Royal Furgeson

W. Royal Furgeson, Jr. retired as a United States District Judge in 2013 after 19 years on the bench. A graduate of Texas Tech University in 1964 and the University of Texas School of Law in 1967, he was named the founding Dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law in 2012 and assumed the position in June 2013. He retired from UNT in June 2018, after achieving ABA provisional accreditation for the law school. He now practices law with his wife Marcellene Malouf in the firm of FurgesonMalouf Law PLLC, and limits his work to mediations, arbitrations, and special master appointments.

After law school, Judge Furgeson served with the U.S. Army for two years, attaining the rank of Captain. Following a tour in Vietnam, he returned to Lubbock as law clerk to the Honorable Halbert O. Woodward.

Before taking the bench, Judge Furgeson practiced law for twenty-four years with the Kemp Smith law firm in El Paso, Texas. During that time, he became a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an elected member of the American Law Institute, president of the El Paso Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, president of the El Paso Bar Association and chair of the United Way of El Paso.

During his time on the bench, he was a panel judge on the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, president of the Federal Judges Association, and chair of the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

His honors include the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Texas Tech Alumni Association, the West Texas Legal Legend Award by the Texas Tech University School of Law, the Leon Green Award by the Texas Law Review, the Faculty Award by the University of Texas School of Law, Honorary Serjeant of the William Mac Taylor, Jr. American Inn of Court, the Morris Harrell Professionalism Award by the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, and Jurist of the Year, Texas Chapter of ABOTA. In 2016, he was named one of the fifty Lions of the Texas Bar by the Texas Lawbook.

Judge Furgesons wife Marcellene Malouf is a graduate of St. Marys University School of Law and is Managing Trustee of the DII Asbestos Trust. Together, they have nine children and 14 grandchildren.