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Lee at a campout dinner
Diana and Lee in Turkey, in 2014
Lee talking with a team member.
Lee posing in front of a window.
An old photo of Lee Kaplan
An old photo of Lee Kaplan
An old family photo.
Old photo of Diane and Will
Lee and family sitting on a porch
Old family photo of Lee and Diane with Will
Lee Kaplan at a birthday party.
Lee standing with a giraffe shrub.
A photo from Lee's childhood
Family photo from Will's graduation
Lee's father scout photo
Lee's scout group
Lee's family from Will's graduation.
SKV 20th anniversary
Lee with Jason Luong
Recent photo of Lee Kaplan
Lee Kaplan group photo
Lee with LV and CS and Carmen Roe
Lee and Diane dancing together
LK FB scout trip #1
Group photo with Lee and Diana
Photo of Will and Diana
Photo of Lee with Diana
Photo of Lee with Will in racing uniforms
Recent headshot of Lee
Recent photo of Lee with Diana
Vintage headshot of Lee
Vintage photo with Will
Vintage scout photo with Will
Queenie and Will at a wedding
Queenie and Will at Laguna Beach
Lee in the Spring of 72 with two friends
Lee and Diane in Cuba
Lee with his family on a trip.
Lee and Diane on a trip
Lee Kaplan's volunteer badge
Lee at a cookout with troop members
Diane and Lee Couple photo
Diana and Lee in Turkey in 2014
Lee with an associate.
Lee at an outdoor event
Lee kayaking
Old photo of Lee working at his desk.
Will and Diane Holiday Photo
Will and Diane together
Will and Diane at a 90th birthday party.
Lee at a campout sitting in a camp chair
Lee with family at a formal event.
Professional photo of Lee posing with his arms crossed.
New Camp Strake Campout
Lee and family trip photo
Queenie and Will at wedding
Lee from Spring 72
Sleeping bag and camping set up.
Will with troop members
Diana and Lee in Turkey
Will Diana Lee Kristin wedding photo
Will riding a bike
Will and Queenie August 2021
Will and Queenie in Cuba
Old black and white boy scout photo.
Will and Queenie at a wedding.
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Paid for By Lee Kaplan for Mayor, Gilbert Herrera, Treasurer

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About Lee

I was born in Methodist Hospital and we lived in Houston throughout my childhood.  I was joined by two brothers, David and Jay, and my sister Nanette.  I attended Condit and Lovett Elementary, Johnston Junior High (now Meyerland Middle School), and Bellaire High.  I had various part-time and summer jobs, including as a peanut vendor for two years at Astros games in 1966-67.

Being accepted at Princeton University was a great honor, and, even though I had a partial scholarship and part-time jobs there, I felt I owed it to my parents to take an extra course every semester and to miss as few classes as possible. I wrote my senior thesis on the Houston Independent School District, which was transitioning (too slowly) from a segregated district to one run by public-spirited citizens who trusted and honored real educators.

I then attended the University of Texas Law School and graduated with honors.  I received a coveted clerkship with a federal judge, Joe MacDonald Ingraham.  At law school, I met a brilliant woman, now my wife Diana Hudson. 

In 1977 I joined the Baker Botts law firm and tried cases and appeals, including a pro bono case for an indigent defendant who received ineffective counsel.  The case went up to the U.S. Supreme Court, by which time Mr. Guerra had served his time and been released.  In late 1984 I was very proud to be selected as a partner, and I continued to try lawsuits.

Over time I became restless and explored the possibility of starting my own firm. Diana and I agonized over this, and we eventually decided it was a risk worth taking.  With two friends who were accomplished lawyers in their own right, I took the leap and we formed our own small trial litigation boutique.  Our first office was roughly 1100 square feet.  We could hear every telephone that rang throughout the office, and we would all jump to answer, waiting to find out if it carried the promise of a new client. 

Our colleagues at our former firms generously referred conflicts to us, sometimes small cases, sometimes larger cases.  We were busy from Day One. Twenty-seven years later, our firm now employs 50 people, including lawyers, and has a stellar reputation with clients, opposing lawyers, and judges. 

Our firm is a small business.  It was– and still remains– an unpredictable adventure. Every time we hire a bright young lawyer, we are doing so with the optimistic view that we will attract clients to keep them busy.  Budgeting for the next year is not sheer guesswork, but it requires forecasting an uncertain future. 

In the meantime, Diana forged a great career as an attorney.  She worked for several years at the Baker Botts firm and then joined a small startup, which later merged into another large firm. Along the way, Diana and I raised our son Will, who was born in 1990, and she became more involved in the nonprofit community.

In addition to various charitable contributions, Diana is the President-elect of the Healthcare Nursing and Education Foundation. She previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC), a member of various HAWC committees, Chair of the Board of Directors of Lawndale Art Center, a member of the United Way of Greater Houston Board of Trustees and a member of various committees for United Way.

We are very proud of our son Will, born in Methodist Hospital and raised in Houston.  Like me, he became a Boy Scout.  We attended summer camps while he worked on becoming an Eagle Scout.  Will subsequently graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt University and then from the Sloan School of Business at MIT. He recently worked for an impact investing firm, has married an outstanding woman, and just joined the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In the meantime, my involvement with Will in Scouting led me to re-engage with Scouting after he graduated high school.  I have worked with Scouts in Third Ward since at least 2016, attending meetings, campouts, and summer camps.  Watching young boys become young men following the 12-point Scout Law is extremely gratifying. Many of them have become Eagle Scouts.

As you can see, I am proud of my parents, my wife, and my son.  For myself, after a long career as an attorney, having built and sustained a small business from scratch, and having met and worked with thousands of people from all walks of life, I have a new goal – to bring integrity, intelligence, and intensity to improving the essential services for all residents in the City of Houston.

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