BONILLA & CHAPA, PC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law / Partner, Bonilla & Chapa
From Hondo, Texas, Ed Chapa is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) with a B.S. in Education and St. Mary's University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Admitted to the State Bar in 1990. He is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Corpus Christi Bar Association
Ed is married to attorney Jackie Del Llano Chapa and they have three children. His primary areas of practice are personal injury, family law, criminal law, probate and general civil litigation.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law / Partner, Bonilla & Chapa
The youngest of the Bonilla family, Mary Helen Berlanga followed her brothers in the legal profession. Mary Helen graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. and then from the South Texas College of Law in Houston. Admitted to the Bar in 1975, she began to pursue Social Security and immigration law and continues to today.
Education has always been a laser-focused interest for Mary Helen. She was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Mark White in 1984. After her appointment, she was elected to the Board in 1988 and served continually until 2012 completing nearly 30 years of service to the state education board. From 1988 to 1998 she served as the Secretary to the board. Mary Helen also connected to the local schools in creating a scholarship program at Crossley Elementary assisting 5th graders who graduated in 2000 to attend college. She continutes to be a guest speaker on the subject of education at universities and schools throughout Texas. Due to her dedication to the education of the children of Texas, the Corpus Christi Independent School District named one of their newest schools Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary School at the intersection of Carroll Lane and McArdle Rd.
Mary Helen received the Educator of the Year award from the Alpha Delta Kappa honorary teachers sorority. In 1999, the State Board of Education presented her with the Distinguished Service Award. She also received the Dr. Sandra Lanier-Lerma Outstanding Contribution to Literacy Award from the CCISD in 2002. Also presented in 1988, she recieved the Award for Dedication to the Children from the American GI Forum.
Mary Helen Berlanga was married to the late David Berlanga and has four children and two grand-children.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law / Vice - President, Bonilla & Chapa
A long-time fighter for change and community improvement, Ruben Bonilla has spent his career helping others. From seeking equality for others to representing the injured, Ruben has helped make life better for many in South Texas and across the U.S. Born in Calvert but moved to Corpus Christi as a youth, Ruben is a graduate of The University of Texas (B.A.) and The University of Texas School of Law (J.D.) Admitted to the State Bar in 1971, he immediately worked to impact the community in his activities with such groups as LULAC, the American G.I. Forum and the Texas Mexican-American Democrats.
Knowing the importance of education, Ruben has worked in many ways improve opportunities through his involvement in organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and at his alma mater W. B. Ray High School. A full listing of his community efforts can be found here.
In more recent years, Ruben has worked tirelessly for the community. Appointed by the city to the Port Commission of the Port Authority of Corpus Christi in 1998 and voted in as Chairman in 2002, he sought to increase commerce in the city and county through facilities governed by the Port Authority throughout his tenure which ended in 2010. The accomplishments by the Port Authority during these years are listed here.
Ruben's primary areas of practice include auto accidents, personal injury, family law and wrongful death. He is a current member of the Corpus Christi Bar Association, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation (Texas Bar Association.)
Ruben Bonilla is married to Dr. Rosalinda Sosa Bonilla and they have four children. He is a partner in the Bonilla Plaza Business Center and owner of Bonilla Holdings.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law / President, Bonilla & Chapa, P.C
Long working for the betterment of his community, Tony Bonilla worked with organizations such as LULAC, the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, as Chairman of the Board, the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica, The Boys and Girls Club and many others. He was the first Hispanic elected as State Representative from Nueces County.
Tony served with distinction as a member of the Texas Coordinating Board of Higher Education, The Governor's Select Committee on Public Education and as a member of the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission. Long a proponent of public education, Tony played a role in the creation of the LULAC Education Service Centers and served as National Chairman of the Board.
Tony is past National President of LULAC, past State Chair of LULAC and has served LULAC and other Hispanic organizations in leadership roles.
He has appeared in numerous national television programs and has been a frequent lecturer at many colleges and universities throughout the country. He has traveled to South America to address groups in several countries about the evils of drugs and the need for community organizations to help combat this problem. At the invitation of the Secretary of the Army, he traveled to Germany to address the military about civil rights issues. Tony also met with the Presidents of Mexico on several occasions to address immigration and civil rights issues of Mexican nationals in the U.S.
Tony's primary areas of practice are personal injury, family law, wills, DWI defense and criminal law. He's currently a member of the Corpus Christi Bar Association and the Beeville Chamber of Commerce.