He graduated from Duke University in 1981 with a B.A. in English and from SMU School of Law in 1984 with a J.D. Mr. Needham is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, and the Texas Bar Foundation (elected Fellow in 1996), and achieved an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Oak Cliff Cemetery Association and was recently named to the Estate Planning Council of Southwestern Medical Foundation and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Needham served as the chair of the Harry Ransom Center Advisory Council from 2015-2018.