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Krista Torralva

Krista Torralva covers pro bono, public service, and diversity matters in the Texas legal market.

Krista Torralva

Krista Torralva covers pro bono, public service, and diversity for the Texas Lawbook Foundation and The Texas Lawbook. Previously, she covered courts for The Dallas Morning News. Krista has spent the bulk of her decade-plus-long career covering criminal courts in Texas and Florida. Her reporting includes the high profile federal terrorism trial against the Pulse nightclub shooter’s widow in Orlando, which ended in a rare acquittal. Her civil courts coverage has included the long-winding Texas voter ID lawsuit, legal battles over local Covid-19 mandates and school board disputes. Krista's work has been recognized by the State Bar of Texas' Gavel Awards, the Texas Association Press Managing Editors, the National Headliner Awards program and various local chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The daughter of a Naval officer, Krista grew up traveling every few years but calls Corpus Christi home and talks about the Texas Gulf Coast every chance she gets. She lives in Dallas’ North Oak Cliff with her husband, Fares Sabawi.

Krista graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

P.S. — New State Bar President Launches Campaign to Fund Legal Aid for Low-Income Texans 

When speaking to fellow lawyers, Santos Vargas often asks them a question to illustrate a point. “How many of you could hire yourselves for a protracted legal dispute?” The point is that many people don’t have the financial means to hire a lawyer when faced with a legal problem, which is why the newly minted State Bar of Texas president is on a campaign to raise money for low-income Texans to access legal services. Vargas aims to raise $300,000, with July donations supporting victims of the recent Texas Hill Country flood. 

Krista Torralva

Texas Lawyers Mobilize to Support Flood Victims

In the wake of devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country that claimed more than 100 lives, lawyers stand at the ready to help. The State Bar of Texas and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid are assessing legal needs that will arise in the days following the floods, and they encourage lawyers to sign up to volunteer or donate financial aid to these trusted resources. Also on Tuesday, the Texas Supreme Court issued an emergency order stating that flooding may impact court proceedings and that delays or modifications should be made “where reasonably necessary.”

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Attorneys Serving the Community Raises More Than $586K for POETIC, Voting Rights Act Commemorated

In this edition of P.S., Attorneys Serving the Community announced it raised more than $586K for POETIC, a nonprofit helping youth survivors of exploitation, with over $60,000 coming from its sold-out annual luncheon featuring Elizabeth Smart. Meanwhile, the Dallas Bar Association and J.L. Turner Legal Association are preparing to honor the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act with a special program featuring civil rights leaders and legal experts.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — J.L. Turner Legal Association Hosts Sold-Out Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration in Dallas

In this edition of P.S., we highlight the success of the J.L. Turner Legal Association’s first official Juneteenth Celebration, held at the Dallas African American Museum. The Dallas African American bar association, named for one of the city’s first Black lawyers, shared with The Texas Lawbook why it was compelled to emphasize the importance of Juneteenth in an event that was open to people of all professions and not just the legal community. Meanwhile, the State Bar of Texas is kicking off its annual meeting on June 19 amid controversy over its decision to disinvite the NAACP president from speaking at its Bar Leaders Recognition Luncheon. Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, Wallace B. Jefferson, will deliver a keynote address commemorating the legal history and significance of Juneteenth. And we highlight other upcoming Juneteenth celebrations, as well.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Raising the Bar: Lawyers Fight Food Insecurity, Support Veterans and More 

In this week’s P.S. Column, the Dallas-area legal community is recognized for raising more than $145,000 and donating nearly half a ton of food to the North Texas Food Bank through the annual Food from the Bar campaign, with top-performing firms honored at a recent awards celebration. In Houston, Bracewell and Cheniere Energy recently worked a free legal clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, assisting 23 veterans with challenges such as housing disputes. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis and AlixPartners have launched the first-ever Knock Out the Need blood drive to address summer shortages. Other notable updates include nonprofit board appointments, scholarship awards and Communities Foundation of Texas presenting its 2025 Vester Hughes Award to Holland & Knight’s David Rosenberg. 

Krista Torralva

New UT Law Grads Make Courtroom Debut in Federal Appeals Arguments

In their career debuts, two newly minted University of Texas law school graduates and incoming Kirkland & Ellis associates faced pointed judicial questioning from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a prison conditions case. Gabrielle Olubanke Howells and Lizeth Badillo Garcia spoke with The Texas Lawbook about rising to the rare occasion of presenting oral arguments in a federal appeals case before even taking the bar exam. 

Krista Torralva

Before Bar Admission, UT Law Grads and Incoming Kirkland Associates Head to Fifth Circuit for Pro Bono Oral Argument

They haven’t taken the bar exam yet, but on Thursday, two newly minted University of Texas School of Law graduates and incoming Kirkland & Ellis associates will argue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The rare opportunity is the result of a collaboration spearheaded by Kirkland Partner Zack Ewing, who was inspired by the graduates to emulate a program afforded to him while a student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — From Corporate Counsel to Clemency Crusader: Brittany K. Barnett’s Journey to Criminal Justice Reform

Last week, I had the honor of interviewing Brittany K. Barnett at the Texas General Counsel Forum Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter breakfast about her impressive legal career. Barnett’s start was in accounting. From there, she went to work as a corporate finance attorney and in-house M&A counsel. By night, she dedicated herself to pro bono efforts, working on President Barack Obama’s historic Clemency Project 2014. Barnett ultimately left her job and founded The Buried Alive Project, a powerful initiative to represent individuals sentenced to life without parole for nonviolent drug offenses. Her work has led to clemency for nearly two dozen clients across three presidential administrations. She’s also the author of a best-selling memoir, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, and she is working on a second book. I was so inspired by her story that I wanted to share our interview with a wider audience in this week's P.S. Column. 

Krista Torralva

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