Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody—an Austin, Texas-based law firm with 67 attorneys—today announced the addition of Tom Mason, former general manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), to the firm. Mason will officially join the firm on Nov. 28, 2011.

“Tom (Mason) is one of the state’s foremost legal experts on complex water and utilities issues,” Michael Whellan, president of Graves Dougherty said. “He is an ideal addition to the firm’s thriving regulatory and natural resources practices.”

Mason has 31 years of experience as an environmental lawyer and over 20 years of experience in public electric power. Most recently, he served as general manager of the LCRA from 2007 until July 2011. Prior to that, Mason was the LCRA’s general counsel. LCRA is one of the nation’s larger public power authorities, and is also responsible for managing the lower Colorado River from the Highland Lakes through Austin and Bastrop to Matagorda Bay.

“I was attracted to Graves Dougherty’s reputation for integrity and commitment to clients, as well as the opportunity to practice with outstanding lawyers in the areas of water and energy,” Mason said.

Before joining the LCRA in 1987, Mason served as assistant general counsel for the Texas Department of Water Resources and director of the Water Quality Division of the Texas Water Commission. He was also a partner in a law firm with a statewide practice in environmental and administrative law.

Mason is a magna cum laude graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He earned a doctorate of jurisprudence with honors from The University of Texas School of Law.

Mason is the latest recruit in Graves Dougherty’s 15-year growth trend that has often included high-profile lawyers. Most recently, Frank Monroe chose to practice at Graves Dougherty after serving for twenty years as a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Texas.

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