Our executive team is responsible for the administration and management of the State Bar of Texas. This includes providing day-to-day oversight of the State Bar and its operations, professional services to members of the State Bar, services to the public, long-range strategic planning, and assistance to the courts regarding the administration of justice.

Trey Apffel, Executive Director

E.A. “Trey” Apffel III became executive director of the State Bar of Texas in December 2017. A longtime Galveston County trial lawyer, he previously was the owner and principal of the Apffel Law Firm in League City, where he focused on personal injury litigation, toxic torts, medical malpractice, and family law. He is certified in both civil trial law and personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Apffel has served as State Bar of Texas president (2014-2015), on the State Bar Board of Directors, and as a member of the board’s Executive Committee. He is a former member of the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, a member of the Texas Bar College, a Texas Bar Foundation Life Fellow, and served on the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. 

KaLyn Laney

KaLyn Laney serves the bar as a deputy executive director. Since joining the bar in 1990, she has served as director of governmental relations, director of member and public service, and in various other roles. Professionally, Laney is active in the National Association of Bar Executives, where she has served as chair of the Governmental Relations Section and chair of the Membership Committee. Additionally, Laney is an active community volunteer, having served as president of the Junior League of Austin and as a national board member of the Texas Tech Alumni Association. She is currently serving on the foundation board of the Settlement Home for Children and as a vice president of Rodeo Austin.

Lowell Brown

Lowell Brown is the associate deputy director and communications director for the State Bar of Texas and the executive editor of the Texas Bar Journal. He previously worked as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in Central Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where his work earned state and national awards. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas and is a 2016 graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of NABE: The Association for Bar Professionals and currently serves as immediate past chair of the NABE Communications Section.