Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor once told me during an interview that “there are lawyer heroes among us” who use their training to “make this a better society.”
Betty Torres and David Beck are two of those heroes. Their good deeds and commitment to the legal profession are being recognized. In addition, the Texas Young Lawyers Association is building a website that can help those with an interest in becoming lawyers but who have no connections to the law better understand the process of becoming a part of this noble profession.
ABA Honors Betty Torres
The American Bar Association’s Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities is presenting its inaugural Impacto Award to Texas Access to Justice Foundation Executive Director Betty Balli Torres.
For more than 23 years, Torres has led the non-profit foundation that provides more than $50 million annually to three dozen legal aid organizations to help provide basic legal services to tens of thousands of low-income families across Texas, including veterans, the homeless and victims of crime.
The ABA stated that “Torres worked to remove barriers faced by the Hispanic community and other vulnerable populations in the state” since October 2001.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Torres collaborated with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to secure more than $40 million in emergency funding to prevent evictions for Texans impacted by the crisis,” the ABA noted.
The Impacto Award honors an individual or organization that has impacted efforts to remove the significant legal, socio-economic, linguistic and other barriers to social justice and civic engagement facing Latinos in the U.S.
In 2023, the Texas Access to Justice Commission honored Torres with its Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Betty’s efforts help us bring access to justice to all Texans closer to reality,” Troutman Sanders senior counsel Harriet Miers, who is chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, said in presenting Torres with the award in 2023. “Her extraordinary spirit of putting others first and demonstrated commitment to legal services has improved our society and inspired others. Through her initiatives and awareness of the valuable role legal aid plays, Betty has enhanced access for vulnerable Texans unable to pay for legal assistance, and we are more than grateful for her efforts.”
The ABA will present Torres with the Impacto Award on Jan. 31 at the Diversity Awards Reception during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix.
HBAA Recognizes David Beck
The Houston Bar Association Auxiliary is presenting Beck Redden founding partner David J. Beck with the 2025 Leon Jaworski Award for Community Service, which recognizes attorneys who “exemplify a lifetime commitment to civic engagement, public service and professional excellence — values that reflect the legacy of Leon Jaworski himself.”
Beck’s legal career, according to the HBAA, “is a testament to unwavering dedication to his profession and exemplary service.”
“Renowned as one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers, Mr. Beck has earned accolades for his professional achievements while also making significant contributions to the legal profession, education, healthcare and the arts,” the HBAA stated.
The Houston Bar Association Auxiliary will present Beck with the Jaworski Award at its annual luncheon on March 28.
Website Provides Path to Being a Lawyer
The Texas Bar Foundation has provided a $45,000 grant to the Texas Young Lawyers Association to develop a website that educates prospective law students on the law school process from start to finish.
The website, which is expected to launch this spring, “will break down barriers faced by nontraditional and first-time law students by providing practical information on all aspects of legal education in videos and texts featuring experts from law schools across the state,” according to a statement released by the Bar Foundation.
The website will address the law school application process, pre-admissions tests (LSAT), financing costs, first-semester challenges, the Socratic teaching method law professors use, law school extracurriculars and the bar exam. Scott Collins’ website design company, Culture Farm, is working with the TYLA to build the site.