The Texas Lawbook Foundation has named Derek Lipscombe, managing counsel at Toyota North America, as the new co-chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors.
Lipscombe, a former newspaper reporter who is past president of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter, has served on The Lawbook Foundation board since it was founded in 2023.
The Lawbook Foundation’s sole mission is to provide support for The Texas Lawbook’s news coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity in the Texas legal community.
“As attorneys we should always look at giving back to our community, whether by providing pro bono services to nonprofits, low-income and marginalized individuals and those in public service, such as our first responders, or by donating our time to nonprofits and other organizations that empower communities,” Lipscombe said. “In this day and age, unfortunately it appears that many law firms and in-house departments are pulling back on these efforts. By putting a spotlight on the ongoing efforts, The Texas Lawbook hopefully will encourage others to have that civic engagement.”
“Pro bono legal services help to ensure that legal services are not only for those who can afford it,” Lipscombe said. “And The Lawbook’s coverage of it sustains the public’s trust in lawyers and in the legal system by demonstrating that the law serves everyone, not just the privileged. Diversity brings a wider range of lived experiences, cultural competencies and viewpoints that enrich legal analysis, advocacy and decision-making.”
The Lawbook’s pro bono, public service and diversity news coverage is led by reporter Krista Torralva, a former courts reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Torralva, who is employed by the Lawbook Foundation, writes a weekly column on Fridays called “P.S.” in which she highlights the public contributions of law firms, lawyers, judges and corporate in-house counsel.
Texas Lawbook publisher Brooks Igo said that Lipscombe is the perfect person to help lead the Lawbook Foundation. Lipscombe replaces Chris Luna, who helped launch the Texas Lawbook Foundation as co-chair in 2022.
“Derek is a great lawyer who has been deeply involved in the Texas legal community through ACC and the Texas Minority Corporate Counsel Section for decades,” Igo said. “As a former award-winning journalist, he understands and appreciates the role that strong journalism plays in recognizing the pro bono and diversity successes of lawyers, as well as the need to challenge law firms and legal departments to do more.”
Lipscombe and his wife, Tenet Healthcare Deputy General Counsel Marita Covarrubias, were honored in May with the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement. A profile of the couple can be found here.
“As a reporter, I wrote a number of stories about nonprofits and individuals who were trying to lift others up,” Lipscombe said. “The empathy that they displayed was inspiring. When I became an attorney, I jumped at the chance to handle a prisoner civil rights case in my first year. It provided me firsthand experience in a case, but more importantly [it provided] justice to someone who had been subjected to violence at the hand of other prisoners and prison guards. Working together, we ended up giving light to a scandal in the District of Columbia prison that led to a number of prison sentences.”
If you wish to support the Texas Lawbook Foundation and its coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession, you can do so directly at TexasLawbookFoundation.org.
Here are some of Krista Torralva’s past articles showcasing pro bono efforts:
- P.S. — Litigation Boutique Partner, Once a Teen Advocate for the Texas Dream Act, Now Fights to Save it in Court
- P.S. — AT&T and Halliburton GCs: Legal Aid ‘Is a Texas Issue that Deserves Your Voice and Advocacy’
- Before Bar Admission, UT Law Grads and Incoming Kirkland Associates Head to Fifth Circuit for Pro Bono Oral Argument
- Southwest Airlines Asks Judge for One Cent Judgment to End Litigation Over Squashed Free Flights Program