Barry W. Cowan joined Fulbright & Jaworski’s Dallas office as a partner in 2007. Barry has represented clients in a broad spectrum of sophisticated employee benefit issues. He has extensive experience in representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation on voluntary compliance, plan reporting, plan termination, and government investigation matters. 

Barry represents clients in complex ERISA litigation matters, including fiduciary breach issues. He works on a variety of employee benefits matters pertaining to mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, executive compensation, health and welfare, and all aspects of qualified and nonqualified plan design matters for both publicly traded and privately held companies.

Barry served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Southern Methodist School of Law in the area of Taxation of Deferred Compensation, as well as the Past Chair of the Employee Benefits/Executive Compensation Section of the Dallas Bar Association. He is also a frequent lecturer on retirement, health and other ERISA related issues.

• State Bar of Texas
• American Bar Association
• Dallas Bar Association
• Tarrant County Bar Association
• Southwest Benefits Association
• The National Association of Stock Plan Professionals

• “40 Under 40,” Texas Lawyer (2001)
• “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” D Magazine (2003, 2005 and 2007)
• “Texas’ Super Lawyers,” Texas Monthly (2003 - 2007)
• "Top 200 Lawyers," American Lawyer (2003)
• Best Lawyers in America (2007)

• “The Risks and Rewards of Employee Retirement Plans,” Inside the Minds: Employee Benefits Law, Aspatore Books, 2005

1988 - J.D., South Texas College of Law
1984 - B.A., with honors, Finance, Texas Tech University
1984 - B.A., with honors, Management Information Systems, Texas Tech University

Barry is admitted to practice law in Texas.