Jay D. Ellwanger

Jay opened Ellwanger Law LLLP to fulfill a lifelong goal of honoring his family’s history by establishing a law firm dedicated to the eradication of discrimination and the defense of civil rights. Jay’s practice used to involve the representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad spectrum of intellectual property, employment, and commercial matters, first at one of Texas’s largest law firms and next at a respected litigation boutique. Now, Jay focuses solely on the representation of plaintiffs who have individual and class-wide discrimination and civil rights claims.

Jay earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas. While in law school, Jay was a member of the Texas International Law Journal, chair of the Board of Advocates, selected to the Order of Barristers, named the top advocate of his graduating class, and was the national champion of the “Tournament of Champions” mock trial competition. Since graduating, Jay has served as an Adjunct Professor at UT Law School since 2003 and has been named a Texas Rising Star or Super Lawyer” by Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Monthly magazine every year from 2007 to 2020. He has served as a Barrister of the Robert W. Calvert chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Jay is also committed to service beyond the legal profession—he chaired the Board of Wheat Ridge Ministries from 2016-2018 during its missional transition to the We Raise Foundation, and also served as Chair of the Board of Urban Roots from 2011-2016 and currently serves as co-chair of its capital campaign committee. He is also a proud graduate of Leadership Austin’s 2007-2008 Essential Class. Additionally, Jay was honored as the recipient of the 2009 Austin Under 40 Award in the legal category. The award is given annually by the Young Men’s Business League and the Young Women’s Alliance of Austin to allow the community to recognize their peers under the age of 40 who have achieved extraordinary professional success while simultaneously demonstrating outstanding community service.

Twitter: @JayEllwanger