People leave jobs all the time for new opportunities, but when they explain their career move, what are they really thinking? On her last day at The Lawbook, Natalie Posgate offers musings on her own move to Reese Marketos.
Pro Bono Opportunities Alive and Well in Patent Law
Intellectual property may not be the first area of law you’d think of to find pro bono work, but it’s just as vital for boosting diversity, equity and inclusion in our country as focusing on the usuals — criminal justice reform, food insecurity, or hiring practices. Pillsbury’s Chad Hammerlind tells The Lawbook about a partnership between the USPTO and an Austin-based nonprofit that houses these IP pro bono opportunities.
“It’s usually wealthy individuals and corporations that can afford getting a patent, so this program helps some other individuals build wealth and get the chance to build some assets,” he says.
The Woman Behind Haynes Boone’s Healthier Legal Culture
A registered and licensed dietician, Abby Read joined Haynes Boone as the firm’s first wellness manager with a vision that far exceeded overhauling the office’s snack selection. Now two years into the new position, Read has helped lawyers and staff at the global firm incorporate more movement into their day, feel less alone in their wellness struggles by learning the stories of their colleagues and have a confidant in their office to turn to when they need mental health support. Read’s latest effort of launching a podcast seeks to expand that support to the larger legal community.
Read recently talked with The Lawbook about her background running the wellness program of a major healthcare system before joining Haynes Boone, what the firm is doing to support its lawyers’ mental health and what she’s learned since bringing her wellness expertise to a law firm environment.
Texas Supreme Court Calls on Nonlawyers to Shrink Justice Gap
After an exhaustive, 22-month process, the Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday issued a set of preliminary rules that will allow select nonlawyers — licensed paraprofessionals and court-access assistants — to provide limited civil legal services to low-income Texans. The order places the efforts of the Texas Access to Justice Commission and SCOTX at the finish line for this slice of their ongoing effort to help close the civil justice gap in Texas.
Natalie Posgate talked with Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby about how this project began and Legal Services Corporation President Ron Flagg about the success of this model at a national level.
P.S. — A Fundraiser for Sick Children, A Changing of the Guard, Another Award for Rusty Hardin
This week’s edition of P.S. features two law firms’ school supply giveaways; August dates for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s legal clinics (plus sponsor info); a new award for Rusty Hardin presented by a foundation; a Weil associate’s remarkable track record for pro bono work, which recently resulted in an award; fundraising results for a recent Dallas Association of Young Lawyers event; new leadership at Hispanic bar associations in Houston and Austin; and awards recently presented to law firms and individuals by a Houston nonprofit dedicated to combatting gender-based violence.
Firms and organizations mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Winston & Strawn, Witherite Law Group, Jackson Walker, Goldman Sachs, AT&T, Nexstar Media Group, Bradley, Cisco, DLA Piper, Haynes Boone, Fish & Richardson, Beck Redden, Weil, Children’s Health, Innocence Project of Texas, Latham, Skadden, Texas Council on Family Violence, King & Spalding, Baker Botts, Targa Resources and Tahirih Justice Center.
P.S. — Rachel Elkin: From Aspiring Book Editor to Haynes Boone’s First Pro Bono Counsel
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Elkin discusses her background and decision to dedicate her legal career to pro bono, why she joined Haynes Boone and what she hopes to achieve there.
P.S. — A Civil Legal Aid Advocate, Legal Aid for Beryl, Baylor’s Lawyer of the Year
This week’s edition of P.S. features a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas who was honored with Baylor’s Lawyer of the Year award, Hurricane Beryl disaster relief information from the State Bar of Texas and a Nacogdoches lawyer committed to the civil justice gap who has joined forces with Legal Service Corporation.
P.S. — America’s Civil Justice Gap is ‘a Chasm, Really’
Without legal aid, domestic violence survivor Veronica Gonzalez was almost certain she would have been forced to return to her abuser in Washington state and lose custody of her child. Getting pro bono representation prevented that from happening, but at least hundreds of thousands of other domestic abuse survivors — and over 1 million other low-income Americans facing civil legal issues — are turned away from legal aid organizations each year due to a lack of funding. Gonzalez, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, and two other witnesses sought to remedy this issue last week when they testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to advocate for increased funding to Legal Services Corporation.
“The justice gap burdens society, the economy, businesses and taxpayers who must pick up the costs of people’s inability to make do because of unmet civil legal needs that study after study has confirmed,” Hecht said during his testimony.
P.S. — Lawyer Joins PUC; DBA Takes Home Slew of Awards
This week’s edition of P.S. includes an upcoming inaugural convention in Houston aimed at supporting and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a series of awards recently received by the Dallas Bar Association and the 4/11 on the PUC’s newest board member, who happens to be a lawyer.
P.S. — Animal Wellness Advocacy, July Legal Clinics, Public Defense Research
This week’s edition of P.S. features a Dallas-area law school’s new six-figure research project aimed at protecting Sixth Amendment rights, July dates for the Dallas Bar Association and Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s pro bono legal clinics (virtual, telephone and in-person), and background on a national animal rights-focused nonprofit that recently hired a new director in Texas.
Firms and companies featured in this week’s P.S. include Akin, Bradley, DLA Piper, Haynes Boone, Katten, Hunton Andrews Kurth, McDermott, Winston, Gibson Dunn, Prudential and EQT Corp.