason Hoelscher of San Antonio, other than one brawl at an A&M/UT tailgate party, life has been nothing but sweet dessert. Often in life, Tara and Jason have found themselves on opposite sides of the fence, yet they always gravitated to each other. In the process they have helped each other become better individuals and lawyers. Tara practices as a commercial litigator with San Antonio’s largest law firm, Cox & Smith, while Jason plies his trade as a trial lawyer with Branton & Hall, one of Texas’ most prominent and successful plaintiffs’ firms. With their shared knowledge and experience, they have grown to become superb lawyers and, more importantly, wonderful individuals.

Tara and Jason both grew up in the South Texas town of Alice. They cannot recall exactly when they met, but only because their minds were too young to form memory. Tara does recall being in the same pre-school class with Jason, but her first vivid memory dates from their second grade year when, according to Tara, “Jason got a little too fresh with me, which I wouldn't put up with. So, he dumped me, and we did not get back together until the seventh grade when he asked me to be his valentine. He baked a huge Valentine cookie for me, and I didn't share it with him, so once again, I got dumped.” Through junior high and high school, Jason and Tara remained “just friends.” It was when Tara went off to Texas A&M and Jason to the University of Texas that they started actually dating.

Tara’s father brought her up to be two things in life: an Aggie and a lawyer. Tara’s father (who played football for A&M) and three of her uncles are lawyers. Tara has deep admiration for her father and has fond memories of working at his office as a teenager. Her father took Tara everywhere with him and allowed Tara to sit in on his depositions and trials. Jason, for some odd reason, thought he might want to be an Ob/gyn after his father’s physician friend gave Jason the opportunity to observe several deliveries of platoons of Alice babies. Ultimately, however, Jason’s love for Spanish convinced him to study the language.

After college, Tara convinced Jason to go to law school with her at St. Mary’s. Tara describes herself as the more studious of the two and Jason as the one who would read the paper in class. They married one week after graduating from St. Mary’s. Jason went to work for Allen, Stein, & Durbin and Tara started at Jenkens & Gilchrist, both on the defense side of the bar. After a year, both made a jump: Tara to Cox & Smith and Jason to Branton & Hall. Jason quickly earned a reputation as one of San Antonio’s premier young trial lawyers, from whom other young lawyers seek advice and counsel on how to prosecute a case. Tara, whose personality can light up a room, has been a role model for scores of young lawyers learning to navigate the rigors of work at a big-time law firm. Although their current practices are extremely demanding, Tara and Jason make it a point to serve their community and our profession. Tara, for example, is president and Jason vice-president of the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association (SAYLA). Under their leadership and dedication, SAYLA has reached new heights.

The highlight of their marriage occurred on August 13, 2003 with the birth of their daughter, Hunter. Tara recently returned to Cox & Smith, after enjoying the firm’s progressive and generous maternity leave. Tara and Jason have adjusted well to the demands of parenthood, all the while balancing their flourishing careers. Tara describes Jason as “Super Dad,” but muses that he needs to get past his phobia of dirty diapers. Tara and Jason have yet to decide whether Hunter will be an Aggie or Longhorn. Should you have any suggestions to this regard, please contact Tara and Jason and give them your thoughts.

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