About Gwen
Gwen Pilgrim earned her undergraduate degree in economics and international business from Baylor University in 1998 and returned to Baylor for her law degree, receiving a J.D. in 2004. Her academic path combined business training and legal study, a background she carried into a litigation practice that began the year she graduated from law school. Her early years in practice were rooted in larger firm environments, where she handled matters that required both courtroom work and client counseling.
Pilgrim joined Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP in 2004, an entry point that exposed her to complex litigation and firm-based practice. Over time she moved into roles that involved greater responsibility for case management and client relationships. In 2010 she became a partner at Calhoun Pilgrim LLP. Three years later she took on a firm leadership role as managing partner at Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest, LLP. Those positions added administrative and supervisory duties to her litigation load, including oversight of associate training and strategic planning for the teams she led.
Her courtroom experience spans Texas state courts and multiple federal districts. She is admitted to practice in Texas and in the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern districts of the U.S. District Court for Texas. That admission roster has allowed her to take cases across the state, arguing motions and appearing in hearings in a range of venues.
Pilgrim maintains memberships in professional and community organizations. She is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. She also serves as a lawyer advisor to the Texas High School Mock Trial program, advising students and mentoring young people who are learning courtroom procedures and advocacy. Those activities reflect an interest in professional engagement and legal education outside of daily practice.
Her career shows movement between firm leadership and active trial practice. Colleagues describe her as a lawyer who balances case work and the management tasks that come with partnership roles. She has continued to work on litigation matters while participating in firm governance and mentoring junior attorneys.
Pilgrim currently practices at Calhoun Pilgrim LLP. She represents clients in state and federal courts across Texas and handles litigation matters in the federal districts where she is admitted. Her current practice focuses on litigation in Texas state courts and the federal districts where she is admitted.
