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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.

Southwest Airlines Asks Judge for One Cent Judgment to End Litigation Over Squashed Free Flights Program

Lawyers for Southwest Airlines have asked a judge to enter a judgment ordering the Dallas-based airline to pay one cent and reasonable attorneys’ fees to the American Alliance for Equal Rights to end its lawsuit over a defunct program that offered free flights to low-income Hispanic students traveling to visit their parents. Southwest Airlines ended the charitable program “¡Lánzate!” — meaning “Take off!” — after political conservative Edward Blum’s AAER sued Southwest on behalf of a white student and an Asian student who claimed they were illegally denied benefits of the program. The AAER sought one cent in damages from Southwest. (Photo courtesy Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)

Krista Torralva

Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center Reaches Major Milestone

For the first time this week, the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center has lawyers stationed at each of the county’s 10 eviction courts. They will be available to help tenants every day there’s an eviction docket. The center, founded by Holland & Knight partner Mark Melton, reached this goal at a time when the Texas Legislature is considering bills that would scale back due process and judicial oversight for evictions. 

Krista Torralva

Q&A with Trial Lawyer Jeffrey B. Simon

“There is no right that is so entrenched in the American experience that someone can't take it away,” trial lawyer Jeffrey B. Simon told The Texas Lawbook about writing his book, Last Rights: The Fight to Save the 7th Amendment. Simon, who co-leads the state’s opioid multidistrict litigation, shared why he wrote his book and how it's a collection of thoughts and ideas developed over a career spanning more than three decades. 

Krista Torralva

Q&A with Trial Lawyer Geoffrey Harrison 

Susman Godfrey trial attorney and partner Geoffrey Harrison won five lawsuits last year involving a total of more than $1.25 billion. In this exclusive interview, Harrison talks about his trial rituals, what name partner H. Lee Godfrey taught him as a newly minted lawyer, the litigation trends he’s watching closely and more.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Law Firm Delivers with Hams for Easter; Houston’s Legal Rockers Battle for Charity Glory

In this week’s P.S. Column, one Dallas-Fort Worth law firm is putting $50,000 toward feeding families this Easter with a ham meal giveaway. Also, Law Rocks is making its way to Houston, where lawyers face off in a battle-of-the-bands style competition for charity. Meet the Houston bands who are competing. Finally, The Texas Lawbook continues to invite submissions on pro bono collaborations between corporate legal departments and law firms for a new monthly column.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Reed Smith’s Global Managing Partner Celebrated, Volunteers Needed in San Antonio 

In this week’s P.S. column, the San Antonio Legal Services Association and another nonprofit are seeking volunteer lawyers to participate in a housing rights workshop on Saturday to educate tenants on housing rights and show them how to draft repair requests. Also, the Center for Women in Law will honor Reed Smith global managing partner Casey Ryan with the Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award at its April 4 luncheon, featuring BBC journalist Katty Kay as keynote speaker. Finally, The Texas Lawbook invites submissions on pro bono collaborations between corporate legal departments and law firms for a new monthly column.

Krista Torralva

Q&A with Trial Lawyer Michael Lyons

Michael Lyons is a student of heroes. An avid reader, he concentrates on what makes a hero and how they’re portrayed in stories. It’s no wonder that the trial lawyer finds heroes in his own cases, whether it be a man killed saving his fiancée from the deadly 2021 Astroworld crowd surge or a Good Samaritan who comforted a dying truck driver.  

Krista Torralva

Q&A with Trial Lawyer Whitney Wendel

Rounding out the five-lawyer Reese Marketos team that secured a $150 million false claims verdict against Janssen Products last summer was a young, chipper associate named Whitney Wendel, who joined the Dallas-based firm in 2023. In her short career, she has fortified herself as a litigator, her colleagues said. Wendel enjoys preparing for trial, which she compares to memorizing lines and building sets before a stage play, she said in a November interview with The Texas Lawbook.

Krista Torralva

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