This week’s edition of P.S. features new lawyer board members of a Dallas nonprofit focused on supporting survivors of family violence, an announcement from a Dallas firm about two associates selected for diversity and inclusion-focused leadership programs with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and a legal aid organization’s upcoming trivia night that supports a charitable cause.
A Pro Bono Star is Born at Katten
In the first year of her law practice, Dallas associate Grace Caputo handled a significant asylum pro bono case. Her work on this matter resulted in a favorable outcome for her client and an internal pro bono award. In this sponsored Q&A, Caputo and Katten Dallas managing partner Mark Solomon tell us more.
P.S. — A CMO Honored, An Allied Mixer, A 50th Birthday for LSC
This week’s edition of P.S. features new board leadership at the Dallas LGBT+ Bar Association, an Austin-based chief marketing officer who recently won an award from the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association, an upcoming mixer involving Dallas-area allied bar associations and the judiciary, and a group of Texas lawyers — including top-ranking lawyers at American Airlines and Energy Transfer — who were recently recognized by Legal Services Corporation for their contributions to pro bono work at the state legal aid organizations that LSC funds.
Plus: info on the North Texas charity Carrington Coleman donated thousands of diapers to last year.
P.S. — Charity Fair, New AABA of Houston Leadership, Final Days of DBA’s EAJ Campaign
This week’s edition of P.S. includes information on a Munck Wilson Mandala shareholder who has been elected to the alumni board of TSU’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, February dates for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s pro bono clinics, 2024 officers of the Asian American Bar Association of Houston and how to donate during the final days of a campaign that supports civil pro bono legal services in Dallas.
Q&A: Rachel Morgan of Nexstar
For Premium Subscribers She’s handled pro bono cases for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for 20 years. She sits on the board of a very large foundation. She’s led a
Rachel Morgan: Pro Bono ‘Should Be the Highest Priority Work that We Do’
She’s handled pro bono cases for the Dallas Volunteer Attorneys Program for 20 years. She sits on the board of a very large foundation. She’s led a series of successful fundraisers, her most recent a record-breaking $1.3 million. She’s helping kids afford college at her alma mater. She saved a rescue dog named Ricky Bobby who does not have chemical burns, but does have bad skin.
Oh yeah, and her day job is general counsel of the country’s largest television station owner. But Nexstar Media Group’s Rachel Morgan has traveled down a long path to get to where she is today, hustling every step of the way.
For all of her achievements, The Texas Lawbook and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter have named Morgan the recipient of the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service.
Here is her full story.
Updated: Toyota’s Kelly Chen is a DEI ‘Doer’
When it comes to DEI, Kelly Chen of Toyota is a person whose actions match her words. She says hiring diverse outside legal teams is important; she gives legal work to diverse teams. She values mentoring young diverse attorneys and law students because she didn’t have anyone to ask questions (“whether they looked like me or not”) when she was starting her career. She says the legal industry is full of people with smarts, advocacy and creativity to figure out how to move the needle forward despite a challenging DEI climate. And she doubles down to do her part to lead programs and collaborate with outside counsel on solutions.
“When I think about what ‘commitment and service to diversity’ means, what comes to mind is a person who shows up, rolls their sleeves up — in ways both big and small, and works — over and over again — not for one time, one event, one year … Kelly Chen comes to mind,” said Toyota’s Mey Ly Ortiz.
The Texas Lawbook and Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW chapter have named Chen the recipient of the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. This is her story.
(Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include comments from a law student mentored by Chen).
Q&A: Kelly Chen of Toyota
When it comes to DEI, Kelly Chen of Toyota is a person whose actions match her words. She says hiring diverse outside legal teams is important; she gives legal work
P.S. — The Top 10 Pro Bono & Diversity Stories of 2023
Your new year’s resolutions may no longer be intact, but hopefully your will to improve your life and those around you is. To kick off the first public service column of 2024, Natalie Posgate looks back on the 10 most important pro bono and diversity stories of 2023. So slice a piece of that cake that 2024 you said you would avoid and settle in.
P.S. — New DHBA Leadership, New VA Program Benefiting Homeless Vets
In the last edition of P.S. for 2023, the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program announces January dates for pro bono legal clinics, Witherite Law Group donates tens of thousands to support families and seniors in need during the holidays, the VA rolls out a new program supporting homeless veterans (or those facing homelessness) and the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association announces its 2024 president and other new leadership.