In this week’s edition of P.S., one Houston firm prepares for a fourth-annual dinner that celebrates Muslim culture and, this year, raises funds for earthquake victims in the Middle East. Plus, details on multiple legal clinics conducted by Dallas lawyers throughout the month of April.
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— On Monday, Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing is hosting its fourth-annual Iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan. The dinner, which will be held at AZA’s offices in downtown Houston, will serve Mediterranean and Pakistani cuisine for an expected couple hundred guests — many of whom are part of AZA’s client roster, the judiciary, the Muslim legal community and larger Houston Muslim community.
Also at the dinner, the firm will provide a QR code should attendees wish to join AZA attorneys in contributing money to UNICEF for emergency relief to the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
AZA partner Shahmeer Halepota spearheads the dinner and came up with the idea four years ago when he was still an associate. Halepota, who was born in Pakistan, said he started the annual dinner because he “wanted to help build the strength of the Muslim legal community and further interaction between that community and the judiciary.” He said AZA is the first law firm in Houston to host an Iftar dinner and the only to consistently host one.
After last year’s dinner, Halepota said one of AZA’s non-Muslim attorneys fasted for Ramadan after learning more about the Muslim culture and religion.
AZA has six lawyers born overseas and three lawyers who are first-generation Americans, which makes up roughly 19 percent of the firm’s 48 lawyers. The firm was founded by an immigrant — John Zavitsanos of Greece — and a first-generation American — Joe Ahmad, whose parents are from Pakistan. Languages spoken by the firm’s lawyers include Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
— Throughout the month of April, Dallas the Volunteer Attorney Program — the Dallas Bar Association’s pro bono arm — will hold 10 free virtual and in-person legal clinics for those in need of pro bono services. Separately, DVAP volunteer attorneys will answer legal questions for free on its hotline, LegalLine, every Wednesday in April from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. An anonymous volunteer attorney will call the client to provide up to 15 minutes of legal advice. Because space is limited, registration will close at noon the Tuesday prior. The calls will not establish a client-attorney relationship.
Hotline clinic enrollment link: https://tinyurl.com/DBALegalLine
Virtual clinics:
April 6: DVAP and Alston & Bird
April 7 (Veterans virtual clinic): DVAP and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
April 13: DVAP and SMU Dedman School of Law, Women in Law
April 20: DVAP and DLA Piper
April 27: DVAP, Haynes and Boone, JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Citibank
To enroll in: https://tinyurl.com/DVAPClinic
In-person clinics:
Veterans clinic: April 7 at 1:30 p.m. at the VA Medical Center (4500 Lancaster Rd, Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Jones Day
South Dallas clinic: April 11 at 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (2922 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Baker Botts
St. Phillips legal clinic: April 18 at 5 p.m. at the St. Phillips Community Center (1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and DBA’s Solo Volunteers group
South Dallas clinic: April 25 at 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (2922 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Katten
West Dallas clinic: April 27 at 5 p.m.: April 27 at 5 p.m. at the West Dallas Multi-purpose Center (2828 Fish Trap Rd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and DBA’s Solo Volunteers