For over 35 years, Mary has focused her practice on water and environmental law. For several years, she was an assistant city attorney for a number of small municipalities in central Texas. Between 1988 and 1992, she served as a Hearings Examiner and then as the Public Interest Counsel at the Texas Water Commission. Later she was an associate with Gardere & Wynne, LLP, now known as Foley Gardere Foley & Lardner LLP. From there she started her own firm in 1995, which has continued until the present, with a several year hiatus while she served “of counsel” to Carls, McDonald & Dalrymple LLP. Ms. Sahs has nearly 25 years of experience in Texas groundwater law. She has served as general counsel and special counsel for groundwater conservation districts throughout the State and has been active in the groundwater management area joint planning process. She also consults with entities seeking to acquire groundwater as a water supply and participated in the Mesa Group permit application hearing before the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, representing the interests of adjacent landowners opposing the permit. Thus she has a wide range of practical and legal participation in the field. Ms. Sahs has written and spoken extensively on water and environmental issues, particularly groundwater issues, including the emerging issue of brackish groundwater and the relationship between oil and gas production and groundwater. She is managing editor of Essentials of Texas Water Resources, the sixth edition of which will be released in February 2020. She was also a charter co-editor of West’s Texas Practice Series, Environmental Law, from its inception until 2019. She has been a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas since 2001 and a fellow since 2011. Mary K. Sahs is an honor graduate from the University of Texas School of Law.
Mary has been recognized for her experience in Water and Energy law:
Selected by her peers for inclusion in Woodward/White, Inc.’s 2009 through 2020 editions of “The Best Lawyers in America®” in the field of water law.
Received recognition annually in Woodward/White, Inc.’s 2014- 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” rankings.
Received the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards from her peers and was included in the inaugural through the 2015 editions of the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™.
Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® with an AV Preeminent® Rating since 2009 thru 2019.
Rated by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell™ as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in energy, environmental, and natural resource law.
Selected by her peers for inclusion in Women in the Law: Top Peer Nominated Lawyers in the March 2017 publication of “The Best Lawyers in America®”.
Rated by Marquis Who’s Who in 2019 with Lifetime Achievement Award.
