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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.

Texas Law Graduates Win Precedent-Setting Civil Rights Case Before Receiving Bar Exam Results 

Just a few days before joining Kirkland & Ellis as litigation associates, and while awaiting the results of their bar exams, Gabrielle Olubanke Howells and Lizeth Badillo Garcia notched their first court win — a precedent-setting decision from a panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The rare opportunity to argue a pro bono case before a federal appeals court before bar admission was the result of a collaboration spearheaded by Kirkland & Ellis 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. — ‘Dean of the Texas Appellate Bar’ Honored, HBA Launches Days of Service and How to Boost Giving to LANWT  

In this week’s column, renowned appellate attorney Mike Hatchell of Haynes Boone is set to receive the Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award for his decadeslong contributions to appellate law in Texas. The Houston Bar Association also announced its new Days of Service initiative. And the Texas Indigent Defense Commission approved more than $1.7 million in grants to bolster mental health defense services and public defender capacity across rural counties. 

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Houston Lawyers Win National Awards, Dallas Initiatives Receive Major Support

In this week’s edition of P.S., we highlight the Houston Lawyers Association and its members who earned several national honors at the National Bar Association Convention. Meanwhile, the Dallas Bar Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to the SMU Dedman School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, bolstered by a $40,000 matching gift from the Stanton Foundation. Finally, an auction of memorabilia from retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn raised over $8,000 for the Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, supporting grants for female legal professionals and women in need across North Texas. 

Krista Torralva

Sidley Austin Helps Secure Landmark Pro Bono Victory After 15-Year Legal Battle

After a 15-year legal battle, Robert Velevis and Yvette Ostolaza led a Sidley Austin team to a landmark pro bono victory in a class action lawsuit against the state of Texas for unlawfully confining people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in nursing homes. A federal judge issued a sweeping 475-page opinion finding that Texas caused “irreparable injury” by failing to offer community-based living alternatives. Sidley Austin represented the plaintiffs alongside the Center for Public Representation and Disability Rights Texas.

Krista Torralva

Dallas Women Lawyers Documentary Earns State and National Awards 

A Law Unto Themselves: How Women Lawyers of Dallas Transformed Law and Community — Together is a film produced by Chelsea Hilliard and Kandace Walter, presidents of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association and the J.L. Turner Legal Association, respectively. The documentary chronicles the history of women attorneys in Dallas, highlighting how their pioneering efforts laid the groundwork for many of the city’s legal organizations and continue to shape the profession today. Since its premiere, the film has earned both state and national honors and is currently under consideration at film festivals across the U.S., Canada and Europe. 

Krista Torralva

‘Going to Do What’s Right:’ ACC San Antonio Ethics Award Winner Christine Reinhard on a Career Defined by Integrity 

Christine E. Reinhard, co-founder of San Antonio-based labor and employment law firm Schmoyer Reinhard, was honored with the ACC San Antonio Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Award in the private lawyer category. Launching her firm during the Great Recession, Reinhard prioritized integrity, transparency and client service – values rooted in her upbringing and reinforced by her law partner, Shannon Schmoyer. Today, their firm is believed to be the largest women-owned law firm in San Antonio and a leader in ethical legal practice.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — CLE on Assisting Flood Survivors, Lawyers Join TCU Advisory Board and Inspiring Future Attorneys

In this edition of P.S., our thoughts remain with the victims and survivors of the Hill Country floods. It’s clear that the legal community feels the same — attorneys across the region are stepping up with meaningful efforts to help. We highlight some of those initiatives here. You’ll also find news about a new group of advisory board members for Texas Christian University’s AddRan College of Liberal Arts, which now includes a handful of lawyers. Plus, Haynes Boone attorneys team up with Communities in Schools of Central Texas to inspire the next generation of legal professionals.

Krista Torralva

ACC San Antonio Ethics Award Winner Vincent R. Johnson Reflects on Legal Reform from Watergate to Today

Vincent R. Johnson was an aspiring lawyer when the Watergate scandal was unfolding. Disciplinary proceedings were brought against more than 20 lawyers for misconduct including obstruction of justice and violation of campaign laws, and “it was embarrassing to be a lawyer at that point in time,” Johnson said. But there was no doubt in Johnson’s mind that he wanted to be an attorney. As the ethics professor retires from St. Mary’s University School of Law this year, the Association of Corporate Counsel San Antonio chapter has honored him with its prestigious Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Award. Pictured: Johnson with Lauren Valkenaar at the St. Mary's Alumni Luncheon in June.

Krista Torralva

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

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