Bell Nunnally has elected four new partners, effective January 1 – Nathan Cox, Christian J. Cowart, Joshua D. Fuller and Joshua T. Smith.
“2025 has been a banner year for Bell Nunnally on all fronts – revenue, attorney head count and development, recruiting at all levels, and we even expanded our office,” said Bell Nunnally Managing Partner Christopher B. Trowbridge. “Our playbook, centered on our clients and valuing collegiality and growth, works and has created a tremendous next-gen leadership pipeline. We’re excited for what 2026 will bring and pleased to welcome Josh, Nathan, Christian and Josh to partnership.”
Cox, previously senior associate, is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment practices where he represents individuals and businesses in a wide range of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts, including complex commercial and business ownership disputes, business torts and trade secret litigation. He also defends employers in discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims and has tried cases before juries, judges and arbitration panels. An active writer, Cox has authored numerous articles on Texas Lawbook and frequently co-authors firm client alerts. He is chair-elect of Young Professionals Advisory Council for the Dallas Regional Chamber, and is a member of the board of directors for both the Dallas Chamber Symphony and Primos Dallas.
Cox was named to D Magazine‘s “Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas” list (2025), The Best Lawyers in America® ”Ones to Watch” list (2024-2026) and selected by his peers for inclusion among Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2024-2025). He is a graduate of Baylor University Law School (J.D., 2017) and the University of California, Davis (B.A., 2013). After law school, Cox clerked for the Honorable Jeffrey C. Manske, in the Western District of Texas, Waco Division.
Practicing in the firm’s Litigation and Intellectual Property groups, Cowart, previously senior counsel, represents clients in matters involving trademark, patent, copyright and trade secret issues and has secured favorable outcomes across a variety of industries – including food and beverage, technology, retail and manufacturing. His experience includes first-chairing jury and bench trials and obtaining dispositive victories in complex intellectual property and commercial disputes, including securing summary judgment canceling fraudulently procured trademark registrations, winning a take-nothing judgment in a bench trial involving claims exceeding $1.3 million and obtaining dismissal with prejudice of trade secret misappropriation claims at the pleadings stage.
Cowart was named to D Magazine‘s “Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas” list (2025), The Best Lawyers in America® ”Ones to Watch” list (2024-2026), Lawdragon’s “500 X – The Next Generation” list (2025) and selected by his peers for inclusion among Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2022-2025). An engaged member of the community, Cowart is active with his Catholic parish, serving as a catechist, and he serves the poor in downtown Dallas through his involvement with Homeless Ministry. He is a graduate of Baylor University Law School (J.D., 2017) and Oklahoma State University (B.A., 2014).
Fuller, previously senior associate, is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Labor and Employment and Creditors’ Rights practices where he represents clients across industries in business, employment and creditors’ rights disputes. Fuller has a track record of handling high-stakes litigation – including obtaining two jury trial verdicts in 2025, each of which was over $3 million.
Active in the legal and business communities, Fuller is a member and past mentor for the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and a member and LEAD YP participant for the Dallas Regional Chamber. He is also a member of the board of directors for “Chandler Speaks,” a non-profit whose mission is to provide speech pathology language services to financially disadvantaged youth. Fuller was named to D Magazine‘s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list (2020-2021), The Best Lawyers in America® ”Ones to Watch” list (2024-2026) and selected by his peers for inclusion among Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2024-2025). He is a graduate of SMU’s Dedman School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2017) and the University of Texas at Austin (B.A., with honors, 2014).
A member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate and Securities and International practices, Smith, previously senior associate, advises clients on a broad range of corporate legal needs, including governance, compliance, transactional documentation and strategic business operations. He also regularly supports companies navigating growth opportunities and complex transactions in dynamic industry sectors. Most recently, Smith represented a Texas-based virtual preventive care services provider in its $70 million sale to a publicly traded multinational telemedicine and virtual health care company headquartered in New York; a Harlingen-based primary care provider in its $10 million acquisition of a Utah-based health organization; and S2 Capital in its acquisition of Fort Capital, an industrial real estate owner and operator. He has also represented a family-owned oil and gas services company in an equity and real estate sale and advised a Texas-based insurance company in its acquisition of a regional insurer. Smith has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” list (2023–2026) and selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2023–2025).
Smith is pursuing an LL.M. in Air & Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, reflecting his growing focus on advising clients operating at the intersection of emerging technology, regulated industries and complex transactional work. He regularly develops guidance on evolving legal and regulatory frameworks affecting commercial space and aerospace ventures, including compliance considerations and M&A activity within the sector. He is a member of the National Space Society and the International Institute of Space Law. Smith is a graduate of SMU’s Dedman School of Law (J.D., 2017) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (B.A., 2014).
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