In this edition of P.S., the J.L. Turner Legal Association in Dallas and the San Antonio Bar Foundation recently announced the honorees for their annual award ceremonies. Among those being recognized are prominent criminal defense lawyer Cheryl Wattley and U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, whose sharply worded ruling condemning the Trump administration’s immigration tactics drew national attention earlier this year.
We also cover the Houston Bar Foundation, which is providing $30,000 in scholarships across Houston’s three law schools to support students pursuing careers in public interest law and public service. In addition, the foundation has opened applications for the second year of its Community Grants Program, which awarded $100,000 to 15 community projects during its inaugural funding cycle.
Attorneys taking on immigration matters pro bono may find a newly launched mentorship initiative from the Austin-based nonprofit VECINA especially valuable. Supported by a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, the Texas Immigration Legal Resiliency Program offers virtual office hours where participants can seek guidance on immigration cases. We’ve got the details.
And finally, Yetter Coleman has joined the ACLU of Texas and the national ACLU in a lawsuit challenging the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents’ restrictions on teaching about race, gender and sexuality. The Houston-based litigation boutique is handling the matter on a pro bono basis.
VECINA Launches Immigration Mentorship Program for Texas Attorneys
The nonprofit VECINA — Spanish for “neighbor” — has launched a free virtual mentorship program to support lawyers handling immigration matters, with funding from the Texas Bar Foundation.
The Texas Immigration Legal Resiliency Program is open to Texas-licensed immigration attorneys, State Bar of Texas members and U.S. Department of Justice-accredited representatives. The Texas Bar Foundation awarded $14,250 to the program this year.
The initiative features virtual office hours every other Wednesday at noon Central, beginning Aug. 5. During the informal drop-in sessions, participants can seek guidance on immigration law questions, discuss case strategy and receive support on complex legal and ethical issues.
The program would be particularly valuable for corporate attorneys taking on immigration matters through pro bono representations, said Maria Laura Arabbo, VECINA’s executive director.
The initiative also offers a monthly Community of Practice on the last Thursday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. Central. The sessions foster peer learning and explore topics such as practitioner well-being, secondary trauma, burnout, boundaries, ethical practice and sustaining high-quality advocacy.
Through its national mentorship efforts, VECINA has supported more than 300 legal service providers from 224 organizations, responded to more than 750 technical assistance requests and delivered more than 130 hours of specialized mentorship.
Attorneys interested in participating may register online at this link.
San Antonio Bar Association Honors Judge Fred Biery with Lifetime Achievement Award
The San Antonio Bar Association has selected U.S. District Judge Fred Biery as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Biery drew national attention earlier this year when he ordered the release of an asylum seeker and his 5-year-old son from federal detention, writing that the Trump administration’s “perfidious lust for unbridled power” was “bereft of human decency.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award — also called the Joe Frazier Brown Award of Excellence — recognizes a lawyer “who embodies the highest ideals of the legal profession,” according to the organization.
SABA recently announced the five individuals and organization to be honored at its annual gala on Sept. 19.
This year’s other honorees are:
- San Antonio Bar Foundation Outstanding Lawyer in Community Service (Carolyn Thurmond Award): George Spencer, Jr., of counsel, Langley Banack
- San Antonio Bar Foundation Peacemaker Award: The Bexar County Family Justice Center
- San Antonio Young Lawyers Association Outstanding Young Lawyer: Zach Zurek, partner, Jackson Walker
- San Antonio Young Lawyers Outstanding Mentor: Leslie Hyman, shareholder, Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey
- San Antonio Young Lawyers Association Liberty Bell: Rosie Castro, prominent civil rights activist
Houston Bar Foundation Awards $30K in Public Service Scholarships
The Houston Bar Foundation has awarded $30,000 in scholarships across Houston’s three law schools to help students pursue careers in public interest law and public service.
