OFF THE RECORD

Steven Shurn
Law a Second Profession for Musician/Surfer

By Ellie Parsa

Steven Shurn is a partner at Hughes Watters Askanase, where he focuses his practice on bankruptcy law. He was named a “Rising Star” in the July 2004 through 2007 editions of the Texas Super Lawyers Magazine. What most people don’t know about him, however, is that he is an avid musician and long-board surfer. In fact, he has been a musician and surfer longer than he has been an attorney.

Steven picked up his first guitar when he was 14 years old. At first, he and his friends played for fun in their homes and garages. But it wasn’t too long before the garage-group formed a band and hit the road. Steven and his band mates traveled the country and opened for other acts, including Vince Neil of Motley Crue, Cheap Trick and Pat Travers. In his “rock days,” Steven got to see a lot of the country and says he had a great time doing it.

But those days are behind him now–somewhat. Realizing it is difficult to juggle a full-time music career and a legal career, Steven has since given up the big stage for a smaller, local one. He has found an interesting way to mix his passion for music with his legal practice. He now plays in a band with other attorneys and Judge Richard Schmidt, Judge Paul Bonapfel, and Judge Leif Clark–all of whom are bankruptcy judges. The group travels around Texas, mostly playing at legal seminars.  The group plays primarily 60’s, 70’s and 80’s cover songs, but there is a twist to their songs: they are all bankruptcy parodies. So, “Black Magic Woman” becomes “Complex 11” and “Leader of the Pack” becomes “File a Prepack.” The songs are really funny if you speak “bankruptcy.”

When he is not busy practicing law or playing in his band, Steven likes to go surfing. At about the same time he picked up his first guitar, he also rode his first wave in Galveston. He has been a long-boarder ever since and tries to get out on the waves as often as he can, which may only be five to ten times a year with his busy schedule. Steven has never surfed competitively; he says he surfs because he enjoys the adrenaline rush he gets when he drops in on a four or five foot wave and rides it in. He also finds surfing a great outing with his wife, Tammy, and sons, Joshua, 17, and Vincent, 3. The Shurn family recently took a trip to South Padre Island, where Steven introduced Vincent to surfing, albeit on smaller waves near the shore.

Steven was born in New York and did not move to Texas until he was ten years old. Growing up, Steven’s family moved around quite a bit. After moving from New York, he lived in Massachusetts, Virginia and North Carolina. Once they got to Houston though, the Shurn family settled down for good. Steven attended Houston schools, received  his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston, and followed that with a J.D. from South Texas College of Law. Today, Steven says he is a Houstonian through and through.

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