This week’s edition of P.S. features the unveiling of Porter Hedges’ new 1L diversity fellow, a fundraising development from the Texas Access to Justice Commission and State Bar of Texas that will benefit low-income Texas veterans, a leadership change at the Houston Bar Association and the launch of a public service website focused on “adulting.”
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— The Texas Young Lawyers Association has officially launched its “Adulting” website, which will educate young students and the public about their rights and responsibilities under the law upon reaching adulthood. Now officially online at adulting.tyla.org, the site covers an array of legal topics including contracts, consumer protection, healthcare, marriage, housing, employment and more. The site presents this content through short videos, resource guides and other information, including educational resources for classroom instruction on these topics. The site’s latest adulting guides include healthcare, jury service and housing.
TYLA, the public service arm of the State Bar of Texas, works to facilitate the administration of justice, foster respect for the law and advance the role of the legal profession in serving the public. The Texas Bar Foundation funded the project and website with a $48,000 grant.
— This week, the Houston Bar Association announced that Vinh Ho will replace Mindy Davidson as executive director after Davidson phases into retirement later this year. Ho is a seasoned nonprofit management and legal aid lawyer who is currently the senior director of legal services at South Texas College of Law’s Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics.
Previously in his career, Ho served as executive director of the Houston Chapter of Boat People SOS, a nonprofit focused on serving the Vietnamese and Asian community, including protecting Vietnamese asylum seekers in neighboring countries, helping victims of human rights violations in Vietnam and assisting victims of trafficking, immigrants, refugees, disadvantaged students and survivors of violence in the U.S. Before working for Boat People SOS, Ho was a staff attorney at YMCA International Services. He has also served on numerous nonprofit boards and State Bar of Texas committees, and last year he made the Association of American Law Schools’ 2023 Pro Bono Service Honor Roll. In addition to nonprofit leadership, Ho is experienced in immigration law, family law and other civil legal aid matters.
— The Texas Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Texas announced that its April 25 Champions of Justice Gala raised $545,850 for civil legal services for low-income Texas veterans. The total amount was a few thousand short of the $550,000 it sought to raise.
The gala, which took place at Austin’s AT&T Hotel & Conference Center, also honored several lawyers for their dedication and contribution to access to justice.
The 2024 James B. Sales Boots on the Ground Award went to John McDaniel Torti, a Belton-based lawyer with Lone Star Legal Aid who and a legal aid practitioner of 37 years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Torti stepped up his dedication to pro bono legal services even more by putting in extra hours at the courthouse to help people facing eviction.
The 2024 Harry M. Reasoner Justice for All Award went to Elizabeth S. Pagel, a Humble-based solo practitioner who has handled a high volume of pro bono cases for Houston Volunteer Lawyers for the past 17 years in addition to handling challenging family law issues. Pagel is also known for her mentorship of other attorneys, which has contributed to the expansion of pro bono efforts.
The 2024 Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award went to renown trial lawyer Harry Reasoner, who retired from Vinson & Elkins in December. Reasoner is known as a longtime champion of access to justice issues and pro bono work. Reasoner joined the Commission in 2009 and currently serves as chair emeritus. Under his leadership, the Texas Access to Justice Commission says it significantly expanded its work, pursued innovative solutions and became a national leader in access to justice.
The 2024 Star of Justice Award went to State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, the first female dean of the Texas Senate. She was the first Mexican American to be elected to the Senate and is now its longest serving member. She became an ex-offiicio member of the Commission in 2017 representing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and since has helped the Commission with many legislative efforts, most recently passing clarification on what court costs are covered by Rule 145.
For more information on who spoke, who sponsored the event and who was on this year’s gala committee, read this previous edition of P.S.
— Porter Hedges has announced Morgan Mitchell as the recipient of the firm’s 2024 Porter Hedges 1L Diversity Fellowship. As part of the fellowship, Morgan, a first-year student at the University of Houston Law Center, will receive a salaried summer associate position in 2024 and the opportunity to earn up to $25,000 in stipends — and end up at Porter Hedges full time upon graduation — throughout her participation in the program.
The diversity scholarship/fellowship is awarded annually to a 1L with a strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion on their campus, in the community and during their tenure with Porter Hedges.