The foundation announced it will provide $10,000 scholarship grants to South Texas College of Law Houston, Thurgood Marshall School of Law and University of Houston Law Center for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Each school may award the funds to one or more students. Recipients will be selected based on financial need and a demonstrated interest in public interest law through academic achievement, volunteer service, clinical work, internships or career goals.
“The Houston Bar Foundation is proud to invest in the next generation of lawyers who are committed to expanding access to justice,” said 2026 HBF Chair Benny Agosto, Jr., managing partner with Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. “These scholarships help support students whose dedication to serving others reflects the Foundation’s mission and values.”
J.L. Turner Legal Association Announces L.A. Bedford Luncheon Honorees
The J.L. Turner Legal Association has announced the five individuals who will be honored at the L.A. Bedford Luncheon on August 13.
The annual luncheon recognizes individuals and organizations that exemplify leadership, service, mentorship, professionalism and lasting impact within the legal community.
This year’s honorees are:
- Ashley Jones Wright, an associate at Winston Taylor, is receiving the Hon. Sam Lindsay Professionalism & Ethics Award.
- Cheryl Wattley, criminal defense lawyer and professor at University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, will receive the Trailblazer Award.
- 194th District Court Judge Ernest White is the Hon. L.A. Bedford Distinguished Jurist Award recipient.
- Kimberly Godsey, general counsel at Second Nature, is the Hon. Cleo Steele Committed Mentor Award honoree.
- Brandon Watts, chairman of the nonprofit The Natural Resource Brand, is receiving the C.B. Bunkley Community Service Award.
Houston Bar Foundation Opens Applications for Community Grants Program
The Houston Bar Foundation is accepting applications for its Community Grants Program, which provides grants of up to $10,000 to support initiatives that address legal needs and expand access to justice in the Houston area.
Now in its second year, the program awarded $100,000 to 15 community projects during its inaugural grant cycle in 2025.
“Based on the overwhelming number of submissions we received last year, it’s clear there’s a tremendous need for investment in programs that expand access to justice and strengthen our community,” said HBF’s Agosto. “Through the Community Grants Program, we are proud to support organizations and initiatives that make a meaningful difference in the lives of Houston-area residents.”
Applications are due Sept. 15. More information and the application are available on the foundation’s website.
Last year’s recipients were:
- ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy
- Coalition for the Homeless
- Foster Care Advocacy Center
- HBA Law Day Contests
- Harris County District Court Administrator
- Houston Area Women’s Center
- Houston Association of Women Attorneys
- Harris Co. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2
- Memorial Assistance Ministries
- Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation
- Partners for Justice
- South Texas College of Law Houston — Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment
- South Texas College of Law Houston — Sorrels Legal Clinics
- Thurgood Marshall School of Law
- Woori Juntos
Yetter Coleman Joins Pro Bono Challenge to Texas A&M Teaching Restrictions
Yetter Coleman has joined the ACLU of Texas and the national ACLU in a lawsuit challenging the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents’ restrictions on teaching about race, gender and sexuality.
Yetter Coleman partners Jamie A. Aycock and Amy C. Farish are representing the plaintiffs on a pro bono basis. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a group of professors and the American Association of University Professors.
“We’re proud to represent these professors challenging a censorship policy that betrays Texas A&M’s established legacy as an institution that supports free and open inquiry,” Aycock said in a news release. “At stake in this lawsuit is the bedrock First Amendment principle that America is strengthened by and depends upon open public debate, even on the most controversial topics. Nowhere is this more important than in our public academic institutions, which are charged with developing and teaching our future leaders to think critically and broadly about pressing issues affecting society.”
According to the complaint, filed Monday in the Southern District of Texas’ Houston Division, the policy has prompted the removal of course materials and the cancellation of classes across the system’s 12 institutions.
The plaintiffs contend the policy is unconstitutionally vague and violates the First Amendment by discriminating against certain viewpoints.
A university system spokesman has called the lawsuit meritless and said the system intends to defend the policy vigorously.
The case number is 4:26-cv-06268.