2024 Board & Officers

The Dallas LGBT Bar Association’s Board of Directors for 2024 is comprised of attorneys from a range of backgrounds and practice areas:

Elissa Wev has served on the Board of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association since 2021. She is an Assistant District Attorney with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. Currently assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division, Wev previously prosecuted felony offenses involving intimate partner violence. She also served in the Public Integrity Division, where she investigated police shootings and prosecuted public service misconduct offenses. She began her career as a public defender helping indigent clients overcome poverty-biased procedures and punishments.

A lifetime Longhorn, Wev earned her undergraduate degrees from The University of Texas at Austin (B.S. in Public Relations, B.A. in Spanish) and J.D. at The University of Texas School of Law. She also studied at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In addition to her work with the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, Wev has also served on the board of the Mexican American Bar Association of Dallas and volunteered on committees for the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program, DWF Hispanic100, and Annie’s List.

Thomas McMillian has been an Assistant City Attorney with the City of North Richland Hills since November of 2021. Prior to taking on this role, he was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Amarillo where he served as the Public Safety Legal Advisor and was primarily responsible for the Amarillo Police Department’s legal matters. Thomas was a prosecutor at both the Potter County Attorney’s Office and then the 47^th District Attorney’s Office in Amarillo for 9 years. Thomas also served as a Staff Attorney for Chief Justice Brian Quinn of the 7^th Court of Appeals in Amarillo.

Thomas earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Economics and General Business from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in 2004. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas in 2008. Thomas is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow. He has presented at the Texas Police Chiefs Association Legal Advisor Conference, the Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association Biennial Las Vegas CLE, and is a former faculty member of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association Prosecutor Trial Skills Course. Thomas was named Young Lawyer of the Year by the Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association in 2018.  He is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Thomas is a member of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church where he serves on the board and is moderator-elect of the Trustee’s Committee.

Thomas, his partner Dustin, and their (very spoiled) dachshund Tootie live in Oak Lawn. He’s a self-described aviation geek, beer nerd, and has an appreciation for German cars. Thomas loves traveling, especially to Germany, Austria, and New York.

Sean is a partner with Dykema and counsels innovators primarily in marketing, media, and advertising. Sean represents prominent clients in technology and new media industries, and regularly drafts and negotiates agreements with ad servers, data suppliers and data management companies, measurement and analytics companies, and other ad and technology platforms and providers in connection with a variety of commercial relationships with local, regional and Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and marketing companies.

Sean and his husband live downtown in the Farmers Market, and you’re likely to find him on the weekend meandering the stalls and sheds of produce and locally-made goods with his dog.

James Joshua Dossey is an associate attorney at Duffee + Eitzen. Following his undergraduate B.A. in Journalism from Baylor University (“Sic’em”), he enlisted in the Army as a 27D Paralegal Specialist. Josh graduated from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law (“Pony Up”) and was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 2022. Josh practices family law focusing on contested and uncontested divorce, child custody issues, and complex property division. He also serves on the board of the LGBTQ+ Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. In his spare time, Josh serves on the executive board of Dallas Independent Volleyball Association and travels across North America to compete in tournaments. To recover, you will find Josh at the movies or re-reading Harry Potter.

Monica is a senior attorney at Clark Hill where she advises sureties, contractors, and other construction and business clients in litigation and complex construction matters involving surety bonds, liens, construction defects, and related claims. Monica also has expertise in Texas residential construction laws.

In addition to the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, Monica is a member of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. She has been selected as a Texas Rising Star by Thompson Reuters since 2021 and a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Litigation – Construction Law since its inaugural edition in 2020.

Outside of the law, Monica enjoys spending time with her partner and their four dogs in East Dallas and enjoying a picnic at the Arboretum.

Liz recently joined Akerman LLP as a litigation associate.  In her previous position with Thompson Coburn, she assisted clients with a wide variety of business litigation matters, including antitrust, false advertising, and trade regulation. She supported defending clients in consumer class actions alleging unfair and deceptive practices and false advertising relating to customer agreements and disclosures, product labeling, advertising, and online sales.

Liz also served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Irma C. Ramirez of the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas. While working toward earning her J.D., Liz completed a Legal Externship with the Honorable Patrick J. Walsh and a Litigation Internship/Externship at AT&T. Liz also served as a Teaching Assistant and Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Art, Technology and Intellectual Property.

When not practicing law, Liz enjoys spends time with her partner and their three dogs (all rescues).

Haley Ablon is an associate at Carrington Coleman where she represents clients facing a myriad of commercial and construction litigation needs in both state and federal courts. Her practice areas include construction, litigation and disputes, and products liability and personal injury.

A member of the William “Mac” Taylor, Jr. American Inn of Court, Haley studied law at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (J.D., 2021) and received her B.A. in Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. Haley serves as the Board’s representative to the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.

Haley’s interests include rock climbing, playing recreational sand volleyball, walking the Katy Trail, painting, running, and spending time with family and friends.

Callie Butcher is a Dallas based attorney who’s practice has focused on complex patent litigation involving a variety of technologies. Callie also has expertise assisting clients in connection with IP acquisitions, patent cross-licensing, and IP due diligence, as well as trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition claims.  Callie has been recognized in the 2021–2022 editions of The Best Lawyers as a “Ones to Watch in America” and “Women In The Law: Ones To Watch” in Intellectual Property Litigation, and was named a 2022 “Top Women Lawyer” by Texas Diversity Council.  

When not working, Callie volunteers with local LGBT organizations, including Lambda Legal, where she serves on its Dallas Leadership Committee, and Black Tie Dinner, where she serves on the board and as a member of the Events and Programming Committee. In her free time, Callie enjoys spending time with her partner and two children.