The nonprofit public interest justice center Texas Appleseed has launched a fundraising campaign aimed at raising $1.5 million in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
“For 30 years, Texas Appleseed has shown what is possible when rigorous research, lived experience, and collaborative leadership come together,” board president Ann Marie Painter said. “Our impact is a direct result of our dedicated Texas Appleseed staff, outstanding pro bono attorneys, and financial supporters who have partnered with us to strengthen systems and advance policies that create lasting opportunities for families and communities across the state. As we mark this milestone, we are deeply committed to building on that legacy and meeting the challenges ahead.”
A campaign website, available here, offers a variety of ways to donate.
Texas Appleseed was founded by a group of attorneys, including J. Chrys Dougherty III and Greg Huffman, who sought to apply a pro bono model to pressing justice issues. Among its earliest efforts was reforming indigent defense practices in the state. The organization’s Fair Defense Report exposed wide inconsistencies across Texas, finding that low-income defendants in some jurisdictions waited weeks or months for court-appointed counsel that were often not qualified to handle their cases.
That work helped lead to passage of the Fair Defense Act of 2001, widely regarded as the most significant indigent defense legislation enacted in the country in the last quarter century. The law required Texas courts to adopt formal procedures for appointing lawyers to indigent defendants, helping ensure more timely access to qualified representation.
Today, Texas Appleseed reports it has helped shape hundreds of laws and policies affecting millions of Texans.
“Helping to harness the strength and talent of the professional and legal community with Texas Appleseed has been the highlight of my legal career,” said Michael Lowenberg, a founding board member. “When we created this organization, we were excited to use our community contacts and professional skills to develop and promote systemic changes throughout the state. By nurturing those seeds of justice over the last 30 years, the organization has grown to be a significant force in Texas.”
The Texas Lawbook is a financial supporter of Texas Appleseed.
Texas Appleseed’s 30th Anniversary Committee members are:
- David Beck
- Shonn Brown
- George B. Butts
- Robin Gibbs
- Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro
- Wallace B. Jefferson
- Annette LoVoi
- Abel Martinez
- Charles Matthews
- Sherry and Gerald Merfish
- Harriet Miers
- Richard Mithoff
- Harry Reasoner
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Travis Torrence
DAYL Leadership Class Delivers Day of Service, Eyes Lasting Impact at Viola’s House
The Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ 2025 Leadership Class capped its nearly yearlong charitable efforts Saturday with a day of service at Viola’s House, a nonprofit that provides maternity housing and support for expectant mothers facing unstable living situations.
Since August, the group collected donations through an Amazon wish list and professional clothing drives at more than 10 firms across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Saturday, the attorneys also hosted professional development programming, offering headshots, mock interviews and resume workshops.
The lawyers are now exploring ways to package the organization’s professional development curriculum for Viola’s House and other nonprofits, said Brie Miller, an associate at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr and a member of the organization’s steering committee and outreach subcommittee, “so the programming can live beyond just the single day.”
Created in 1997, the DAYL Leadership Class connects young lawyers seeking to develop their leadership skills while making an impact in the community and the bar. More than 900 attorneys have participated in the program.
Several class projects have become lasting initiatives, including The Freedom Run 5k run and one-mile walk, created by the 2001 Leadership Class in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. That event raises funds for the Dallas Police Association’s Assist the Officer Foundation.
P.S. — TODAY is the deadline to nominate a corporate counsel and in-house Texas attorney for the Texas Access to Justice Commission Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Award. The nomination form may be found at this link. The deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, April 24.
Related Coverage
More than 30 lawyers across six firms, including the Texas offices of O’Melveny & Myers and Winston & Strawn, have worked on a lawsuit challenging the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons, contributing over 5,000 pro bono hours valued at more than $5 million. The Lawbook has the details.
Shackelford, McKinley & Norton of counsel David Mayer has found a way to honor his grandfathers who died of cancer by drawing on his industry connections to help families preserve time together. Follow this link for the story.
Laura Burstein, who spent 12 years at SMU Dedman School of Law building and leading its public interest and pro bono programs, has joined O’Melveny & Myers as the firm’s first Texas pro bono counsel. Click here to read more.
How You Can Help
Krista Torralva is The Lawbook‘s full-time pro bono, public service and diversity reporter. Her position is funded by the Texas Lawbook Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3). Your support is essential in helping us sustain this position, ensuring we can continue to provide in-depth reporting that matters to the Texas legal community. To learn more about the Foundation and how you can contribute to its mission, click here.
The Lawbook also seeks examples of pro bono projects and cases and public service efforts. Please contact krista.torralva@texaslawbook.net.