Television

Austin attorney picked for 'Apprentice'

By Diane Holloway
AMERICAN-STATESMAN TELEVISION WRITER
Monday, February 13, 2006

The Donald has once again tapped an Austin resident to compete for a spot in his corporate empire.

Roxanne Wilson, an appellate attorney at Winstead Sechrest & Minick, P.C., will appear in the fifth season of NBC's "Apprentice," which begins Feb. 27.

A graduate of Baylor University and the University of Michigan Law School, Wilson, 26, follows in the footsteps of Austin dot-com executive Amy Henry, who made it to the final round of "The Apprentice" in the spring of 2004. Henry went on to write a best-selling book, "What It Takes: Speak Up, Step Up, Move Up."

Wilson, who moved to Austin in 2003, doesn't just spend her time in law libraries and courts. She's a certified Jazzercise instructor who teaches three days a week. She's also on the Austin board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and is active in the Riverbend Church choir and young professionals group.

Before going into private practice, Wilson clerked for Justices Scott A. Brister and Craig T. Enoch of the Supreme Court of Texas.

She joins 17 other contenders who hope to avoid Donald Trump telling them, "You're fired!" The latest batch is international, with participants from the United States, Russia, England and Canada.

Also on "The Apprentice" this season are a psychotherapist, a sticker-company owner, a Realtor and a restaurant owner — to name just a few. And, including Wilson, there are four attorneys, which should at least make the competition legit.

dholloway@statesman.com; 445-3608