This edition of P.S. features a Barnes & Thornburg lawyer who joined an esteemed board of key business leaders in Dallas; an upcoming CLE that includes a conversation with a corporate lawyer turned criminal justice reformer who founded three nonprofits, achieved clemency for seven pro bono clients, did a TED Talk and wrote a memoir about her experience growing up with her mother behind bars; and upcoming dates in April when those in need of free legal services can receive pro bono legal advice by phone.
The Latest
— On Tuesday, April 9, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum and Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law are co-presenting a CLE at the museum as the latest installment of the Rule of Law Series featuring Brittany K. Barnett, a lawyer, author, TED Talk speaker and entrepreneur. Lawyers can receive ethics/professional responsibility CLE credit while learning about Barnett’s life’s work in criminal justice reform.
Barnett, a 2011 SMU Dedman graduate, began her career as certified public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before pivoting to a legal career as a corporate M&A associate in Winstead’s Dallas office and later then went in-house as associate general counsel of ORIX USA Corp. In 2016, Barnett shifted her focus to the nonprofit world with an emphasis on criminal justice reform when she moved to The Dream Corps to become the national campaign director of #ClemencyNOW, which highlighted and humanized clemency cases pending under President Barack Obama’s clemency initiative. While working as a corporate attorney, seven of Barnett’s pro bono clients received clemency from President Obama. Barnett spent a year as SMU Dedman’s practitioner in residence at its Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, where she helped design and advance strategic direction to promote the fair, ethical and compassionate treatment of individuals in every stage of the criminal justice system. She is the founder or co-founder of three nonprofits: Girls Embracing Mothers, Buried Alive Project and Manifest Freedom.
Girls Embracing Mothers supports the daughters of incarcerated mothers by helping them strengthen their relationship through enhanced visitation sessions and helps the girls make positive life choices through mentorship, leadership development, life skills counseling and material support in hopes of breaking the cycle of incarceration. Buried Alive Project works to free people sentenced under outdated federal drug laws, and Manifest Freedom provides fellowships to entrepreneurs and creatives directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
Barnett’s memoir, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice and Freedom is a coming-of-age account of Barnett’s experience as a daughter of an incarcerated mother that chronicles her pro bono work helping similarly situated individuals, including a woman named Sharanda Jones who shared many parallels to Barnett’s own experience.
When: Tuesday, April 9. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a guided tour and concludes at 8:15 p.m., with a 7 p.m. start time for the Rule of Law program.
Where: Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, 300 N. Houston Street, Dallas
Price: $150 per person
Sponsors: Jones Day (founding sponsor), The Sumners Foundation (presenting sponsor) and Match Group (event sponsor).
Register: Visit here
— Barnes & Thornburg partner Victor Vital has joined the Dallas Regional Chamber board of directors, the firm announced today. Vital, who is Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas office managing partner, joins an esteemed group of business leaders in Dallas on the board, which is led by 2024 chair Cynt Marshall, the chief executive officer of the Dallas Mavericks. Other lawyers on the DRC’s board and executive committee include Haynes Boone managing partner Taylor Wilson, Locke Lord Dallas managing partner Elizabeth Mack, Carrington Coleman managing partner Monica Latin, Flowserve Corp. Chief Legal Officer Susan Hudson, Southwest Airlines CLO Mark Shaw and immigration attorney Erika N. Salter, who runs her own immigration law and criminal law firm.
— Every Wednesday in April, volunteer attorneys with the Dallas Bar Association will answer legal questions for free between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. through the DBA’s LegalLine E-Clinic. After completing the online form to sign up, those in need of pro bono legal help will receive a call from an anonymous volunteer attorney and will receive up to 15 minutes of free legal advice. Space is limited and registration closes each Tuesday before every Wednesday clinic. The first clinic was this week and the following will take place on April 10, April 17 and April 24.