In this edition of P.S., the Texas Access to Justice Commission has recognized St. Mary’s University School of Law student Madison Post and Texas Tech University School of Law for their outstanding commitment to pro bono service.
The Dallas Trial Lawyers Association honored the legal team at Sommerman, McCaffity, Quesada & Geisler that represented former Quitman police Capt. Terry Bevill in a lawsuit extensively covered by The Texas Lawbook.
The Tahirih Justice Center has named Steven Schulman its 2026 Pro Bono Leader of the Year, recognizing his advocacy for asylum seekers and commitment to expanding access to counsel. The Lawbook previously profiled the Akin Gump partner and his influence on pro bono nationally.
And finally, the Texas Bar Foundation recently awarded more than $1 million in grants to 74 organizations statewide. Find out which organizations were recipients.
St. Mary’s Law Student, Texas Tech Law School Honored for Pro Bono Service
The Texas Access to Justice Commission has recognized St. Mary’s University School of Law student Madison Post and Texas Tech University School of Law for their outstanding commitment to pro bono service.
Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby presented the 2026 Law Student Pro Bono Award and the 2026 Law School Commitment to Service Award on behalf of the commission during the Oct. 26 New Lawyers Induction Ceremony.
Post, a third-year law student, was honored for dedicating nearly 400 hours to pro bono and public interest work through clinics, internships and nonprofit service, far exceeding St. Mary’s 30-hour minimum service requirement, according to the commission.
Texas Tech Law was recognized for its longstanding culture of service and commitment to making pro bono work an integral part of student leadership development. Five of the law school’s nine clinical programs specifically serve low-income Texans, and students must complete at least 30 hours of pro bono community service before graduation.
The law school’s class of 2026 logged more than 11,360 hours of pro bono service, including more than 9,430 hours of law-related service, according to the commission.
Texas Bar Foundation Awards Fall Grants to Texas Nonprofits
The Texas Bar Foundation recently awarded more than $1 million in grants to 74 organizations across the state.
Two organizations tied for the largest grant awarded in the fall, each receiving $50,000: South Texas College of Law Houston to establish a statewide network to expand pro bono legal services for underserved Texans, and Travis Park United Methodist Church to help people in downtown San Antonio recover identification documents.
Tahirih Justice Center, which received $8,534 for technology upgrades to better serve survivors of violence in the Houston area, said the grant “will help Tahirih’s attorneys and pro bono legal partners deliver timely, high-quality representation while reducing barriers that prevent survivors from accessing justice.”
Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Foundation has awarded more than $32 million to law-related programs since its inception in 1965.
A complete list of grant recipients and amounts is available on the Foundation website here.
Sommerman, McCaffity, Quesada & Geisler Legal Team Honored with John Howie Award
The Dallas Trial Lawyers Association has honored the legal team at Sommerman, McCaffity, Quesada & Geisler that represented former Quitman police Capt. Terry Bevill with its prestigious John Howie Award.
The Texas Lawbook extensively covered Bevill’s lawsuit against his former bosses in Wood County, whom he accused of conspiring to retaliate against him for signing an affidavit supporting a friend’s motion for a change of venue in a criminal case.
After two interlocutory appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Bevill’s case went before a jury in an eight-day trial. Jurors found that the city of Quitman and its former mayor, David Dobbs, fired Bevill in retaliation for signing the affidavit. The jury also found that the city and Dobbs conspired with former Judge Jeff Fletcher, District Attorney Jim Wheeler and Sheriff Tom Castloo to retaliate against Bevill in violation of his First Amendment rights. The jury awarded Bevill $18 million in compensatory damages and $3.35 million in punitive damages.
Bevill’s legal team was led by partner Laura Benitez Geisler and included firm partners Sean McCaffity and Jody Rodenberg and attorney Rebecca Neumann.
Named in honor of prominent Dallas trial lawyer John Howie, who died in 2002, the award recognizes attorneys and their clients for “the courageous pursuit of justice in the face of adversity.”
This marks the first John Howie Award for Geisler and Rodenberg. McCaffity previously received the honor in 2021.
Akin Gump Pro Bono Partner Recognized for Influence
Tahirih Justice Center has named Steven Schulman its 2026 Pro Bono Leader of the Year, recognizing his advocacy for asylum seekers and commitment to expanding access to counsel.
Schulman, who leads Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s pro bono practice from Dallas, has been part of expanding pro bono work at large firms from a relatively small practice – less than 1 million hours nationwide in 1994 when he entered the legal profession – to more than 5 million hours annually. The Lawbook profiled Schulman and his nationwide influence on pro bono in a July article.
Schulman became Akin’s first full-time pro bono partner in 2006. Under his leadership, the firm’s lawyers average more than 100 pro bono hours annually. He also mentors aspiring public-interest lawyers through the firm’s Pro Bono Scholars Program.
Tahirih, a national nonprofit serving immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, said, “Steven’s leadership shows what pro bono can look like across an entire firm.”
Staff writer Elle Grinnell contributed to this report.