McAllen names veteran lawyer as new city attorney

Austin Stevenson

McAllen officials have selected Austin Stevenson to lead the city’s legal department in the wake of former City Attorney Isaac Tawil’s promotion to city manager.

Stevenson, a veteran lawyer at the city attorney’s office, has served McAllen for more than a decade, according to a Monday news release announcing his new appointment.

Most recently, Stevenson has been serving as interim McAllen City Attorney after the McAllen City Commission elevated Tawil to the city’s top administrative position in late July.

Tawil lauded his successor, saying Stevenson’s lengthy experience made him the “ideal” candidate to lead McAllen’s legal department, which consists of the city attorney and a handful of assistant city attorneys.

“We are thrilled to have Austin Stevenson officially assume the role of City Attorney for McAllen,” Tawil stated.

“Austin’s work has been invaluable in navigating complex legal issues for McAllen, and we look forward to his continued leadership in advancing the City’s legal and operational goals,” he further stated.

Stevenson earned his law degree from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 2014. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, as well as a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

He has also maintained an active participation in the Rio Grande Valley’s legal community, including by previously serving as the director of District 13 of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, and on the Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association board of directors.

Stevenson’s promotion to city attorney continues a longstanding tradition in the city of McAllen of promoting leaders from within.

Stevenson, a longtime assistant city attorney, takes the helm at McAllen’s legal department after Tawil ascended to the position of city manager. Similarly, Tawil was promoted from assistant city attorney to city attorney after the January 2021 retirement of Kevin Pagan.

Likewise, Tawil was picked to be McAllen’s top administrator from an in-house candidate pool of three after longtime city manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez announced his retirement this summer.

And Rodriguez himself was promoted to the city’s top administrative spot after having served as general manager of the McAllen Public Utility for a decade prior to that.

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