Jacksonville Attorney Receives Baylor Young Lawyer Of The Year Award

by Alan Hunt

Mexia-born attorney JoAl Cannon-Sheridan, a 1992 graduate of Baylor Law School, was honored as the 2004 Baylor University Young Lawyer of the Year. She received the award from Law Dean Brad Toben at the annual reception of the Baylor Law Alumni Association, held in San Antonio during the State Bar of Texas Convention.
Recipients of the award are selected by the Baylor Law Alumni Association. Created in 1995, the Young Lawyer award recognizes an outstanding graduate 40 or younger who has brought honor and distinction to Baylor Law School and to the legal profession. Toben said Cannon-Sheridan's accomplishments in the legal profession have brought great credit to Baylor Law School. She is a partner in the Jacksonville, Texas, general practice law firm of Moak & Sheridan, L.L.P.
Toben said, "JoAl has distinguished herself in service to the bar and to the profession at such a relatively young age, including serving as the youngest ever director of the State -- and succeeding her father, Joe, in that position. She is a role model for young lawyers who have a passion for giving back to the profession that has given each of us a distinctive opportunity to serve."
Cannon-Sheridan's father, Groesbeck attorney Joe B. Cannon, assisted in the surprise presentation to his daughter, which was watched by a large crowd of Baylor law alumni, law faculty and staff members.
Graduating in the top 20 percent of her Baylor Law School class in 1992, Canon- Sheridan served as a briefing attorney for Judge Joe Draughn of the 14th Court of Appeals, Houston. Later, she served as an associate at Wetzel, Herron, and Drucker at The Woodlands, and as a partner at Cox, Sinclair & Sheridan in Rusk. She and Eldridge Moak formed the firm of Moak & Sheridan, L.L.P. in 1996. Her areas of practice include General Civil Litigation, Family Law, Real Estate, Probate, Banking, Criminal Law, Corporate and Civil Trial Law.
Recognized this year as a Texas Rising Star and a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine and Law & Politics Magazine, Cannon-Sheridan also received a State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation and Award of Merit in 2001. She served as a director of the State Bar from 1998-2001, serving as chair, vice-chair and member of numerous committees. She served as president of the Cherokee County Bar Association from 1997-98. She has participated as a speaker at many statewide continuing legal education programs and she is a frequent speaker on constitutional and legal issues at Jacksonville ISD, Henderson ISD, Athens ISD, Wells ISD.
A leader in community affairs, Canon-Sheridan has served as an officer of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Jacksonville Rotary Club, and she is active in the First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville. She is a soup kitchen volunteer and serves on the board of the United Fund of Jacksonville.