Premium Subscriber Q&A: Dave Louie
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, LyondellBasell’s Dave Louie discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, how AI is impacting his work and more.
Texas Access to Justice Gala Raises Record $1.05M for Legal Aid, Veterans
The Texas Access to Justice Commission’s Champions of Justice Gala in Austin topped last year’s record-shattering haul with $1.05 million raised for legal aid and veterans. Co-chaired by Toyota Motor North America CLO Sandra Phillips and CenterPoint Energy GC Monica Karuturi, the event Thursday honored Texas lawyers for their contributions to advocacy.
P.S. — ‘Our Bar Card Is Not Merely a Ticket to a Better Bank Account,’ Retired Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Kenneth Molberg Says Accepting Dallas Bar Foundation Award
In this edition of P.S., retired Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Kenneth Molberg urged lawyers to defend the rule of law and ensure their efforts extend beyond the privileged to those most in need, while accepting the Dallas Bar Foundation’s 2026 Fellows Justinian Award.
“Our bar card is not merely a ticket to a better bank account,” Molberg said to a room of about 350 attendees.
In Austin, Jackson Walker is hosting the 5th Annual Hispanic National Bar Association Region XII Summit at the firm’s office there.
In Houston, the nonprofit outreach program Girls Inc. of Greater Houston honored Pye Legal Group President Stacy Humphries with its Melanie Gray Vanguard Award for her “unwavering commitment to community leadership and philanthropy” at its 2026 Strong, Smart & Bold Luncheon last week.
And back in Dallas, the much-anticipated opening of South Dallas’ Halperin Park is set for May 9 with lawyers from Greenberg Traurig, T-Mobile and Cienda Partners among those leading the transformative project.
Also, TODAY is the deadline to nominate an appellate lawyer or judge for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics 18th annual Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. The award will be presented at the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner in September. Find details for how to nominate in this column.
Immigration Habeas Filings Jump 250% in North Texas After Policy Shift, Judge Says
Facing a “tsunami of litigation” driven by the Trump administration’s expansive classification of noncitizens as “applicants for admission” — making them ineligible for bond — lawyers and judges in the Northern District of Texas have “answered the call,” with attorneys stepping forward to represent immigrants on a pro bono basis and with judges working around the clock to issue timely, thoughtful orders, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix said Friday during closing remarks at the district’s annual Bench Bar Conference, held this year in Arlington.
P.S. — Texas Appleseed Launches 30th Anniversary Campaign with $1.5M Goal
In this edition of P.S., 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. The lawyers are now exploring ways to package the professional development curriculum for Viola's House and other nonprofits. Several DAYL Leadership Class projects have become lasting initiatives, including The Freedom Run 5k run and one-mile walk, created by the 2001 Leadership Class that raises funds for the Dallas Police Association's Assist the Officer Foundation.
Also, 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.
Also, 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.
‘People Are Definitely Going to Get Sick’: Trial Over Texas Prison Heat Awaits Ruling
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. At the end of a nine-day trial this month, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman said the case ranks among the most significant of the lawyers’ careers.
P.S. — Shackelford Lawyer Mobilizes Aviation Industry to Aid Cancer Patients, Film Chronicling Austin Sexual Assault Lawsuit to Screen at TRLA Benefit Event
In this edition of P.S., we bring you a story about one Shackelford, McKinley & Norton lawyer who found a way to honor his grandfathers who died of cancer by drawing on his industry connections to help families preserve time together.
O’Melveny Adds SMU’s Laura Burstein as First Texas Pro Bono Counsel
After 12 years at SMU Dedman School of Law, where she built and led its public interest and pro bono programs, Laura Burstein has joined O’Melveny & Myers as its first Texas pro bono counsel.
P.S. — Haynes Boone Tops Law Firms in United Way Giving in Houston; King & Spalding, Baker Botts Follow
In this edition of P.S., Jackson Walker has established the Jackson Walker Endowed Scholarship Fund in Memory of Emma Hackney at SMU Dedman School of Law, honoring a former associate in its banking and finance practice who was killed in a car wreck last year. The scholarship “represents the very best of who Emma was: a warm, kind and thoughtful person who put others ahead of herself,” said Justin Shipley, a finance partner in the Dallas office where Hackney worked.
The San Antonio Legal Services Association held its annual luncheon this week, bringing together attorneys, judges, business leaders and community advocates committed to expanding access to civil legal services for low-income Texans in San Antonio and surrounding counties. Find out who was recognized at the premier fundraising event.
The Haynes Boone offices in Houston and The Woodlands raised a record $185,000 through a year-long campaign benefiting the United Way of Greater Houston. The effort is part of a broader campaign among law firms, with Haynes Boone ranking as the top contributing law firm.
P.S. — Bipartisan Texas Delegation Makes Push in D.C. For Legal Aid Funding, Lawyer-Led Charity Fundraisers Break Records
We highlight the pro bono work of Haynes Boone attorneys who have spent years helping students secure patents for innovations that are aiding a Malawi refugee camp. That and much more in this edition of P.S.