News Room

We mourn the loss of our good friend and former shareholder of our firm, Sam Passman, who died on January 21, 2009.  Sam's good counsel guided his clients (and our firm) through seven decades of change and growth in Dallas and he will be missed.

Samuel Morris Passman, passed away January 21, 2009. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 10, 1912, the son of Harry and Fannie Passman, both of whom predeceased him. He had three sisters, Bertha Houser, Adelaide Brown and Sara Weil who also predeceased him. Sam is survived by Jeanne Passman, his beloved wife of 56 years, his son, Donald S. Passman, and his wife, Shana, of Beverly Hills, California, and his grandchildren, Daniel, David, Joshua and Jordan Paul Passman. Sam grew up in Galveston, Texas where he graduated from Ball High School. He attended and received his bachelor and law degrees from the University of Texas. During World War II, Sam served his country as a Major in the United States Army Air Corp. and afterwards he returned to Dallas, Texas to practice law with Emil Corenbleth. He then joined the law firm that became Alexander, George, Thuss & Passman, that later hired his future longtime law partner, Shannon Jones, Jr., as a law clerk in 1949. Sam and Shannon together founded the law firm of Passman & Jones in 1952, a firm that continues today in the fine tradition they established and still bears his name. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, and the Dallas Bar Association and until his passing, was the longest licensed attorney recognized by the Dallas Bar Association. Sam's law career spanned generations of families he counseled and he played a vital role in counseling many business leaders in the apparel and other growing industries during Dallas' strongest growth years. He was highly regarded as a civil trial and family law attorney in his 7 decades of law practice. Sam was both a trusted advisor to his clients and a valuable mentor to many lawyers with whom he practiced until he retired from active practice in 2004.