Associate

Zachary Carlson joined Burford Perry in mid-2019 after clerking for two justices on Texas’ First Court of Appeals in Houston. Zachary graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in May 2017. While in law school, Zachary served as Managing Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review, interned at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, served as a research assistant to Professor Cecilia Klingele in preparing an article on criminal justice, and worked directly with imprisoned clients on postconviction matters through the University of Wisconsin’s Remington Center. He received numerous recognitions for his academic achievements in law school.

Immediately after law school, Zachary clerked for the Hon. Kevin Ross, a judge on Minnesota’s Court of Appeals. In September 2018, Justice Michael Massengale brought Zachary to Texas for a one-year clerkship. Zachary continued with Justice Richard Hightower when he took the bench in 2019.

His clerkship experiences exposed him to a wide array of legal issues, stretching from run-of-the-mill contract disputes to the intricacies of Federal and Texas Constitutional Law. This broad exposure to all areas of the law—business, family, criminal, Constitutional, and personal injury—required a high level of adaptability that Zachary now uses to meet his client’s legal needs with integrity, efficiency and excellence.

Zachary gained significant writing experience under the judges’ guidance as well as an appreciation for how cases are developed and tried before reaching the appellate courts. He observed oral arguments, participated in post-argument conferences, and recommended case dispositions in draft opinions for the justices.

After completing the Texas Bar Exam, Zachary quickly immersed himself Burford Perry’s most challenging business litigation matters and researched and wrote his first appellate brief. He has assisted in court hearings and deposition preparation. He has direct responsibility for several litigation matters, consistent with Burford Perry’s goal to give associates significant courtroom experience.

Zachary is now licensed to practice in all state courts in Texas and Wisconsin. He is a member of the Houston Young Lawyers Association and the Houston Bar Association. Prior to law school, Zachary earned a B.S. in Applied Engineering & Technology at Eastern Illinois University.

Bar Admissions

• Wisconsin, 2017
• Texas, 2019

Education

• University of Wisconsin Law School
  • J.D. Cum Laude
  • Managing Editor, Wisconsin Law Review
• Eastern Illinois University
  • B.S. Applied Engineering & Technology

Professional Associations

• State Bar of Texas
• State Bar of Texas Litigation Section
• State Bar of Texas Appellate Section
• State Bar of Wisconsin
• Houston Young Lawyers Association
• Houston Bar Association
• Houston Bar Association Litigation Section
• Houston Bar Association Appellate Section

Past Employment Positions

• First Court of Appeals, Law Clerk to the Honorable Justice Michael Massengale and Justice Richard Hightower, 2018-2019
• Minnesota Court of Appeals, Law Clerk to the Honorable Kevin G. Ross, 2017-2018
• United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, Judicial Intern to the Honorable Judge James Peterson, 2016
• Nowlan & Mouat LLP, Summer Law Clerk 2016